“WE ARE GROOT!!”

If you haven’t yet go check out the official trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (released December 1, 2022 at 5 PM) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3V5KDHRQvk

Marvel Studios just released the official trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 at this year’s Brazil Comic Con convention. Even though Marvel recently put out their second Special Presentation, starring the Guardians in a care-free Christmas adventure in their own Holiday Special, it did not take them long at all to drop an emotional trailer for Guardians 3. We’re officially at the end of an era as the third movie in the Guardians trilogy will be the last, but no worries, the movie will be full of new characters like Adam Warlock, the High Evolutionary, Lylla the Otter, and will focus on Rocket’s heartbreaking origin story. But be prepared to bring tissues as most of the Guardians are not expected to make it out of this adventure. James Gunn, who has directed every Guardians of the Galaxy project to date in the MCU will finish out the Guardians trilogy with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, as he shifted to DC as the head of the DCU. Until then, James Gunn has one more adventure up his sleeve with the Guardians and it’s sure to completely destroy fans emotionally. Gunn confirmed at Comic Con this summer that the third film will be the end for the Guardians saying, “Some stories have to end, doesn’t mean everyone dies.” So being that Guardians 3 will end the team’s journey together in the MCU, there will surely be casualties, based on the looks of the trailer, it most likely will be Rocket. 

The returning cast includes Chris Pratt (Peter Quill/Star-Lord), Zoe Saldaña (Gamora), Pom Klementieff (Mantis), Dave Bautista (Drax), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Bradley Cooper voicing Rocket Raccoon, Vin Diesel voicing Groot, Sean Gunn (Kraglin), and Cosmo the Spacedog (voiced by Maria Bakalova). Some new faces are joining the MCU with Peacemaker’s Chukwudi Iwuji as the film’s main antagonist High Evolutionary and making his Marvel debut, Will Poulter as Adam Warlock, who was teased back in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. It is expected for Marvel to pull a fast one on fans and include some unexpected cameos with some returning characters and even introduce new ones like Lylla the Otter, who’s voice actor has yet to be revealed. 

THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS TIME SLOTS TO MATCH UP WITH THE TRAILER 

(link included above) 

