Director James Gunn has indicated that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will have a different tone than previous entries in the beloved franchise as the third volume has a "much more mature" story.
Gunn teased a little more of what fans should expect from the plot of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 while speaking to GameSpot at San Diego Comic-Con 2022. He explained how the franchise has evolved over time, leading up to the third installment of the cosmic Marvel franchise, as he warned fans that the team's final outing will be an emotionally-charged adventure.
"It's an incredibly emotional story," Gunn said of the upcoming third sequel, which wrapped production in May. "Much more mature than the other Guardian stories in a way because, you know, we started making these movies that were 10, 11 years old when they saw the first one, and now they're 20, 21 years old. The movie has grown up with them."
The official synopsis for the third chapter teases a high-stakes escapade that will see Peter Quill, who is still reeling from the loss of Gamora, "rally his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own. A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them."
The trailer for the third Guardians movie hasn't been released online yet because Gunn isn't completely satisfied with the VFX in its current state. However, Marvel gave the Hall H crowd at SDCC a sneak peek of what's to come. The footage revealed some big changes within the team, including the debut of Cosmo the Spacedog and Gamora running a section of the Ravagers.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be part of Phase 5 of the MCU and is set to be released on May 5, 2023. The trailer was screened during a deluge of news at SDCC, where we learned tons about Marvel's plans for the finale of Phase 4, as well as both Phases 5 and 6, now dubbed the Multiverse Saga, alongside tons of other announcements, trailers, and teasers at the event.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.