Marvel Already Has the Blueprint for the MCU's Next Guardians of the Galaxy Team

Change is on the way for the Guardians of the Galaxy. The next installment in director James Gunn's trilogy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, arrives in 2023, and there has been much speculation on what will happen to the Guardians once it concludes. Dave Bautista has gone on the record with ComicBook.com to state how Guardians 3 "is going to wrap it up," meaning the storyline for Drax the Destroyer will come to an end. Gunn has also confirmed this is the last time fans will see this iteration of the team.

In a sense Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will serve as the franchise's version of Avengers: Endgame, wrapping up years of storylines and transitioning fan-favorite characters to the background. Well, if Guardians 3 is equivalent to Endgame, then it should help set the stage for the next evolution of the superhero team. Thankfully, the Marvel Cinematic Universe can take a page from the most recent volume of the comics on what the next Guardians of the Galaxy should look like.

Writer Al Ewing and artist Juan Frigeri collaborated on a new era for the Guardians of the Galaxy back in April 2021. After defeating the resurrected Olympian gods, the Guardians decided there was strength in numbers and added new members to their ranks. Heroes like Nova, Hercules, King Hulkling, Wiccan, and the Quasars (Wendell Vaughn and Avril Kincaid), along with the reformed Super-Skrull and longtime villain Doctor Doom all joined the Guardians of the Galaxy, forming one massive Avengers-level super team. With the galaxy changing after events like Empyre and King in Black, it was important for there to be an authoritative presence to keep the peace. 

The sheer number of Guardians of the Galaxy members rivaled that of Jonathan Hickman's heralded Avengers run, and is similar to the large grouping of MCU heroes fans witnessed in Avengers: Endgame. If characters like Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, and Mantis will be making way for new additions, then Marvel Studios can either choose to introduce them in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, or in future MCU movies or TV shows, before they come together in a fourth Guardians film.

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has continued to tease the MCU debuts of Nova's Richard Rider and Sam Alexander, and a Nova movie is reportedly going to begin production in 2023. Other cosmic heroes can potentially be introduced in the Secret Invasion Disney+ series, or the Captain Marvel sequel The Marvels. There are limitless possibilities for what a new Guardians of the Galaxy can potentially look like. This may be why the Guardians of the Galaxy comic has gone on hiatus, to eventually sync up with the next feature film when it's released.

What are your thoughts on the MCU's Guardians of the Galaxy undergoing a status quo change in the third movie? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!