Hidden Details and Easter Eggs

• (0:02) Each Marvel Studios’ project and trailer all start off presenting the Marvel Studios logo. In the Guardians 3 trailer, the logo plays as its usual all red one but subtly dissolves into Peter Quill’s “Awesome Mix Tape” design. The red and white lines aren’t just significant to the Guardians movies but has an importance to Peter and his character arc.Meredithh Quill, Peter’s late mother, gave Peter the original “Awesome Mix Tape Vol. 1” and gifted him “Vol. 2” while on her death bed. Guardians of the Galaxy ends with Peter finally opening his mother’s final gift to him and begins playing the “Vol. 2” tape, with “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” being the first song. Even though Guardians of the Galaxy has some of the most popular soundtracks, the music perfectly transcribes Peter Quill’s story. CheatSheet.com wrote, “Director James Gunn chose the songs for Guardians of the Galaxy in part because they offer insight into Peter Quill’s past and his current music-loving personality”. This leads to the next subtle detail in the trailer…
• The Guardian of the Galaxy perfected the use of 70s and 80s songs throughout the movies creating the some of most popular the soundtracks with songs like “Come and Get Your Love”, “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)”, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (we all know how Sam Wilson feels about Marvin Gaye), “Mr. Blue Sky”, “The Chain”, and most recently in the unreleased Comic Con teaser, “Do You Realize”. Fans were expecting for Marvel to reuse the song, “Do You Realize”, in the official trailer release to the public, but that’s not the case. However, the trailer is to the song, “In The Meantime”, by 90’s one-hit wonder band, Spacehog. This is the first song in a Guardians project that is not a bit from the 70s or 80s. This shows the progression of Peter through his music (as mentioned above). The Spacehog initially tried to bring the feel of 70s grunge with inspiration by David Bowie. Though this fits into the Guardians aesthetic, the music in the movie is sure to change as Peter now has a Zune MP3 player with songs from every decade. It’s likely that the “Awesome Mix” will be different from the first two. 
• The MCU has long been using classic songs and ballads in their trailers for a while now and as the Guardians are known for their impeccable music taste, it was no question that their trailers wouldn’t do the same. This was exactly the case for the Guardians 3 trailer. With the use of classic songs also comes hidden meanings for the Marvel project and possible plot for the movie. “In The Meantime” reveals a deeper meaning for the third movie. The initial theme of the song is tied to accepting yourself which seems to be a major role in Guardians 3 as it will be focusing on Rocket’s heartbreaking origin story. Gunn himself even described Rocket as “the saddest person or character in the universe”, and from the looks of it in the trailer, that’s looking to be correct. The song also dives into themes of mourning the end of something. It is quite clear that the Guardians franchise is coming to a close as the third movie will be the last time this band of misfits will be together. The song ends with a more positive beat that reassures listeners the future will be okay even though things will be different. This is a nod to the Guardians’ story together ending and with that will come some casualties. Though it is unknown of the popular character’s fates, the future of the MCU is sure to be different with or without the Guardians, that’s okay. 
• As mentioned above, in the unreleased Comic Con teaser for Guardians 3, “Do You Realize” was played. This song by The Flaming Lips may be the biggest detail of them all as the song is initially about more somber themes. “Do You Realize” touches on topics like loss, reality, and the limited time everyone has to live. The psychedelic song reflects the Guardians as the series is emotionally ending. With lyrics like, “Do you realize that everyone you know someday will die?” hints at the future of the Guardians. The Flaming Lips also say, “And instead of saying all of your goodbyes. Let them know you realize that life goes fast. It’s hard to make the good things last.” Many suspect this is a nod for the Guardians last adventure together to be an emotional one but fans must know that they are getting one last one so it’s bound to be a good one. 
• (0:05) The trailer starts off with a clip of Peter standing on the bridge of his new ship, The Bowie, with a voiceover of him saying, “We were gone for quite a while.” This is referring to the fact that all of the Guardians, except Rocket and Nebula, were Blipped by Thanos seen in Avengers: Infinity War as they were turned to dust. This can also be a nod to how it’s been “quite a while” since the last solo Guardians film. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was released back in 2017, meaning by the time Guardians 3 hits theaters it will be six years. 
• (0:07) The Guardians can be seen flying to a city that looks too humane, possibly being one on Earth or staged to look like the suburbs on Earth. Seen recently in the Holiday Special, Peter’s classic ship, The Milano (named after his childhood crush, Alyssa Milano from Who’s the Boss?) is gone as well The Benatar. The Guardians are flying in Peter’s new ship, “The Bowie”, which is a tribute to the later music legend, Ziggy Stardust himself, David Bowie. Some are questioning The Bowie’s design as it has been described as “lacking”, since it doesn’t have the hawk-like wings like The Milano or The Bentar, which made those ships so unique. As Gizmodo described the design as “eschewing the classic fighter-pilot silhouette for a less aerodynamic”. 
• (0:10) As the Guardians land The Bowie in what looks like a suburban town on Earth, fans have questioned the looks of it as it seems quite out of sorts due to the designs of the cars. The cars parked in the driveways look more from the 70s and 80s, meaning there is a possible chance this mysterious world is staged. 
• (0:13) Star-Lord continues to say, “But no matter what happens next, the galaxy still needs its Guardians.” While saying this, fans get their first good look at the Guardians. As they are shown exiting The Bowie, they are evoking the comic accurate dark blue and red uniforms. These costumes are paying homage to Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning’s original comic run that inspired the Guardians’ team in the MCU. The uniforms are complete with the official ravager seal.
• Some fans are not too pleased with the new Guardian uniforms as some find it “a little disappointing that we don’t get any sense of these character’s individuality here that their past outfits evoked” (quoted form Gizmodo). But fans must know the progression and the growth the Guardians have gone through since the first time they were introduced back in 2014. As they used to be a ragtag group of outsiders that just happened to cross paths they’ve become a more official group of heroes with badges and unified suits. But they will always stand with their found family aspect. At the end of Guardians of the Galaxy, the Guardians were just desperate misfits whose story was unfinished. Peter even said, “What should we do next? Something good or something bad, or a bit of both?” The Guardians didn’t officially shift to full time heroes until saving the universe from Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. 
• (0:16) The Bowie lands in what looks like a suburban town on Earth, but there’s only one thing wrong; the citizens of the town have animal-like heads. This is hinting towards the film’s main antagonist, High Evolutionary. In the comics, High Evolutionary is a mad scientist who uses cutting-edge technology to experiment and creates half-animal, half-human hybrids also known as “New Men”. It’s all but hinted towards Rocket’s heartbreaking origin story. Rocket’s origins have been hinted at since Guardians of the Galaxy when he says, “I didn’t ask to get made!! I didn’t ask to be torn apart and put back together over and over again and turned into some little monster!!”
• (0:24) “Hello!! We come in peace”, Peter attempts to greet the alien type people with the usual “we come in peace” message. One of the citizens, a little lemur girl, tosses a ball to the Guardians, and Drax, being Drax, hurls the ball back, socking her in the face. This sets everyone off as the animal people start attacking the Guardians by throwing anything they get their hands (or paws) on. 
• Fans are already complaining about the scene mentioned above, saying that there is no way Drax, as a husband and father, would ever just throw a kickball at a little child like this. Has Marvel and Gunn forgotten about Drax’s tragic backstory?? Or is this cheap comedy?? Drax’s entire reasoning for joining the Guardians was to avenge his family’s death, “Ronan murdered my wife, Hovat, and my daughter, Kamaria. He slaughtered them where they stood. And he laughed… He killed my family.” This may have been poor use for physical comedy. 
• (0:38) A shot of Peter looking deeply into space while listening to his Zune MP3 player as his sister, Mantis, tells him, “Don’t forget where you came from.” Peter is still upset about Gamora’s death (well involuntary sacrifice) in Avengers: Infinity War. As well as having to deal with another universe’s Gamora being in arm’s reach but unable to connect with her since this Gamora from 2014 never became a Guardian and doesn’t have those memories or relationship with Peter. Yes, Gamora is there, but it isn’t his Gamora. In Avengers: Endgame, Nebula told 2014 Gamora about Peter being her future self’s boyfriend, hilariously saying, “It was him or a tree.” But this didn’t draw her attention which is eating Peter up inside. Chris Pratt himself even explained that, “Peter Quill [is] still reeling from the loss of Gamora” (quoted from the 2022 Summer Comic Con Convention). 
• As revealed in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Mantis and Peter are half-siblings, as Ego is their father. In a deleted scene from Guardians 2, Mantis explained that she wanted to keep their relations a secret because her and Peter’s only connection, meaning Ego, their father, brought him so much pain and suffering, so instead of spoiling their relationship she thought it was best to keep it a secret. However, the Guardians’ found family aspect just got a bit more interesting with Mantis finally telling Peter her secret. Guardians 3 is likely to explore a deeper connection between the two as family is a central theme in all Guardians projects. 
• (0:42) A hand can be seen grabbing a baby raccoon as the shot blends into one of Rocket Raccoon. Fans are absolutely losing it over baby Rocket. Between Rocket’s tragic origins and the sad puppy eyes he’s giving in this scene, there’s no doubt his backstory will break fan’s hearts. ComicBook.com perfectly said, “You already know this is going to be one of the scenes that breaks us emotionally. Probably why [James] Gunn put it in the trailer; to prepare us.” Fans knew this film, Guardians 3, would be spending a lot of time focusing on Rocket’s backstory, but are they emotionally ready for that?? Simply, no. 

