James Gunn Hints At Big Character Deaths In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3

Yondu, Baby Groot, and Rocket in Guardians 2

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a massive franchise, with a whopping 23 movies already released to the public. But there are certain franchises that stand out among the rest as fan favorites, chief among them being James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy. Gunn made a motley of crew of unknown characters into household names, with a quirky set of movies that expertly balances comedy and heart. Fans are eager to see what the filmmaker will do with the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, especially after Gunn was briefly fired from his role. And it seems the threequel may contain a major character death or two.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 delivered a devastating character death, as Michael Rooker's Yondu sacrificed himself to save Peter Quill in the film's third act. The third movie in the franchise will wrap up the narrative of the current Guardians, so fans have been wondering if we should expect more devastating character deaths. When he was recently asked about this possibility, James Gunn said:

I can't remember ANY comic book film where someone didn't die.

Well, that's delightfully cryptic. James Gunn basically confirmed that characters are dying in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, although who that might be remains a mystery. Is it possible that all the good guys will make it out of their last adventure alive? Only time will tell.

James Gunn's comments about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 comes from his recent Q&A on Instagram story. The acclaimed filmmaker regularly uses social media to directly communicate with the fans, with the recent story fielding all sort of queries regarding his highly anticipated projects like Guardians 3 and DC's The Suicide Squad. Gunn is great about keeping his movies' secrets, while also continually teasing their contents to the rabid comic book fans. It should be interesting to see how the comics (which are available here) factor into the upcoming story.

Fans will likely take James Gunn's latest comments and run with them, theorizing about which members of the Guardians might perish in their third and final film. The filmmaker has been known to go for the jugular emotionally, and the stakes should be at an all-time high in Vol. 3. The only character who seems safe is Zoe Saldana's Gamora, who should be a major character in the upcoming blockbuster.

Related: Don’t Worry, James Gunn Has Big Plans For Kraglin In Guardians 3

Gamora shockingly died in Avengers: Infinity War, as Thanos was on his quest to procure the Infinity Stones. Thanos murdered his daughter on Vormir to get the Soul Stone, but the character got a surprising resurrection in Endgame. 2014 Gamora entered the story during the Time Heist, eventually arriving in the present to battle her father. She left for an unknown destination following the battle, and the Guardians left Earth (with Thor) to find their teammate.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is expected to arrive in theaters sometime in 2021. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.