Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Might Take Place Before Infinity War

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is racing into theaters worldwide this weekend, with impressive numbers already been posted at the international box offices.

For the cosmic Marvel heroes featured in Vol. 2, this is the second of what will become a trilogy before the story is told in its entirety. With Vol. 3 on the way, a release date for the film is expected to arrive after the two-part Marvel Cinematic Universe culmination with Avengers: Infinity War and its sequel.

Saving the world from Thanos will have a major impact on the Guardians and their future but it might not effect the third and final film in the roster as-we’ve-come-to-know-them’s film.

Minor spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 follow.

Origin Trilogy

Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 both take place in (or within a couple of months of) the year 2014. 

To start Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, a flashback scene kicks off in 1980. After the scene plays out, the screen boldly displays text reading, “34 YEARS LATER.”

With Guardians of the Galaxy‘s first two installments taking place in 2014, a couple of years after the Avengers assembled on Earth for the first time and four years before Avengers: Infinity War is set to kick off, there is plenty of room for a third film’s story to be told ahead Infinity War‘s events. 

Fluid Story

Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn has hinted that the trilogy will be one fluid story.

“I think really that the three movies work together as a whole, they’re going to tell one story,” Gunn said of the trilogy. “This is the story of this iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and we’re going to get to know the characters even better in the same way we got to know them much better in this film than the first one.”

Encounters with the Avengers would certainly alter the lives of the Guardians in ways that fans will require knowledge of in order to fully immerse themselves in whatever story follows them.

“I wouldn’t have said yes if I didn’t have a fairly clear idea of where we were going and what we were going to do. I’m not a guy that’s just going to do it if I don’t have a vision for it. So, I’m very excited.”

Destination

While Avengers: Infinity War will have come and gone by the time Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 arrives, it has the opportunity to present a line-up of Guardians equipped with skills we have not yet seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

That’s because the destination of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be Avengers: Infinity War. Whether the film fills in gaps left in Infinity War‘s story or simply reveals how the Guardians were lead to their first encounter with the Avengers, Earth as a team, or Thanos, the idea of telling a bit of extra story with this beloved roster after they are altered in Infinity War is a welcome one. 

After all, if there is a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4, it will come with a very different roster of Guardians. 

UPDATE: Debunked

Since the time of posting this story, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn has debunked the theory.

The director took to Twitter to address the question of whether or not Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be a prequel to Avengers: Infinity War and simply says, “No.”

The events of Avengers: Infinity War will, therefore, have some sort of effect on those happening in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

More Marvel

MORE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2: Guardians of the Galaxy Star Shares New Behind The Scenes Photo / Marvel Unveils Guardians Groot Mr. Potato Head / Chris Pratt’s Son Likes Spider-Man More Than Star-Lord / Get To Know Ego In New Movie Clips

Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is written and directed by James Gunn (Slither). The film marks the return of the original Guardians, including Chris Pratt (Jurassic World) as Peter Quill/Star-Lord; Zoe Saldana (Star Trek Into Darkness) as Gamora; Dave Bautista (Spectre) as Drax; Vin Diesel (Furious 7) as the voice of Groot; Bradley Cooper (American Sniper) as the voice of Rocket; Michael Rooker (Jumper) as Yondu; Karen Gillan (The Big Short) as Nebula; and Sean Gunn (Gilmore Girls) as Kraglin. New cast members include Pom Klementieff (Oldboy), Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby, Everest), Chris Sullivan (The Knick, The Drop) and Kurt Russell (The Hateful Eight, The Thing).