We’re just over a week away from the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s cheekiest troop are both vibrating with excitement and quaking with fear. Indeed, it’s safe to say that, one way or another, we’ll be saying farewell to Peter Quill and co., and regardless of whether that farewell involves more than a few acclimations from the mortal realm, it’s going to be one misty-eyed sendoff nevertheless.
Of course, with the MCU’s recent trajectory coming under quite a bit of admittedly valid scrutiny, one of the questions on everyone’s mind is if Vol. 3 will stick the landing. Gunn’s comic book movie track record indicates that we have little to worry about in that department, but it’s apparently not enough to appease the worrywarts of r/marvelstudios, who have taken to voicing their anti-hopes for the Guardians swansong.
Perhaps the most agreeable of these fears is the possibility of Star-Lord and Gamora being forced back into a relationship. It will be no easy task to rekindle this flame without ample time and logistics, and even with a relatively meaty, 150-minute runtime, it might be best for the film to avoid that route entirely.
Then came the obligatory complaints of the MCU’s comedic timing, or, more specifically, its gross misuse of it. Given what’s at stake both for the Guardians and the fans, now would in fact be the time to keep the tension as unbroken as possible.
Elsewhere, the disapproval towards Nebula’s possible mortality seems to be matched only by the prospect of Drax’s survival.
Either way, we’d be wiser to hedge our bets on Vol. 3 hitting homeruns than striking out. We’ve already witnessed Gunn put out 66% of what could very well end up being the MCU’s best trilogy, and considering how vocal he’s been about his love for these characters, this is one adieu we can expect all the heart in the world from.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 releases in theaters on May 5.