James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy may have come to an end, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe rolls on. And just like in Marvel Comics, that means the story of the Guardians not come to an end; even Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hints at a continuation in the credits scenes. Let’s break down everything we know about where we’ll see the Guardians next, even if it’s not much just yet.
[Ed. note: This piece contains spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.]
Image: Marvel Studios
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has two credits scenes, one in the middle of the credits and the other at the very end. The first is all about the Guardians of the Galaxy, and the other is about their late founder, Chris Pratt’s character Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord.
The new Guardians of the Galaxy
The end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 the Guardians roster changes, as some characters go in search of themselves, or revert to their non-Guardians lives, and others stick around to do all the guarding. This scene leads us into an almost all-new Guardians roster featuring Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), Kraglin (Sean Gunn), Groot (Vin Diesel), Cosmo (Maria Bakalova) and one of the High Evolutionary’s “evolved” children, with Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper, Sean Gunn) as the group’s new leader.
They find themselves on an unknown planet, protecting some unknown colonists from a stampede of unknown beasts, but just before they do, Rocket retrieves the Zune that Peter had given him, and in a sweet nod back to the movie that put it all together started, he attracts”Come and get your love”, from Redbone’s 1973 album Wovoka.
Will we see this version of the Guardians of the Galaxy again? Nobody knows! At least none outside the halls of Marvel Studios. But the actual credits (you know, the stuff that runs between the credits scenes) have a bit of an Easter egg for comic book nerds, referring to the new team member as Phyla.
In Marvel Comics, Phyla-Vell is… look. It’s complicated, but you can think of her as part of a loose family of space adventurers related to the first Captain Marvel, a Kree warrior named Mar-Vell.
Does this mean Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 just debuted an all-new Marvel superhero in the MCU? That’s unclear – Phyla-Vell’s comic book origins have nothing to do with the High Evolutionary or the Guardians of the Galaxy. But whether it’s the first steps of Phyla-Vell’s story in the MCU, or just a character named Phyla, nerds will take notice.
Image: Marvel Studios
The legendary Star-Lord will return
Wait all the way to the end of the credits and you get it Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s clearer point about the future of the MCU. We go back to Peter Quill, who has apparently moved in with his grandfather comfortably enough that they eat cereal and feel sorry for the neighbors mowing the lawn. A solemn everyday moment is humorously juxtaposed with a title card that claims, “The Legendary Star-Lord shall return.”
But where? Marvel has no officially announced plans with Star-Lord or Chris Pratt, and there aren’t really any upcoming MCU projects that feel like a shoe for him – at least not until 2025. Avengers: Kang Dynasty.
Does Marvel have a Star-Lord Disney Plus series or solo movie in store? Do they plan to make future cameos to boost other movies or series? It is possible. But we’ll have to wait for an official announcement to be sure.