What do the credits mean for the future of the Guardians?
Warning: Spoilers ahead for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3! Don't read on if you haven't seen the film -- and make sure you stay through the credits!
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is undoubtedly the end of an era. The James Gunn-directed trilogy signed off with an emotional adventure that united the team of intergalactic misfits to save one of their own, before the Guardians made the decision to go their separate ways -- with a new team suiting up to help protect the galaxy.
But, is it really the end?
Following the end credits, which see Chris Pratt's Peter Quill returning to Earth to reconnect with his grandfather, the typical Marvel title card appears, promising, "The Amazing Star-Lord will return."
So, what does this mean?
When asked about the moment at the GOTG Vol. 3 premiere in New York City, Pratt seemed to choose his words carefully.
"Well, this is the last time these Guardians of the Galaxy will be on screen together," he explained. "This is Vol. 3. It's very intentionally a trilogy, and this is the end."
As for where he'd like to see the characters in the future, the actor again kept things vague, but seemed slightly more optimistic that he might plug his headphones into Star-Lord's Zune once again.
"Oh, man. I don't know," he said. "There's a brilliant group of incredible minds in charge of coming up with the stories. And I'll be standing by waiting to answer the call. If they call."
If the Guardians do return to the MCU in the next few years, however, they might have to do it without Gunn at the helm. The director and Peter Safran were announced as the co-chairpersons and CEOs of the newly rebranded DC Studios in October, and the pair has already started rolling out their plans to reinvigorate some of DC Comics' most beloved properties. However, Gunn told ET he's taking plenty with him from his experiences as he embarks on a new creative adventure.
"Really the thing that drives me, that's important to being a filmmaker, is a sense of creativity and play," he shared. "You can start to get distracted by results, by adulation or money or these other things. And all of those are sort of the enemy to creativity and storytelling. You can have those things or not have those things. But the important part is focusing on the creativity and the storytelling and the characters, first and foremost."
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is in theaters now.
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