Will There Be a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4?

With the new movie now in theaters, is it too early for audiences to wonder if Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4 is on the horizon? As fans know, announcements and teases for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios’ favorite things to do. So far reveals have confirmed the rest of what Phase Five and what parts of Phase Six will be, but so far none of this has indicated what the plan might be for the Guardians of the Galaxy. With a slew of movies and shows confirmed for the MCU’s future, and some actors making their status very clear, let’s look at everything we know about the potential fo a fourth Guardians of the Galaxy movie. Spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will follow!   

There are two big teases that might tease a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4 being on the way, and they come during the credits. A mid-credits scene during the film reveals the full membership of the NEW Guardians of the Galaxy, consisting of Rocket Raccoon, Adam Warlock, Kraglin, Cosmo, Groot, and newcomer Phyla-Vell. There’s also a post-credits scene with Peter Quill on Earth, a title card adding; “The Legendary Star-Lord Will Return.”

So what do these scenes mean for the future? They could very well be teasing that the Guardians of the Galaxy will return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the members shown in the sequence, or it could just be a way of confirming to fans that the group is out there in some way. What seems more likely is that the movie is setting up just Star-Lord’s next appearance in the MCU, whether that be in the form of appearing on the team in The Avengers movies or a solo film only about Chris Pratt’s character remains to be seen. 

One major way that you can perhaps glean information on the potential for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4 happening is what the cast has said about their own Marvel futures:

• Dave Bautista (Drax the Destroyter) – “With Drax, I just got to end the perfect way. And I would never sign up for another job as Drax just to get a paycheck. I would tarnish that [perfect ending], and I won’t do it.” – British GQ
• Zoe Saldana (Gamora) – “I don’t think this is the end for the Guardians. It is the end for me, for Gamora.” – THR 
• Karen Gillan (Nebula) – “I don’t know if Nebula will return beyond this, it’s possible that this is her final chapter.” – Instagram
• Will Poulter (Adam Warlock) – “It kind of hinges on how people respond to the character. If the fans don’t like Adam Warlock, obviously I’m going to be pretty gutted. My family’s opinion means a lot, but it’s not necessarily going to bring me back as the character.” – The New York Times 
• Chris Pratt (Star-Lord) – “It would be strange to continue Peter’s story without James (Gunn) He’s done such a masterful job in the first three films. We really found the voice of Peter Quill together and without him, obviously, I would never have had this opportunity. He writes it, he directs it, he dreams up the music, it’s his imagination on screen. So, to continue to tell the story, it would really be important to honor what he’s done in the first three films and to honor what the fans have grown to love about the character and not simply do it because people might show up to pay for it….So maybe down the road if something makes sense I would do it but it would really have to check a lot of the right boxes.” – GamesRadar+

In short, we really don’t know if there will be a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4. If there is one though it might be a few years before it gets made, and it might take on a new title scheme, something more in line with Marvel Studios’ other sequel titles.