It’s the end of an era. After six years on the sidelines, James Gunn and the Guardians of the Galaxy are back for their third adventure, and it’s already shaping up to be a heartbreaker. With Gunn transitioning to DC Films, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will likely be focused on tying up a few loose ends. Gunn has been adamant about expanding on the origins of Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper), which all but confirms this superhero lineup will never be the same after the events of Vol. 3.
That said, Vol. 3 will set up as many threads as it resolves. The film will introduce new antagonists in the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) and Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), whose stories could very well continue in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. The same could be said for the Guardians themselves: they’ve already demonstrated crossover potential in Infinity War and even Thor: Love and Thunder, so MCU fans likely haven’t seen the last of the team even if the lineup changes.
Until Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters in May, plot details will remain a mystery. But there’s one mystery we can solve right away: Will there be a post-credits scene?
According to James Gunn, Vol. 3 will have two credits stingers. Gunn confirmed as much via Instagram, and although he declined to get into specifics, it seems safe to assume that one will be a mid-credits scene, while the other will take place after all the credits have rolled.
That would be in line with MCU traditions, though the Guardians films have been known to flout Marvel standards. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 boasted a whopping five post-credits scenes, some of which teased potential spin-offs (what’s going on with that Ravagers movie, guys?) and some that were just a bit of fun. Maybe the post-credits scenes in Vol. 3 will follow that trend: one could skew on the sillier side, while the other could set up a return for the Guardians in future films, even if the Guardians are destined to look a bit different in the future.
