The following story contains spoilers for Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
IT’S NO secret that, in many if not all ways, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the end of an era. James Gunn, the writer and director of all three Guardians movies who has been attached to the franchise for more than a decade, is taking his talents to the top creative job at DC Studios. Actors Dave Bautista and Zoe Saldana have said that, no matter what, Vol. 3 will be their last go-around in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And, well, three marks the end of a trilogy. It’s a good place for a clean break.
And, so, naturally, there has been lots of speculation. The trailers for the film have been sentimental in nature. The comments from Gunn and the cast have been cryptic. It’s the end. They know we’ve been thinking it—who’s gonna die?
Marvel hasn’t been afraid to say goodbye to iconic characters in recent years; Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff didn’t make it out of Avengers: Endgame alive. Phil Coulson had a heartbreaking death in The Avengers (though he later made it back to lead Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D). Loki and Vision both kicked the bucket in Avengers: Infinity War, though both managed to make it back for their own series on Disney+. It kind of is what it is.
Still. This is the end of something special. The Guardians movies have always been different from most of the other MCU offerings; there’s just a little bit more of everything. The humor is notched up, and, as we’ve seen this ragtag group of characters grow closer together, we’ve developed a stronger and stronger connection to them. And, obviously, it’ll hurt to lose any of them.
So how did this all play out, after all?
Who dies in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?
No one. That’s right—no one. Not even the movie’s chief villain, the High Evolutionary, bites it by the movie’s conclusion. That in and of itself, based on most Marvel fans’ expectations of the movie, is a pretty major twist.
Well, to be fair, it’s not no one. Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki) certainly dies, about halfway through the movie, leading our new friend Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) to fend for himself. Another guy is completely incinerated by Adam into a pile of bones early in the movie, so he’s certainly dead too. And then there are all of Rocket’s little friends—Lylla the Otter, Teefs the Walrus, and Floor the Rabbit—who all are so cute and nice and unfortunately also bite it.
But as far as proper, main character deaths go—that’s about it. Ayesha is as close as we come.
So where does that leave the Guardians of the Galaxy at the end of the movie?
A fair question. Let’s take a look one character at a time.
Peter Quill/Star-Lord
At the end of the movie, Star-Lord resigns from his position as captain/leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy to finally return to earth (where he was only once—for Tony Stark’s funeral—since he was abducted as a child right after his mom died) to spend more time with his grandfather. It’s an incredibly emotional moment that probably won’t leave a dry eye in the house.
After the credits, we see Peter having breakfast with his grandpa, just before a title screen reveals something major: The Legendary Star-Lord Will Return. We don’t know if that means Guardians 4, Quill showing up in some future crossover film (Kang Dynasty? Secret Wars? Thunderbolts?), or his own new spinoff, but it means we’ll be seeing Chris Pratt in the MCU once again.
Gamora
With Zoe Saldana confirming her exit from the MCU—she was originally only supposed to be in the first Guardians movie—this is the end of the road for Gamora. And, honestly? It’s a little underwhelming, but that’s OK. She heads back off with the Ravagers by the end of the movie, but, as we wanted and needed, acknowledges that she and Quill had something: “I bet we were fun.”
Nebula
Karen Gillan completes one of the MCU’s most satisfying characters arcs in Vol. 3, as she decides to leave the Guardians and remain on Knowhere (along with Drax) to raise the many children of the Sovereign that they saved from the High Evolutionary’s planet, giving them all the chance at the good youth that Thanos stole from her.
Drax the Destroyer
In one of the most touching moments of the movie, we see Drax not as the warrior he fancies himself to be or the idiot that his friends think of him as, but how his late family saw him: a loving, goofy, dad. And that’s where Drax remains: on Knowhere with Nebula, being a supportive, great, and, of course, super literal guy.
Mantis
Like her half-sibling Peter Quill, Mantis also leaves the Guardians by the end of the movie to search the galaxy for her own true purpose.
High Evolutionary
The movie’s cruel villain gets what he deserves: beaten to near death and left to rot on the ground with his face (mask) ripped off. He probably died when his planet blew up, too. Fuck this dude!
Rocket Raccoon
After surviving the events of the movie, Rocket takes over as the new captain of the Guardians of the Galaxy. He leads a group that includes Groot, Adam Warlock, one of the Sovereign children from the High Evolutionary’s planet named Phyla-Vell, Cosmo the Spacedog, and Kraglin. And, of course, he chooses “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone as his song of choice. Good times.
Groot
Groot is enormous by the end of the movie, and is of course along for the New Guardians of the Galaxy ride with his best friend, Rocket.
Kraglin
Having now mastered the use of Yondu’s fin, Kraglin is a part of Rocket’s new Guardians of the Galaxy.
Cosmo the Spacedog
Now that Cosmo has finally been declared a “good dog” by Kraglin, she’s ready to put that telekinesis and wit to work as a member of the new Guardians of the Galaxy.
Adam Warlock
He’s come a long way. After losing Ayesha to a surprising mid-movie death, Adam had basically no one and nowhere to go—until he earned the Guardians’ loyalty by saving Peter Quill. He’s now a very important (and very valuable) member of Rocket’s new Guardians of the Galaxy. Hopefully we see him again in the MCU soon, because he’s got far more potential than just what we got to see in Vol. 3.
Evan is the culture editor for Men’s Health, with bylines in The New York Times, MTV News, Brooklyn Magazine, and VICE. He loves weird movies, watches too much TV, and listens to music more often than he doesn’t.
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