James Gunn confirmed that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be the last time we see the intergalactic team's current lineup in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Talking to Deadline’s Hero Nation podcast, Gunn revealed he’s working on giving fans closure, as the intergalactic superhero team meets their final adventure.
While Gunn has already said he would depart from the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise after the third movie, the writer and director now reveals the upcoming threequel will also say farewell to the current iteration of the super team, though he gave no details as to what that actually means. So, while there could be a new team of Guardians of the Galaxy in the MCU after Gunn’s departure, the director is working to give the characters he helped popularize a proper ending:
"This is the end for us. This is the last time people will see this team of Guardians... I just want to be true to the characters, and I want to be true to the story and I want to give people the wrap-up that they deserve for the story. So that is always a little bit scary; I'm doing my best."
Gunn is currently working on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 at the same time as the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special for DIsney+. There’s no information on the plot of either the Holiday Special or Volume 3, but both productions will bring back Chris Pratt as Star-Lord, Dave Bautista as Drax, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket Raccoon, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, and Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot. While Gamora’s fate is uncertain after Avengers: Endgame, Zoë Saldaña is set to return at least for Volume 3. Both Nebula and Mantis are getting bigger roles in Volume 3, according to Gunn, so it’s safe to assume the filmmaker has also something special planned for Gamora.
Will Poulter also joined the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s cast as Adam Warlock, a role Poulter feels “honored” to play. Chukwudi Iwuji, who’s currently playing a mercenary in Gunn’s DC series Peacemaker, also scored a part in the threequel. While Gunn is keeping Iwuji’s role a secret, the filmmaker has stated that it “is one of the main characters in the movie and people are freaking out over how good this guy is.” Finally, Gunn also teased that a new character will be introduced in the Holiday Special, which means that, while his Guardians franchise is coming to an end, there are still many surprises in store for fans.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is due to be released on Disney+ in December 2022. Guardians of the Galaxy 3 hits theaters in May 2023.