Warning: SPOILERS for Avengers: Endgame
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Avengers: Endgame did the impossible in wrapping up a decade of cinematic storytelling in a satisfying way. It even managed to fill in a few plot holes along the way. Of course, not everything is wrapped up perfectly. There are still a lot of unanswered questions within the MCU that fans want resolved.
One of the movies most likely to shed the most light on things is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. With James Gunn back as director, we will get the end of this trilogy as intended. Returning to the Guardians and the cosmic side of the MCU following the events of Endgame is likely to reveal a lot. Here are some of those unanswered questions we might get answered in Guardians 3.
Will We See Adult Groot?
The death of Groot at the end of the first Guardians was one of the saddest moments in the MCU. Though he wasn't the most eloquent of characters, Groot showed he has a big heart and sacrificed himself willingly to save his new family. Since then, we have seen a new Groot slowly grow from a baby, to a toddler, to a teenager. So what's next?
It seems like before this trilogy closes, we should see adult Groot once more. That might require a bit of a time jump, but it would bring things full-circle.
What Will Thor Do Next?
Thor's arc in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame was one of the most daring and interesting of all the heroes. It also left open a lot of possibilities for the character. We saw at the end of the film, Thor decides to leave the rule of Asgard in Valkyrie's hands and leaves Earth with the Guardians.
While the back-and-forth between Quill and Thor is hilarious, we doubt Thor will stick with the team for Guardians 3. He's too big of a character and might overshadow some of the others. But hopefully, the film will give some indication of where the God of Thunder will go next and what future adventures he might have.
Is The Collector Alive?
The Collector was introduced in the post-credit scene for Thor: The Dark World as a potential rival of Thanos in the collection of Infinity Stones. He continued that quest in the first Guardians, but Thanos proved he wanted them more and took the Reality Stone from The Collector in Infinity War.
While we don't see their actual confrontation, The Collector's home on Knowhere is quite destroyed. The smart guess would be that Thanos killed him, but given the lack of body, there's no saying for sure. We might see him pop up to team with his brother, The Grandmaster.
What's The Story Behind The Beheaded Celestial?
One of the most striking visuals of the first Guardians movie was the reveal of Knowhere, the trading post the Guardians visit which is inside the severed head of a Celestial. However, once you get past the cool concept, it raises a lot of questions.
In the Marvel universe, Celestials are basically gods. The only one we've properly met was Ego and he certainly wasn't someone you could easily behead. Perhaps we'll finally get the backstory behind how this Celestial was killed and, more importantly, who was powerful enough to kill them.
Where Is Lady Sif?
The Asgardians characters have taken quite a beating in the MCU as of late. Aside from the God of Thunder himself, pretty much every Asgardian we've met in the first two Thor movies have been killed off. However, Lady Sif is still unaccounted for.
Lady Sif was introduced in the first film as one of Asgard's most fearsome fighters and one of Thor's closest allies. She has not been seen since Thor: The Dark World and she seems to have been off-planet for the events of Thor: Ragnarok. With Thor involved with the Guardians, maybe the film will give a hint as to where she is and maybe Thor will go off with her.
Is The Red Skull Free?
The Red Skull's reappearance in Infinity War after a long absence was one of the film's biggest surprises. He appeared again in Endgame, to once again fulfill his role as Stonekeeper of the Soul Stone. It has been confirmed that once the Soul Stone is acquired, Red Skull is no longer a slave to it and is free.
If he is indeed free, Red Skull could continue his villainous ways, perhaps as a cosmic baddie now, which could mean he crosses paths with the Guardians. However, since Steve Rogers returned the Stones at the end of Endgame, is Red Skull once again bound to the Soul Stone? Perhaps the film could clear that up.
Is Xandar Gone?
Xandar was introduced in the first Guardians movie as the home planet of the Nova Corps and the secure location of the Power Stone. However, at the beginning of Infinity War, we get the rather shocking news that Thanos has decimated Xandar and retrieved the Power Stone.
"Decimated" is a bit of a vague description so there's still the question of how bad Thanos' attack was. The Mad Titan has a penchant for leaving half the population, but if a Stone was on the line, he might make an exception. Hopefully, we'll get a chance to see if there were any survivors and what kind of shape the Nova Corps are in now.
Will Fox Characters Be Introduced Yet?
The team at Marvel are staying quite tight-lipped about the future of the MCU for now. Given the game-changing nature of Endgame, the secrecy is understandable as well as the newly acquired Fox character the MCU now owns. While it has been said that X-Men and Fantastic Four films are still a long way off, that doesn't mean some Fox characters won't begin popping up.
James Gunn has talked about some of the characters he would love to use that were previously unavailable. He might jump at the chance to start including some of them here.
Where Is Gamora?
While many fans thought that the Guardians who was killed during Infinity War would return, the return of Gamora was still a big question mark. She was killed by Thanos before "the snap" so it was possible her death was permanent. While the Gamora we've come to know over the course of the first two Guardians movie is still dead, Gamora from the earlier timeline did return and join the heroes.
After Thanos' army eliminated at the end of Endgame, we don't see Gamora again. Was she dusted as well? Did she leave Earth without the Guardians? Many have speculated the third film will focus on the team's quest to find her.
Who Made Rocket?
Rocket is one of the most tragic characters in the MCU. He is aggressive and hostile, but for good reason. Though we only get a sense of his backstory, it is clear he was experimented on and tortured, leaving him a deeply emotionally scarred creature.
In order for the character to get some kind of closure, we hope the third film will shed more light on where Rocket comes from. Perhaps the ones who created him could serve as the villains of the film and finally reveal the sad story behind how he came to be.