Why fan favourites might die in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3

James Gunn has suggested that fan-favourite characters might perish in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3.

The Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy will conclude in May of 2023 with the release of Vol.3. In the lead-up to the movie's release Gunn himself as well as a number of the actors involved have said that they don't expect to return for another movie beyond Vol.3, and those comments have catalysed speculation about which characters might be killed off.

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Gunn concedes that it isn't necessary for characters to die, but that he has always been prepared to pull that trigger if it services the story.

"I don't think that killing characters is necessary," the writer/director told Collider.

"One of the things I've discovered over the years as I've killed characters in different movies, people know that I'm willing to do that. So, you know, I killed — I killed. Yondu died in Vol. 2. Original Groot died in Vol. 1. In Suicide Squad, I killed everybody practically. I killed a major character in Peacemaker.

 "So people know I'm a guy who's willing to go there, and I think that the movies have to feel like that.

"Whether it's true or not, the movies have to feel like their lives are really at stake, and in most movies, I don't feel like that."

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 stars Chris Pratt as Peter Quill, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, Vin Diesel as Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Karen Gillan as Nebula and Pom Klementieff as Mantis.

The primary villain, Adam Warlock, is played by Will Poulter.

How many post-credits scenes does Vol.3 have?

Even though fans are eager to see what happens in the movie itself, like every Marvel film, they also want to see what happens within the wider MCU via post-credits scenes.

Responding to a fan question on Instagram, writer and director James Gunn confirmed that there will be two post-credits scenes for fans to enjoy, at least one of which will likely relate to a future movie in the MCU.