It’s easy to forget that four years ago James Gunn was fired from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The whole situation was messy—but as a result, when the filmmaker took the stage in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 to reveal the first footage from the long-awaited, highly anticipated sequel, it was more than just a reveal. It was a homecoming. And it was well worth the wait.
When last we left the Guardians of the Galaxy, they’d been hanging with Thor for a few years. Now they’re back on their own adventures. Finding Gamora is on the to-do list. Meeting Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) is too. And here’s what happened in the footage that Gunn screened in Hall H, which is unlikely to make it online.
By the time of the third movie, the Ravagers are now being lead by Gamora, who we see having a fun, banter-laden reunion with Peter Quill after their... complicated relationship troubles in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, as the latter tries to get the former to remember him. In new footage screened to fans, set of course to Flaming Lips’ “Do You Realize?”, we see glimpses of a young baby Rocket Raccoon in flashbacks, which will play a major role in Volume 3 as we explore his origins as the test subject of cruel experimentation on the planet Halfworld. Also featured in the footage was Cosmo the psychic Russian dog and, in the comics, security chief of the space station Knowhere, played by Borat’s Maria Bakalova.
Plus: an all-gold, all-dazzling glimpse at Adam Warlock, played by Will Poulter, and a glimpse of the High Evolutionary—a powerful being who now, thanks to the MCU, is actually the person who transformed the Scarlet Witch and her brother Quicksilver into superpowered beings, leading them to believe they were the mutant children of Magneto in the comics—played by Peacemaker’s Chukwudi Iwuji. Check out a picture of Iwuji in costume, as he graced the panel:
But wait, there’s more. Several members of the Guardians (Rocket and Groot were absent, we believe) jump out of a ship onto what looks like a larger alien planet. They’re each wearing brightly colored suits, each one different: blue, green, red, orange and yellow. They’re obviously going on a mission of some sort and it’s here where Peter tries to talk to Gamora about their past. He asks if she might be willing to open herself up and she says “I don’t think so, Quinn.” “Quill. It’s Quill.” At which point Mantis tells Peter that they’re on an open channel and everyone can hear. They’re all suitable embarrassed for him.
There are shots of what looks like the Guardians opening a store, the evil monster from the beginning of the last film, Peter and the team getting off in what looks like an Earth neighborhood, and at the end, the group all walking in slow motion—Groot now much thicker and more muscular, no Rocket, and Gamora slightly off in the background.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters May 5, 2023.
Updated 7/23/22 10:15 p.m.: We added more detail now that the panel was over.
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