It’s the end of an era as Troma-trained provocateur and big ol’ softy James Gunn departs Marvel for good (well, for now) to head up Warner’s ongoing efforts to do something with the DC comics universe on screen. But before he does, we’re getting one last ride with his ragtag band of space-faring heroes, as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits cinemas on May 4.
That date has a certain sci-fi resonance (May the Fourth be with you etc and so on), now that we think of it, so it’s fitting that Marvel’s own space opera saga is getting its final outing then. Plot details are a bit thin on the ground, but as anyone who watched the delightful Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special knows, the gang are now running the giant space station Knowhere as a kind of galactic refugee centre. When a new threat arises (which clearly has something to do with weirdo alien messiah Adam Warlock, played by Will Poulter), it’s all hands on deck for one last adventure.
And we mean last. It looks like this one is gonna have a body count, and Gunn has never been shy about pulling on our heart strings. It looks like everyone’s coming back: Star Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Groot (Vin Diesel), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Drax (Dave Bautista), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and the rest. But the question is: who are we gonna be crying over when the credits roll?
The main Avengers saga aside, the Guardians of the Galaxy movies might be the best Marvel movies pound for pound, and we’ll miss ‘em when they’re gone. Gunn and the gang have worked wonders telling the tale of this messed up family of foundlings, and this final outing is certainly one of the most highly anticipated films on the 2023 calendar.
