Editor's Note: The following article contains spoilers for Thor: Love and ThunderPrior to the release of their first film in 2014, the Guardians of the Galaxy weren't even close to a household name like the Avengers. Years later, however, the odd-ball group of intergalactic defenders has become one of the crown jewels of the MCU. Audiences everywhere completely feel in love with the band of misfits who could not only make them laugh but also make them care about their problems both on and off the battlefield. Suffice to say, Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), Groot (Vin Diesel), Drax (Dave Bautista), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), Nebula (Karen Gillan), and Kraglin (Sean Gunn) have all made their way into the hearts of both hardcore fans and Marvel newcomers alike.
However, after the two-part universe-shattering event that was Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, one member of the team was not accounted for. Gamora (Zoe Saldana), lost her life when Thanos (Josh Brolin) sacrificed her to obtain the soul stone as part of his plan for wiping out half the universe. Yet, Zoe Saldana is set to reprise Gamora for the upcoming third installment of the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. How is this possible? Where is Gamora now? (Why is Gamora now?) Does this mean she'll once again become a full-fledged member of the team?
Well, if you're hoping for the Guardians' brief cameo appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder to answer all of your burning questions about the 70s music-loving band of misfits, you may be out of luck. The team only appears in the film for a couple of minutes before the movie focuses the rest of its time on Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and his own adventure. Although, that doesn't mean we still can't give a brief summary on where the team was prior to Love and Thunder, what they get up to in the latest Marvel film, and where we'll be seeing the group again (and it may be sooner than you think).
Before Thor Joined the Crew
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Let's start things off by reintroducing the current group that calls themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy. In the original film, we first meet Peter Quill, who affectionately calls himself Star-Lord. A cocky human born on Earth with a fondness for classic tunes from the 70s and raised by a group of space pirates called Ravagers. Eventually, he's joined by Gamora, the rogue adopted daughter of Thanos the Mad Titan, Rocket, a self-centered talking raccoon with an explosive arsenal, Groot, a sentient tree who can only say "I am Groot," and Drax, a revenge-seeking warrior who takes every statement literally. It takes a while for them to get along, but they eventually put their differences aside to save a galactic utopia from an evil Kree Accuser called Ronan (Lee Pace).
In the sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the team's roster expands just a tad, now including Mantis, a bug-like humanoid who can manipulate the emotions of others, Nebula, Gamora's villainous sister turned apprehensive ally, and finally Yondu (Michael Rooker), Quills adopted dad who sacrificed himself in the film's conclusion in a final act of redemption. Yondu may not have survived, but he still was able to assist the Guardians in defeating Quill's real father, Ego the Living Planet (Kurt Russell).
After two movies, the Guardians finally hit the big leagues with Avengers: Infinity War. Following a routine distress call, the current team (minus Nebula) literally runs into our favorite god of thunder, Thor, who is just barely clinging to life after a run-in with Thanos. Thor tells the group that Thanos already has two Infinity Stones and is going to the Collector (Benicio Del Toro) for the third. Knowing where the Collector is based, Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, and Mantis head to his base on Knowhere while Thor, Rocket, and Groot use one of their escape pods to find a facility that can make Thor a new weapon after Hela (Cate Blanchett) destroyed Mjolnir. Quill's team falls into a trap set by Thanos, and Gamora is captured before ultimately being sacrificed for the fourth Infinity Stone.
While Thor, Rocket, and Drax are assisting in repelling Thanos' forces on Earth, the rest of the Guardians have met up with Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), and Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and set a trap of their own for Thanos. They fight valiantly and almost get the Infinity Gauntlet off of the Mad Titan, with Nebula flying in halfway through with the assist, but when Thanos reveals he killed Gamora, Quill loses his cool and causes him to break free. With the time stone in hand, Thanos performs the notorious snap, where all the Guardians except Rocket and Nebula fade into dust.
Being the only members of the team left, Rocket and Nebula jump at the chance to revive their friends when the Avengers hatch a plan to go back in time, retrieve the Infinity Stones, and revive the half of the universe that Thanos killed. They succeed, but not without attracting a Thanos from another timeline, bringing in with him versions of Gamora and Nebula who are still loyal to their mad dad. The variant of the purple villain uses the real Nebula to follow the strike team to their own timeline. Thankfully, Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) is able to use the stones to revive all the heroes who were lost, including the other Guardians, who join in a final battle against Thanos's forces. The Nebula variant is killed during the conflict and our Nebula convinces the Gamora variant to turn on Thanos. Peter tries to embrace this Gamora, but since she's from another universe where she and Peter haven't met yet, he gets a swift kick to the no man's land. Finally, the battle is won, and the reunited Guardians get ready to head back into space, now with Thor joining them and Peter intent on searching for Gamora as evidenced by him looking her up on his ship's holo-screen.
'Thor: Love and Thunder'
The fourth installment in the Thor series opens with a short montage of Thor getting fit and going on adventures with the Guardians. Though Thor is certainly a powerful hero that one would want on their side, he does admittedly overstay his welcome and steals the thunder from the group (pun intended). After another successful planetary mission, now with Kraglin on board, a fellow Ravager and known associate of Yondu's, the Guardians' ship is suddenly overwhelmed with distress signals warning of Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) and his mission to exterminate all gods in the galaxy. When Thor sees his old friend Sif (Jaimie Alexander) is in danger, Peter suggests that Thor go on his own and reach her as quickly as possible. Peter and Thor have a small heart-to-heart where Star-Lord tells the god of thunder that he needs to find out who he is and focus on the people he loves. This tender moment shows that Quill was being genuine and sincere and Thor embarking on his own path and surely had nothing to do with the Guardians not wanting to deal with the two obnoxious goats that were gifted to Thor just moments ago.
What's Next for the Guardians of the Galaxy?
Most would understandably expect that the next time we'll see the Guardians is in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but there are actually two other Guardians-related projects that are set to premiere exclusively on Disney+ later this year.
The first is right around the corner with an August 10th premiere date. Titled I Am Groot, the series will be a collection of short films all centering around everyone's favorite tree of few words. We don't know much about the plots of the shorts nor if they'll be vital to MCU lore, but we do know that this is probably going to take place sometime before Avengers: Infinity War given that show is set to follow a baby version of Groot. If that means more Baby Groot, none of us are complaining.
The next Disney+ project will be presumably coming right in time for the holiday season, as this will be The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Not only is every member of the main cast set to return, but James Gunn, the writer and director of the previous two volumes and the upcoming third film, will also be on board for the writing and directing roles. Gunn has also said that the special will not be a one-off joke that you can easily skip, but will actually be essential viewing for the current MCU saga. The special takes place between Love and Thunder and Vol. 3.
Finally, there is the third (and potentially final) Guardians of the Galaxy film, titled simply Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Fans can expect to see the main team returning, as well as Gamora confirmed to make an appearance, no doubt she will be an essential part of the main plot. The film is also set to reintroduce characters from Vol. 2 with both Stakar Ogord (Sylvester Stallone) and Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki) announced to return. Finally, some new faces are set to join this wacky part of the galaxy, with Will Poulter (Midsommar) joining the cast as comics favorite Adam Warlock as well as unknown roles for James Gunn veterans with Daniela Melchior (The Suicide Squad) and Chukwudi Iwuji (Peacemaker). On top of all of that, with the reveal that Hercules (Brett Goldstein) is in the MCU now, the Olympian could make an appearance in the third movie as Herc has been known to team up with the Guardians in the comics.
Apart from that, we don't know exactly what's in store for the Guardians' third solo adventure other than it will supposedly be the conclusion for "this version" of the team.