The Guardians of the Galaxy are returning for their third solo film which will open on May 3 in Hong Kong and May 5 in the United States. In the trailer, the heroes return to Rocket’s past – the raccoon will again be voiced by Bradley Cooper – and must reckon not only with a new villain but also with how they’ve all changed over the course of their adventures.
If you don’t have time to re-watch all the previous films and look for their appearances in the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), here’s everything you need to know before you watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3.
1. Peter Quill is a half-god but has seemingly lost his celestial status
Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is the son of Meredith Quill (Laura Haddock), a human, and Ego (Kurt Russell), an all-powerful celestial. Born on Earth, Quill later took on the superhero moniker Star-Lord, a nickname from his mother.
In 1988, at the age of eight, Quill was kidnapped by Yondu and his Ravager gang of pirates and grew up in space.
We didn’t know it at the time, but Ego was searching for the many children he sired across galaxies in the hopes of finding an heir who shared his celestial powers. It turned out Quill was the only one, but it seemed like Quill had lost his powers after killing Ego in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2.
As far as we know, Quill’s grandfather may still be alive on Earth.
2. Quill will likely be listening to music on a Zune in Vol 3
In the first Guardians movie, Quill told Gamora (Zoe Saldana) that his mother enjoyed sharing pop songs she loved growing up.
He listened to cassette tapes from her, dubbed “Awesome Mix Vol 1” and “Awesome Mix Vol 2”, on a Sony Walkman. The music from both mixes makes up the franchise’s soundtracks.
Quill carried the Walkman for the first two films until his father, Ego, crushed it in front of him. At the end of Vol 2, Quill was given a Zune that was originally in Yondu’s possession.
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3. The Gamora in Vol 3 doesn’t know Quill or the Guardians
As a refresher, Thanos sacrificed present-day Gamora so he could acquire the Soul Stone in Avengers: Infinity War.
In Avengers: Endgame, present-day Nebula encountered the past version of Gamora when she traveled back in time to 2014. Those two then teamed up to help stop Thanos in the main, present-day timeline.
The 2014 Gamora was last seen in Endgame running into Quill and beating him up after he touched her because she didn’t recognise him.
4. Quill is still not over Gamora
Before present-day Gamora was killed by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, she and Quill finally admitted that they loved each other. Naturally, when Quill learned Thanos killed Gamora to acquire an Infinity Stone, he was crushed.
When we meet him at the start of Vol 3, Quill will be trying to reckon with the idea that a version of Gamora is alive but doesn’t know him.
His inability to put his feelings aside and focus on his team may ultimately put the Guardians in danger.
5. Vol 3’s Groot is not the one we saw in the first film
In Vol 1, Groot sacrificed himself to protect the Guardians. However, he was reincarnated through one of his twigs, which Rocket retrieved and planted in a pot.
Groot’s selflessness and rebirth led to the Vol 2 character that fans all know and love, Baby Groot.
Then, he evolved into the video game-obsessed Teen Groot, seen in the end-credits scene of Vol 2 and his subsequent MCU appearances.
In Vol 3, Groot’s still growing, and writer-director James Gunn dubbed him “Swole Groot” in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
6. Nebula, Gamora’s sister, is just trying to find her place in the galaxy
A daughter of Thanos, Nebula (Karen Gillan) joined the Guardians in Vol 2, but the assassin has a strained relationship with her sister Gamora.
Though they were on better terms before Gamora’s death, we expect these two to be back to holding a grudge against each other.
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7. Rocket Raccoon is from a place called Halfworld
When Rocket was captured by the Nova Corps in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, intel about the genetically modified raccoon briefly flashed on-screen.
The information revealed Rocket was formerly known as “subject 89P13” and listed one of his associates as Lylla.
In the same film, Rocket also said that he was “torn up and put back together” multiple times as a result of past experimentation.
Trailers and clips have hinted we’ll learn more about Rocket’s backstory in Vol 3 and meet some of his former friends, including Lylla the otter (voiced by Linda Cardellini).
