In the vast tapestry that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, James Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies — based on the comics by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning — filled the role of "quirky outsiders." This is a gargantuan feat, given the number of gods, aliens, monsters, and other extraordinary beings found throughout the series. The team consisted of a single human being, Peter (Chris Pratt) who was abducted by a UFO as a child, and had eventually fallen into a family-like relationship with a team of mutants and alien warriors. There was Rocket Raccoon (voice of Bradley Cooper), a talking tree named Groot (Vin Diesel), a deadly assassin named Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), her mostly-mechanical sister Nebula (Karen Gillen), a literal-minded bruiser named Drax (Dave Bautista), and the gentle psychic Mantis (Pom Klementieff).

While Gunn had previously worked with much edgier material (he wrote the aggressively filthy "Tromeo & Juliet" back in the 1990s and deconstructed the absurdity of superheroes in films like "The Specials" and "Super"), the filmmaker's admittedly off-kilter sensibility still lent the ordinarily safe-and-unthreatening MCU a very slight edge that many audiences appreciated. The Guardians have amassed an enormous fanbase, and have appeared in numerous films and even their own Christmas special. On May 5, 2023, Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3" will be released in theaters, and it's being sold as the final adventure for the characters. Gunn is famously leaving Marvel to construct a cinematic universe based on DC Comics over at Warner Bros.

In a recent interview with Empire, Gunn discussed closing the book on the Guardians, and what his upcoming film will tackle, thematically; the outsiders of the MCU will be wrestling with their outsider status, and learning to love themselves in all their weirdness.

The Mother, The Father, The Self

Although the Guardians have appeared in two solo films, two "Avengers" movies, a "Thor" movie, and the TV special, Gunn sees the three films with "Vol." in the titles as a trilogy, summing it up thus: "The first movie is about the mother, the second movie is about the father and the third movie is about the self. That is the overall story." In the first "Guardians," Peter was taken away from Earth right when his mother was on her deathbed. He carried a mixtape she made for him into adulthood, constantly feeling ashamed of their last conversation. In "Vol. 2," Peter met his biological father, Ego (Kurt Russell) who was, in actuality, a narcissistic source of cosmic intelligence that sought to spread its genetic material across the galaxy. Peter had to fight his father, a living planet, at the film's climax.

In a conversation with Fandango, Gunn elucidated:

"In the first one Peter Quill is coming to terms with his relationship with his mother, which is the person he loved the most in the world. […] In Vol 2 he's coming to terms with his relationship with his father. The one he thought he wanted wasn't the one he wanted, and the one he had was better than what he thought it was."

Fatherhood is all over Vol. 2, and Peter came to terms with the fact that his soldierly-like father figure Yondu (Michael Rooker) was actually a pretty good father after all. Additionally, Gamora and Nebula had to contend with the fact that their own father was the insane, genocide-obsessed soldier Thanos, an also-notable villain within the MCU.

Self-loathing

According to other excerpts from Empire, printed in the pages of NME, "Vol. 3" will feature the most intimate story yet. While the films in the MCU tend to feature villains, fights, and action as par for the course, it seems that Gunn wanted a more character-forward piece this time around. Indeed, some of the characters have, in tackling their parental issues, emerged a little worse for wear, especially Peter. The director said that his new film is "not about saving the universe — it's about the Guardians saving themselves. [… Peter is] living in a world where Gamora has no idea who he is. The love of his life is gone. That has caused him to drink a lot. He's not the best leader."

Thanks to some time travel rigmarole, Gamora was resurrected, but from a timeline where she and Peter never fostered their burgeoning romance. This has left him, it seems, emotionally destitute. Each one of the Guardians will, in "Vol. 3" have to face the things they hate about themselves. Gunn said in the Fandango conversation:

"[T]he third one is about getting to accept yourself. Who are we really? And how are we okay? […] You know, Mantis even says it one time in the movie, most of them don't like themselves very much. They all have issues with themselves. Nebula has issues with herself. Peter Quill has issues with himself. Mantis, Kraglin they all do. And Rocket most of all. So I think that's what this movie is about, above and beyond anything else."

Rocket Takes Off

Gunn also said that he was interested in looking into the dramatic arc of Rocket Raccoon who is, as his name suggests, a raccoon. It's been explained in small bits of dialogue that Rocket was a genetic experiment, and now lives as a small furry mammal imbued with human intelligence and a somewhat twisted sense of humor. The experiments were, however, a traumatic experience for Rocket, and Gunn wanted to link the sassy character previously seen to the terrified creature he once was. Indeed, it was Rocket that drew Gunn back to making the movie in the first place. The director said:

"For a while, I wasn't going to do this movie. […] Then I came back. And the reason I knew I needed to come back was to tell this story and, in some ways in particular, I have a special closeness to the character of Rocket and I knew I needed to finish to tell his story."

In the preview for "Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3," Rocket can be seen hugging a sentient otter, a character deep-cut Marvel fans will be able to identify as Lylla, Rocket's eventual paramour. In the comics, Lylla is a business magnate. Her role in Gunn's new film has not yet been revealed, but it seems that Rocket will at the very least have a furry mammal friend to bond with.

If "Vol. 3" is truly meant to be the final film for the Guardians, then it's likely the team will split up, characters may die, and their emotional journeys fulfilled. Some may be sad to see them go. Others may be happy to know that they are no longer struggling.

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