Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: What Happens to the Survivors?

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is now out in theaters, and as promised by writer/director James Gunn, the finale of the Guardians Trilogy is not without its fair share of tragedy. Guardians of the Galaxy 3 was always going to have major death moments, but no one ever expected it to be the end for all of the Guardians characters. Now the question that a lot of Marvel fans are wondering is: what happens to those who survive Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3? 

Who Dies In Guardians of the Galaxy 3? 

While the villains of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 all die hard (The High Evolutionary, Ayesha, War Pig), none of the Guardians of the Galaxy team members die. This is a big subversion of fan expectations, as all of the main Guardians are left active in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at the end of the films. 

So… 

What Happens to the Survivors of Guardians of the Galaxy 3? 

Star-Lord: Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) returns to Earth, to reconnect with his grandfather Jason Quill (Gregg Henry). Interestingly enough, the only tag at the end of the film is “The Legendary Star-Lord Will Return,” possibly hinting that Pratt could be back for films like Avengers: The Kang Dynasty or Avengers: Secret Wars. Now that Peter is on Earth again, there are any number of unexpected cameos he could also pop-up in. 

Gamora: Gamora from the alternate past of the MCU embraces her new life as one of The Ravagers. Zoe Saldana has made it very clear she’s done in the MCU franchise; the expectation is that Gamora will be sidelined for years until a recast and/or reboot of the character is made feasible. 

Rocket, Groot, and Adam Warlock: Rocket and Groot form a new Guardians of the Galaxy team with Rocket as the leader. Adam Warlock (having changed sides in the third act) also joins the team, with Cosmo, Kraglin, High Evolutionary’s child creation Phyula, and pet F’saki Blup rounding out the roster. The new Guardians of the Galaxy are seen protecting an alien civilization from a pack of wild beasts. The biggest question fans will be asking is how soon we see the new Guardians of the Galaxy again. 

Nebula and Drax – Nebula decides to stay at Knowhere and help run/protect it. Drax is convinced to also stay on Knowhere and play surrogate dad to all the lost children they rescued from the High Evolutionary. It seems like both Karen Gillan and Dave Bautista could be done (for at least a while). 

Mantis – Like Peter, Mantis realizes that her time as a Guardian of the Galaxy has also kept her running from her own issues. Mantis ends up choosing to go off on her own, and discover who she is and wants to be. No telling where she shows up next, but she is an MCU fan-favorite, so… 

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Is now in theaters.