Did Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Confirm One Character's Solo Movie?

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 concludes the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, but that may not be the last film headlined by a member of that time of a-holes. [SPOILERS follow for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.] While all of the Guardians of the Galaxy make it out of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 alive, the team fractures, and most of its founders go their separate ways. As seen in the film's closing moments, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) returns to Earth to finally tell his grandfather, Jason Quill, what happened to him.

A post-credits scene returns to Jason Quill's home to see him and Peter discussing mundane affairs. The scene closes with the message, "The Legendary Star-Lord will return." Could this be teasing a Star-Lord solo movie?

The Legendary Star-Lord Will Return

"The Legendary Star-Lord" refers to the scene in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie in which Quill introduces himself to Korath as Star-Lord, the legendary outlaw. That line inspired the title of Star-Lord's first ongoing Marvel Comics series, The Legendary Star-Lord, by Sam Humphries, Paco Medina, and Freddie Williams. 

The 2014 series lasted for 12 issues before being canceled (along with most of Marvel's ongoing titles at the time to make room for the 2015 Secret Wars event), only to later relaunch sans the "Legendary" adjective. The point is that "The Legendary Star-Lord" is a title that Marvel Comics (now under the purview of Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige) has used for Star-Lord's solo adventures. Its appearance at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 could signal plans for solo cinematic stories.

Will Chris Pratt return as Star-Lord in future Marvel movies?

Alternatively, it may simply means that "the Legendary Star-Lord," the character played by Pratt, will be back in future Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. While some of Pratt's co-stars, such as Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista, have made it clear that they're ready to end their time in the MCU with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Pratt has been less decisive in his statements about Star-Lord's future, at least as part of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

"That's so daunting," Pratt told ComicBook.com about possibly returning as Star-Lord with a new Guardians of the Galaxy team. "That's the reason to not do it. I think it would have… it's so elegant and perfect right now with the three films and so to think of moving forward, it's really hard and without James, I don't know how that would work. I'm open to it, but man, I don't know."

Where could Star-Lord appear next?

The tag to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 does guarantee that Star-Lord will be back at some point. There aren't many cosmic stories on Marvel's schedule at the moment. The Marvels has at least one foot in that area of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the Fantastic Four often deal with cosmic threats. Then again, Star-Lord returns to Earth in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, so he could show up practically anywhere.

The most likely scenario is Pratt reprising Star-Lord for either Avengers: The Kang Dynasty or Avengers: Secret Wars. Quill seems to be taking some time off from heroic adventures at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. An Avengers-crossover-level threat would likely be enough to spur him back into action, especially if it means redemption for his blunder in Avengers: Infinity War. Also, Star-Lord played a significant role in the 2015 Secret Wars event series that the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars film could recreate.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Cast

The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 synopsis reads, "Still reeling from the loss of Gamora, Peter Quill must rally his team to defend the universe and protect one of their own. If the mission is not completely successful, it could possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them."

James Gunn wrote and directed Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The movie star Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Zoe Saldaña as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, with Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot and Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket, Sean Gunn as Kraglin, Chukwudi Iwuji as The High Evolutionary, Will Poulter as Adam Warlock, and Maria Bakalova as the voice of Cosmo.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is now playing in movie theaters.