James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy may have ended, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues. And just like in the Marvel Comics, it means the story of the Guardians has not come to an end; self Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hints at a sequel in its credits scenes. Let’s break down everything we know about where we’ll see the Guardians next, though it’s not much just yet.
[Ed. note: This piece contains spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.]
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Image: Marvel Studios
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has two end credits scenes, one in the middle of the credits and the other at the very end. The first is all about the Guardians of the Galaxy and the other is about their late founder, Chris Pratt’s character Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord.
The new Guardians of the Galaxy
The end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 changes the Guardian roster as some characters go off to find themselves or return to their lives as non-Guardians, and others stay to do all of the guarding. This scene directs us to an almost entirely new Guardians roster that includes Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), Kraglin (Sean Gunn), Groot (Vin Diesel), Cosmo (Maria Bakalova), and one of the High Evolutionary’s “evolved” children . with Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper, Sean Gunn) as the new leader of the group.
They’re on an uncharted planet protecting some unknown settlers from an onslaught of unknown beasts, but just before they do, Rocket pulls up the Zune Deed Peter transferred to him and in a sweet nod back to the movie he was starring in everything started puts on “come and get your love‘ from Redbone’s 1973 album Awaken.
Will we see this version of Guardians of the Galaxy again? Nobody knows! At least nobody outside of the halls of Marvel Studios. But the actual credits (you know, the things that go on between credits scenes) have an Easter egg of sorts for comic book nerds by calling the young member of the new team Phyla.
In Marvel Comics, Phyla-Vell is… look. It’s complicated, but you can think of her as part of a loose family of space adventurers related to the first Captain Marvel, a Kree warrior named Mar-Vell.
Does that mean Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 did a whole new Marvel superhero just debut in the MCU? That’s unclear – the comic origin of Phyla-Vell has nothing to do with the High Evolutionary or the Guardians of the Galaxy. But whether it’s the first steps of Phyla-Vell’s story in the MCU or just a character named Phyla, nerds will notice.
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Image: Marvel Studios
The legendary Star-Lord will return
Wait all the way to the end of the credits and you will get it Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3clear point about the future of the MCU. We go back to Peter Quill, who seems to have settled in so comfortably with his grandfather that they eat breakfast cereal and feel sorry for the neighbors’ lawn mowing habits. A strictly mundane moment is humorously contrasted with a title card that claims “The Legendary Star-Lord Will Return.”
But where? Marvel doesn’t have any officially announced plans that involve Star-Lord or Chris Pratt, and there aren’t really any upcoming MCU projects that feel like a shoe to him — at least not before 2025 Avengers: Kang Dynasty.
Does Marvel Have a Star-Lord Disney Plus Series or Solo Movie Up Its Sleeve? Are you planning future cameos to boost other movies or series? It is possible. But we’ll have to wait for an official announcement to be sure.
