TheGuardians of the Galaxytrilogy has now concluded, but the ending ofGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3has reassured fans the team will live on. It was expected that at least one character would die inVol. 3, but the film surprised fans by killing off none of the main heroes. After freeing the prisoners of the High Evolutionary, many of the Guardians left the team to begin the next chapter in their lives. While Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) has been confirmed to return, Dave Bautista and Zoe Saldaña have announced that they have stepped away from Drax and Gamora, respectively, for good.
AsGuardiansdirector James Gunn has become co-head of DC Studios, he will no longer be working on future Marvel projects. Gunn, however,revealed on Twitterthat he, and not Marvel Studios, was responsible for choosing the team inVol. 3’s mid-credits scene. This roster could change beforeGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4, but in the meantime, here’s a look at our current Guardians.
Rocket Raccoon
According to Gunn,Rockethasalways been the secret protagonistof theGuardians of the Galaxyfranchise.Vol. 3made that more obvious than ever, with the film primarily focused on his past and the Guardians' mission to save his life. At the end of the film, Quill appointed Rocket as the new leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Rocket developed a love for music during the 12 years he knew Quill, and became the new owner of his beloved Zune.
Rocket was initially introduced as a brash, aggressive raccoon, butVol. 3showed him bringing down his emotional walls and opening up to the people around him. He hasexperienced tremendous growthfrom the first film toGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, abandoning his cynicism to rise up and become a leader. The “tough raccoon” persona will always be a part of Rocket, but being tough has never meant never allowing yourself to be vulnerable. That is a lesson he has learned and will likely be reflected in his next MCU appearance.
Gunn has referred toGuardians of the Galaxyas being a franchise about “the oddball, the rebels, the outcasts, the geeks,” and what better character is there to represent all four categories than Rocket?
TheGrootseen inThe Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday SpecialandGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3was a young adult version Gunn called “Swoll Groot” (viaTwitter). The mid-credits scene showed a Groot that had doubled in size, towering above the other Guardians and looking more powerful than ever. It’s currently not known if that is even Groot’s final form.
Similar to the role that Hulk had in the Avengers and Gilgamesh in the Eternals, Groot has become the muscle of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Marvel has rated thestrength of Groot’s comic counterpartat seven, a higher score than the five of Adam Warlock. For reference, Thanos' strength level has also been rated a seven.
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Adam Warlock
No longer under the control of his creators, Ayesha and the High Evolutionary,Adam Warlockhas been left to follow his own destiny. Adam turned on the High Evolutionary, and after almost having killed Rocket, was welcomed by Rocket into the new Guardians of the Galaxy. The mid-credits scene revealed Adam as a fan of Adrian Belew and King Crimson.
In the comics,Adam Warlock hadthe Soul Gem placed on his forehead by the High Evolutionary. Warlock also played a key role in theInfinity Gauntletstory arc, leading other heroes in the fight against Thanos. The MCU, in contrast, had Adam sit out bothAvengers: Infinity WarandAvengers: Endgame, and never had him wield the Soul Stone before it was reduced to atoms.
During the events ofVol. 3, Adam Warlock killed a Ravager and adopted the furry pet that belonged to the Ravager. The pet’s name wasBlurpand followed Adam to become a new member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Blurp was voiced by Dee Bradley Baker, who previously voiced Morris inShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringsand is well-known for voicing the Clones in almost all modernStar Warsmedia.
Kraglin Obfonteri
Kraglin Obfonteriwas one of only three previous members to stay in the Guardians of the Galaxy. He has become more adept at using the Yaka Arrow, learning to use his heart instead of his head. Kraglin was not a main character in theGuardians of the Galaxytrilogy, but the mid-credits scene may be indicative of him having a larger role in the future.
Cosmoappeared in the holiday special and inVol. 3, but her debut dates back to the firstGuardians of the Galaxy. She was launched into space by the Soviets and was eventually found by the Collector and keptin his museum. Following the museum’s destruction, Cosmo joined the Guardians of the Galaxy sometime off-screen.
The space Labrador was male in the comics, but was inspired by Laika, a female Soviet space dog that served as the inspiration for Cosmo from the very beginning. James Gunn paid homage to Laika and “gender-swapped [Cosmo] back” to being female.
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When the Guardians rescuedPhyla, they were unable to understand her as she was only able to say, “Joob joob.” Phyla learned a new language before themid-credits scene, telling Rocket that her favorite musical acts were Britney Spears and Korn. Marvel Studios has entered a position where they can feature more recent music in theGuardians of the Galaxyfranchise. After all, Florence + the Machine’s “Dog Day Are Over” was released towards the end of the 2000s.
Phyla’s comic counterpart was genetically engineered from the DNA of Mar-Vell, the original Captain Marvel. The Captain Marvel mantle was used by Phyla before she began going by Martyr. Interestingly enough, the new suit worn by Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) inThe Marvelsresembles the suit worn by Phyla during her time as Captain Marvel.
