What do you need to know before watching Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3? It’s often difficult to keep up with the many story threads and characters of the MCU. That’s doubly the case when it comes to the Guardians of the Galaxy, who last led a movie all the way back in 2017.
But now, the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 release date is upon us as the new movie sets up a farewell for some of the best MCU characters. We’re always excited to see a new MCU movie, and this one features some of our absolute favourites. James Gunn has never let us down before.
You can take a look at our Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 review to see what we thought of the latest Marvel movie. But, in the meantime, here’s everything you need to know before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, so you’re fully up to date on all things MCU and talking tree before you head to the cinema.
Who’s in the Guardians of the Galaxy team?
Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, Groot, Drax, Nebula, Mantis, and Kraglin, and Cosmo the Spacedog make up the Guardians team in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
All of the regular faces from the Guardians of the Galaxy cast that you have come to know and love are back. Even Gamora, and we’ve got more on her later.
There have been some new additions since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 came out way back in 2017, with Kraglin and Mantis now fully-fledged members of the team. We also learned in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special that Cosmo the Spacedog has joined the group.
Is Thor still in The Guardians of the Galaxy?
No, the events of Thor 4 showed why Thor left the Guardians of the Galaxy. He’s no longer with them as we go into the new James Gunn movie.
After the Thor 4 ending, the hero is now on adventures with his adopted daughter Love, far from the Guardians. And the person who’s happiest about this? James Gunn. He explained in a recent interview that he is thankful to Taika Waititi for writing him out of that particular corner set up by Avengers Endgame.
Who is Adam Warlock?
Adam Warlock is a superhuman being created by the Sovereign to destroy the Guardians.
You’d be forgiven for having absolutely no memory of Adam Warlock, given that he was introduced in the post-credits scene of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. We’ve had six years, a whole pandemic, several Marvel series, and at least a dozen Marvel movies since then. Even we struggle to keep up with it all.
Anyway, in that movie, the Guardians had a major beef with the gold-skinned Sovereign race, led by Elizabeth Debicki’s character Ayesha. In the post-credits scene, she was shown creating Adam as an unstoppable force to take down the Guardians. He’s now in the new movie, played by British star Will Poulter.
In the comics, Adam has a pivotal role in various aspects of the Marvel world. So we would be very surprised if Poulter’s appearance proves to be a one-and-done.
What happened in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special?
In the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Mantis revealed to Peter that she is his sister.
James Gunn has said he effectively used the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special ending to do some of the groundwork for his next MCU outing. The enjoyable Disney Plus special established the fact the Guardians are now the custodians of the mining colony Knowhere, following the death of the Collector.
The episode also saw Mantis emotionally tell Peter that they are half-siblings, as they are both offspring of the Marvel villain Ego. Peter was surprised by the news but very pleased to have a new family member.
We also learned that Cosmo the Spacedog, who was previously a part of the Collector’s Museum, has been taken in as a Guardians member. No word yet on Howard the Duck.
Why is Gamora alive in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3?
This is not the version of Gamora who died in Avengers Infinity War; she’s the version from an alternate 2014.
Avengers Endgame had enough timey-wimey chaos to make even a Doctor Who fan squirm, and one of the key implications of it all was that the Guardians ended that movie with a new version of Gamora. We’ve explained in more detail in our guide to why is Gamora alive.
A key story thread in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 is Peter Quill struggling with the fact that he is still in love with this version of Gamora while she hasn’t been through the events that led the other Gamora to love him. And we thought Tinder was enough of a nightmare.
We’ve got plenty more information on the new movie, including whether there’s a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 post-credits scene and how to watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. Alternatively, find out why we think Dave Bautista is the best wrestler turned actor, and see how much money Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has made at the box office so far.
You can also find about all of the best movies coming in Marvel’s Phase 5, with our guides to The Marvels release date, the MCU Blade release date, and the Captain America 4 release date. If you’re feeling super curious, you can look ahead to the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4 release date.