Guardians of the Galaxy 3 introduces a new version of the team and sees many of the original members go off to travel new paths in the MCU.
Summary
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 introduces a new team for the MCU, setting up a fresh future for the franchise.
- James Gunn surprised audiences by not killing off any of the main Guardians teammates.
- The new Guardians team includes Rocket, Groot, Kraglin, Cosmo, Adam Warlock, and Phyla, bringing together original members and some new additions.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's original team, but it introduces a new Guardians of the Galaxy team and its members. It was no secret that James Gunn's final movie in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy would be the last time audiences saw the main characters together again. The roster of Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot expanded over the years to include Nebula and Mantis, while Kraglin and Cosmo were also featured as tertiary members. This created some precedence for the MCU to continue evolving and changing the Guardians of the Galaxy team members, much like the Avengers roster.
Due to the finality that comes with the end of a trilogy, most of the speculation about how Guardians of the Galaxy 3's ending would set up the MCU's next Guardians team came with theories that some members will die. James Gunn delivered a surprise by not killing any of the main Guardians teammates. That did not stop the movie from revealing a brand-new roster made up of some original members and a few new ones. It sets up a fresh future for the franchise as a new MCU Guardians of the Galaxy team steps into the spotlight to protect the cosmos after Guardians of the Galaxy 3.
Who's In Marvel's New Guardians of the Galaxy Team
New Guardians At A Glance
- Rocket Racoon
- Groot
- Kraglin
- Cosmo
- Adam Warlock
- Phyla
The MCU's new Guardians of the Galaxy team was officially unveiled in Guardians of the Galaxy 3's post-credits. The team is led by Rocket Raccoon, who is officially declared the captain of the group. It marks the official promotion of Rocket to the leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy after arguing to be in that position in the past. His selection was unanimous as Rocket takes on the leadership role that Star-Lord previously had. Rocket is not the only original member part of the new team, as Groot - and his huge form - is confirmed to be part of the roster.
Joining Rocket and Groot as members of the MCU's next Guardians of the Galaxy team are a few characters who have interacted with the group before. This includes Kraglin becoming a more serious part of the team after working with the group in Thor: Love and Thunder. The roster includes another CGI animal now that Cosmo the Spacedog has officially been granted a spot after helping the original team on Knowhere. The big addition to the new Guardians of the Galaxy team is Adam Warlock. After being a villain in Guardians of the Galaxy 3, he gives the new lineup a level of power they have not had before.
The final new Guardians of the Galaxy team member in the MCU is Phyla. She is introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy 3 in secret as one of the kids that High Evolutionary has as a prisoner for his experiments. Phyla-Vell is an incredibly powerful cosmic hero in the comics who comes to own the Quantum Bands. She is a Kree/Titan hybrid with a variety of powers, and she is also known for wielding the Oblivion Sword. Guardians of the Galaxy 3 only briefly teases Phyla-Vell's powers by showing her fists begin to glow, but she'll get plenty of chances to show off her abilities in future appearances.
How The Guardians of the Galaxy's New Team Compares To The Comics
Marvel Studios and James Gunn's choices for who is on the new Guardians of the Galaxy team are unique compared to the comics. Rocket, Groot, Cosmo, Adam Warlock, and Phyla-Vell have all been members of the Guardians of the Galaxy at some point. However, these specific characters, as well as Kraglin, have never been the sole members of a roster in the comics. That makes the MCU's new Guardians of the Galaxy team stand apart from not only what Marvel Studios did before but also what fans know from the source material. However, there are some similarities to the Guardians of the Galaxy's comic teams with this lineup.
For the MCU's original iteration of the team, Marvel Studios heavily borrowed from Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning's 2008 comic run. Star-Lord assembled the comics' new team as part of the Annihilation storyline and recruited Gamora, Drax, Rocket, Groot, Adam Warlock, and Phyla-Vell to be part of it. Marvel Studios cut Adam Warlock and Phyla-Vell from this roster for the MCU. Their spots are now fixed with the MCU's new Guardians of the Galaxy team that Guardians of the Galaxy 3 introduces. This team is effectively a hybrid of this comic roster and the replacement team that formed after the initial disbanded, which saw Rocket become the leader.
What Happened To All Former Members of The Guardians of the Galaxy?
Star-Lord
After spending almost 30 years in space after his abduction by Yondu and the Ravagers, Peter Quill finally realizes that it's time to stop running from his past and go back home. He leaves the Guardians of the Galaxy and goes back to Earth and reunites with his grandfather. The ending text promises that the Legendary Star-Lord will return, but it's hithero unknown how or when.
Rocket Racoon
After coming to terms with his past, Rocket Racoon is given official status as the captain of the Guardians of the Galaxy. He is seen leading the new squad on a mission to protect some villagers from dangerous wild animals.
Groot
At the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Groot is seen with the new Guardians team. He has finally reached his full-size and dwarfs his teammates.
Gamora
While Gamora seems to have gained some affection for the Guardians, she still considers the Ravagers her family. At the end of the movie, she says goodbye to the team and reunites with Yondu's original Ravager crew, who greet her with a warm welcome.
Mantis
After spending most of her life in the service of Ego and the last few years working with the Guardians, Mantis decides that she needs to live life for herself for a while. It's unclear what her goals are or where she goes, but she's presumably spending time away from active combat trying to re-discover herself.
Drax
Despite being self-labelled as "The Destroyer," Drax shows his true colors when the team finds a group of children imprisoned by the High Evolutionary. His fatherly instincts return, showing the soft, loving figure that he was before losing his family to Ronan. Drax decides to stay on Knowhere and be a father to the orphaned children now also living on the ship/colony.
Nebula
Similar to Drax, Nebula decides that her time is over as a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. She decides to take on a leadership position on Knowhere and help the colony redevelop society and order to support the previously present and newly found lives living there.
When Will The Guardians of the Galaxy Return In The MCU?
Since Guardians of the Galaxy 3 introduced this new team, it should only be a matter of time before the Guardians of the Galaxy return. Marvel Studios has yet to announce any plans for where the Guardians will appear next. Guardians of the Galaxy 4 is a possibility, but there have been no official discussions that it is a movie Marvel plans to make. Now that the trilogy is over, Marvel Studios' plans for how, where, and when this new Guardians of the Galaxy team will return to the MCU could be announced.
There are no immediate and obvious options for when the Guardians of the Galaxy's return will happen, though. The Marvels is the only MCU Phase 5 project that is at least loosely tied to space. Since the Captain Marvel sequel already includes Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan as leads in addition to Captain Marvel, the appearance of the Guardians would crowd the film. That said, Carol Danvers and Rocket do have a working relationship thanks to Avengers: Endgame, so perhaps she will call upon their help at some point. Other than The Marvels, audiences might have to wait until Phase 6 to see the Guardians again.
The safest bet for when this new Guardians of the Galaxy team will return to the MCU is in either Avengers: The Kang Dynasty or Avengers: Secret Wars. These two movies are expected to have a similar scale and scope as Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, bringing together characters from across the MCU for the multiverse adventure. This should include Rocket, Groot, Adam Warlock, Cosmo, Phyla-Vell, and Kraglin as the new Guardians of the Galaxy team. Unfortunately, that would mean audiences will have to wait a few years to see the team in full force after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
