Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: Ranking Who’s Most Likely to Die

There’s no way that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 doesn’t leave us all in shambles, right? Between James Gunn’s comments about the characters and the tear-jerking trailers, we’re basically guaranteed an ultra-emotional finale to the story of Marvel’s beloved found family. Of course, a lot of that emotion will likely come from having to say goodbye to many characters whom we’ve grown to love.

Guardians of the Galaxy ended with Groot’s sacrifice to save his new family (though he’s ultimately resurrected). Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 concludes with a Ravager funeral, saying goodbye to the late Yondu with interstellar fireworks and a Yusuf Islam AKA Cat Stevens ballad. This franchise is known to make use of grief and loss to drive characters forward and give us the emotions we love to feel at the movies. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 likely won’t be any different, and that probably means a hero we love is going away for good.

It’s tough to say exactly which character (or characters) might be dying in the new Guardians movie. Some of the franchise stalwarts, however, seem to have a greater chance of biting the bullet, so let’s take a look and at the Guardians members and try to determine how likely they are to die in Volume 3.

Let’s start off with the character least likely to end their MCU journey in Guardians 3…

7. Groot

This one is pretty self-explanatory, right? We learned in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie that Groot can’t really die. Versions of him can perish, sure, but there will always be a new Groot sprouting from the ashes.

It also wouldn’t make sense for Groot to be the biggest gut-punch of Vol. 3, since he provided the big emotional moment of Vol. 1. If you’re worried about Groot, relax. He’ll be just fine.

6. Mantis

Mantis dying doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, especially when you consider that this is the end of the road for the original Guardians. Yes, Mantis is unequivocally part of the team, but she wasn’t one of the five members that started it back in 2014.

Any new iteration of the Guardians after this trilogy concludes will need to carry over some members from the past, mixing them with new entries. Mantis provides a perfect opportunity to do just that, reminding viewers of the team that used to be without ever wearing out her welcome.

5. Kraglin

Kraglin is in a similar situation to Mantis. He was in the first Guardians movie but only as a supporting character. It took him a while to really become a part of the group. Could Kraglin die in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3? Absolutely. But it wouldn’t be nearly as big a blow as some of the franchise’s other characters.

It’s also worth noting that Sean Gunn (like Pom Klementieff) isn’t as nearly as big of a star as the Guardians headliners. That doesn’t mean he’s replaceable as a talent or anything, but getting Kraglin for another movie or a quick cameo appearance is a lot easier than tracking down Chris Pratt.

4. Nebula or Gamora

It makes sense to rope these two together, because their fates are somewhat tied to one another. The story of these two sisters remains one of the most powerful in the entire MCU, as they’ve overcome an abusive father to find and support one another as adults and heroes. 

If one of these characters does die, you can bet on the other one making it through. There’s a good chance they both make it out, which would be ideal, but you have to account for the potential heartbreak of one of the sisters pushing forward without the other.

3. Star-Lord

On one hand, Chris Pratt is the biggest star of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, so it would make sense to give him a true MCU ending that would allow him to move on with his career. 

On the other hand, and I mean this with all due respect, would anyone really care if something happened to Peter Quill? I’ve got nothing against the guy but he’s far and away the least interesting member of the team at this point.

2. Rocket

All of the trailers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 have made it seem like Rocket Raccoon is a goner. The “Fly away into the forever” voiceover accompanied by Star-Lord’s screaming face feel like the closest thing to a nail in a coffin we’ve seen in a trailer.

All of that adds up to what I think is actually a major misdirect. Marvel Studios has been known to do that with trailers, and it seems entirely too obvious to be laid out in the ads for a movie that has promised a ton of emotion. Rocket is set up to take the fall, but my guess is he actually pulls through, leaving him and Groot to take more adventures in the future.

1. Drax

Dave Bautista has made it clear he’s done with the Guardians and the MCU after this movie, and I think we need to start taking his word for it.

Drax has grown as much, if not more than any other character in the Guardians lore, and his mission of seeing Thanos perish was accomplished in Avengers: Endgame. It’s now all about his friends, and he won’t hesitate to lay his life on the line for any one of them.

To celebrate the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, ComicBook.com is teaching you everything you need to know about the newest movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe! Check out ComicBook CRAM every day before the release of Vol. 3 and click here for even more content to find out everything you need to know about the new movie!