8. The Guardians are seemingly at a jail again in Vol 3
In Guardians of the Galaxy, we learned Rocket had previously been charged with 22 counts of escape from incarceration. He’s since broken out of a few more jails.
If the Guardians get jailed once more, we don’t expect them to stay prisoners for long.
9. Knowhere now belongs to the Guardians
The Guardians purchased Knowhere from The Collector aka Taneleer Tivan at some point. Encased in the head of a Celestial, Knowhere used to be The Collector’s hideout.
At the very start of 2022’s Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Nebula mentions how they purchased the former trading outpost that was wrecked in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy by the power stone explosion and a subsequent attack by Ronan (Lee Pace).
Ever since the holiday special, the Guardians have been working to fix it up and make it feel like home for themselves and others.
10. Mantis is Quill’s half-sister
Introduced in Vol 2, Mantis (Pom Klementieff) is an empath who has the ability to sense others’ thoughts and emotions through touch. She can also alter emotions and put others to sleep for a short time.
Holiday Special revealed that Ego is both Mantis and Quill’s father. Mantis shared the news with Quill at the special’s end.
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11. Vol 3 takes place a few years after Avengers: Endgame
We know the film is set after the events of Thor: Love and Thunder and the recent holiday special which was released in November 2022.
12. There may be a romantic pairing between Drax and Mantis
Drax met his wife, Ovette, at a war rally, and it was love at first sight. They had a daughter together, named Kamaria. Unfortunately, Ovette and Kamaria were killed years ago by Ronan.
Drax later learned that Ronan murdered them because he was carrying out Thanos’ order. This fueled Drax’s vengeance and desire to kill Thanos in the Avengers films.
When Drax met Mantis in Vol 2, he told her that she reminded him of his daughter because of her innocence. Drax also called Mantis hideous in one of their first interactions, but by the end of the film, he changed his opinion and called her pretty on the inside.
13. Kraglin has Yondu’s Yaka arrow and may be married
When Yondu died, sacrificing himself to save the galaxy and Quill in Vol 2, Kraglin (Sean Gunn) inherited his friend’s deadly weapon and headpiece.
At the start of Thor: Love and Thunder, Kraglin revealed he was married to a woman named Glenda. That may or may not still be the case in Vol 3. After all, Quill has mentioned that Kraglin kept marrying people on every planet they visited.
The last time we saw Kraglin in 2022’s Guardians holiday special, he was still mastering how to use the arrow as an official member of the group.
14. Borat 2’s Maria Bakalova voices Cosmo the space dog
First appearing briefly in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy as part of Taneleen Tivan’s collection, Cosmo was recently seen in last year’s Holiday Special.
Sent to space by Soviets before winding up in Knowhere, Cosmo will return in Vol 3.
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15. Sylvester Stallone plays Stakar Ogord, a Ravager captain
One of Yondu’s original Ravager team members, Stallone first appeared in the MCU in 2017’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. Stakar originally exiled Yondu when he learned his friend was trafficking children for Ego, violating Ravager code.
The Rocky actor, who is friends with director James Gunn, confirmed in 2021 on Instagram he would return for Vol 3.
With Stakar returning, we may also see some of his teammates as well, including Michelle Yeoh’s Aleta Ogord. Their inclusion in Vol 2 was a nod to the original Guardians’ lineup from the comics.
Gamora will be aligned with Stakar’s Ravager group in Vol 3.
16. Ayesha, High Priestess of The Sovereign, holds a grudge against the Guardians
Rocket stole a few valuable Anulax batteries from a group called The Sovereign after they hired the Guardians at the start of Vol 2. As a result, throughout the film, their leader, Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki), attempts and fails to get revenge on them.
By the film’s end, Ayesha created Adam Warlock with the purpose of destroying the Guardians. In the comics, Adam is an artificial human created by scientists in the hopes of creating a supreme race of humans.
Originally cut from having a larger role in Vol 2, Will Poulter will appear as Warlock in Vol 3.
