Annihilators: Plotting the Next Guardians of the Galaxy Team

It's been known for quite some time that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 would serve as the last time the team — at least this version that movie-goers have come to know and love — would appear on screen at the same time. James Gunn has said Vol. 3 is the final film in the franchise that he will direct with this cast, and actors like Dave Bautista have heavily implied they're done with their characters altogether. Suffice it to say, should Marvel Studios push a Guardians of the Galaxy 4 into development, it's all but guaranteed to feature a new line-up.

Given that a new team may be introduced in the waning moments of Vol. 3, let's speculate as to how the new group could appear. For that, let's look to the Annihilators, an oft-forgotten cosmic team that's effectively the Justice Society of America to the Guardians' Justice League. First appearing in The Thanos Imperative: Devastation (2011), the group forms out of a need to look after the stars while dealing with the fallout from Annihilation and Annihilation: Conquest. In fairness, it's a group that could potentially help mold the Guardians franchise as it moves into Phase 5 and beyond.

Star-Lord and Nebula Return

Amongst fans, it's a popular idea—relatively speaking, of course—that the two characters that could meet their death in Vol. 3 include Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) and Drax the Destroyer (Bautista). If we remove those two from the equation, that means the remaining Guardians include Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Groot (Vin Diesel), and Mantis (Pom Klementieff), excluding Gamora (Zoe Saldana) because she is a version of the character from a previous timeline.

Pratt has said that while he's sad this iteration of the team is done, he's open to appearing in more projects within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Gillan has echoed that sentiment elsewhere, and now we have two foundational building blocks for the team.

Featuring: The Power of...Him!

Thanks to Will Poulter, Adam Warlock is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe at long last. Though he'll have an antagonistic role to begin Vol. 3 with, it's a certainty the character will become a hero before long. Should a team like the Annihilators take over the Guardians of the Galaxy, it's likely Adam Warlock would fulfill a role similar to that of Quasar or Richard Rider.

For, In Truth, I Am Nameless

Even if Drax were to leave the team, the character's daughter could be a suitable replacement. Within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, her name is Kamaria and was one of the many victims of Thanos' and Ronan the Accuser's rampage amongst the stars. Given that this is set in a universe filled with superheroes, it's possible the character survived or could be resurrected...

...and it's possible she could return as Moondragon, Drax's daughter from the comic book source material. Moondragon is one of the most powerful characters on the cosmic side of the Marvel pantheon, and she'd most certainly be a suitable replacement for Drax the Destroyer.

The Sensational Silver Surfer

While others on this list could certainly be classified as favorites amongst fans of cosmic Marvel stores, none are as popular as Norrin Radd AKA the Silver Surfer. With a Fantastic Four movie on the horizon, there's been plenty of rumors suggesting the character would be making his MCU debut before long...so what if that was at the end of Vol. 3?

The character was, after all, a member of the Annihilators in the comics. It's a tall order, that much is for certain, but stranger things have definitely happened.

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