James Gunn's trilogy capper, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, isn't set to hit theaters until the Summer of 2023. This fact, however, didn't stop the cast of the film from taking the stage at this year's San Diego Comic-Con.
During Marvel Studios' extremely revealing Hall H mega-panel, much was discussed. Among other things, films like Captain America: New World Order and Thunderbolts were officially announced, and trailers for upcoming MCU projects were also shown. And on the Guardians front, the cast, as mentioned above, were right there in-person to share details from the third movie.
Not only that, but actor Chukwudi Iwuji arrived in the room, fully decked out in his High Evolutionary costume. And for a special treat meant only for those in attendance at the con, a teaser trailer for Guardians 3 was shown.
Now, as is often the case with these convention-exclusive trailers, some enterprising fan in the audience surreptitiously used their phone to record the screen, despite the fact that this was strictly prohibited by the studio.
A Guardians Vol. 3 SDCC Trailer Breakdown
A video has surfaced online that shows most of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 trailer that was shown at SDCC. While the trailer won't be linked in this article, here is a description of the key moments shown.
The first look opens with Chris Pratt's Peter Quill and the rest of the Guardians scrambling to prepare for a meeting with the Ravagers with whom Nebula apparently made an appointment. This is something that Quill wasn't privy to and he was especially surprised to hear that their appointment is specifically with Gamora. It was confirmed during Marvel's panel that Gamora is the new leader of the Ravagers. "You're early." she says, sternly while face to face with the Guardians crew.
The Flaming Lips' song "Do You Realize??" plays over the Marvel Studios intro.
The camera pans up to reveal Star-Lord in what looks to be a red-and-blue Ravagers uniform. A montage is then seen of key moments shared by Quill and the original Gamora across the MCU. Quill forlornly tells the new Gamora (A time-displaced version of her from the year 2014) that "You were everything to me." to which she replies, "That person wasn't me."
A group of people in spacesuits float out of a ship, Nebula looks at a large neon sign with lettering in an alien language, and Mantis dances.
In what is surely a flashback sequence, a hand reaches for a baby raccoon (or raccoon-like being) as it cowers in terror. The hand likely belongs to the High Evolutionary, the villain of the movie, and the baby raccoon is almost assuredly Rocket. The High Evolutionary is known for performing genetic experiments on animals which causes sentience in his subjects. He is Rocket's creator.
Quill and Drax are seen standing proudly in blue Ravager uniforms reminiscent of what Rocket was wearing in Avengers: Endgame. Drax is, shockingly, wearing a shirt, despite the character's established affliction of sensitive nipples.
Star-Lord uses his blasters to fire at something off-screen while Groot joins him. Only this time, Groot appears much larger and more "muscular" than his scrawny look in movies past.
And finally, before the video cuts out, Will Poulter's Adam Warlock is shown. Longtime Marvel fans will recall that Adam was created by the Sovereign Queen Ayesha in a post-credits scene attached to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
Guardians Vol. 3 Fans Brace for the Worst
Director James Gunn and some of the movie's cast have gone on record saying Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the final chapter for this specific team. As such, fans are bracing for the worst as multiple characters could end up biting the bullet and not making it out of the film alive.
This would be par for the course, as the previous two Guardians movies both featured a significant death: the original Groot in Vol. 1 and Yondu Udonta in the sequel. Moreover, Gamora's life was sacrificed by the Mad Titan Thanos in exchange for the Soul Stone in Avengers: Infinity War from 2018.
So suffice to say that someone's favorite character is going to be sleeping with the space fishes by the time Vol. 3's credits roll.
What's more is the potential romance between Peter Quill and Gamora, who, as she herself points out in the footage, is not the woman that Quill fell in love with. This element of the plot is bound to lead to some poignant emotional beats. And with Gamora acting as the new leader of the Ravagers, a dangerous, savage group of space pirates, the tension between her and the Guardians is sure to be quite high.
Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will arrive in theaters on May 5, 2023.