• Quick Comic Recap: For those who don’t know, Rocket is a genetically engineered raccoon (even though he doesn’t like to be called one) who was put under many experiments and tests that turned him into the loud and violent yet loveable Rocket fans know today. He’s pretty sensitive about this subject as seen in past MCU projects and they haven’t even dived into what actually happened yet. Hence why he says “Ain’t no thing like me, except me!!” which is true and we’re about to find out why. 
• (0:48) “Do you realize we’re floating in space?” The Guardians can be seen in bright, multi-colored, retro spacesuits. Many fans believe this is an Among Us reference, but that is not the case. This is indeed a more older pop culture reference to the suits in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

• (0:50) Fans get a first glimpse of Zoe Saldaña back as Gamora since Avengers: Endgame, who’s staring at a polaroid, presumably one of the Guardians. Star-Lord says, “We’ve been running our whole lives.” 

• (0:51) Another shot features all of the Guardians walking towards the camera, through Knowhere as Nebula carries an unconscious Peter in her arms. Fans pointed out that even though there is no Gamora in this line-up, Kraglin and Cosmo are added, which just shows the evolution of the team. In Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) it was just Peter, Gamora, Drax, Rocket and Groot. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) Yondu, Nebula, and Mantis were added. Now in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) Kraglin is in place of Yondu and Cosmo is finally back in the Guardians scene. 

• (0:56) Rocket replies to Peter, saying, “Pete… I’m done running.” What he is running from is unknown but it’s presumably his past, given the main focus of the trailer. But he’s ready to accept his past and fight the people (High Evolutionary and Adam Warlock) who made him the Rocket he is. 
• (1:03) Some new faces are joining the MCU with Peacemaker’s Chukwudi Iwuji as the film’s main antagonist High Evolutionary. In the comics, High Evolutionary is a mad scientist who uses cutting-edge technology to experiment and create half-animal, half-human hybrids also known as “New Men”. It’s all but hinted towards Rocket’s heartbreaking origin story. He is best known for being the man behind the retcon that stopped Wanda and Pietro Maximoff (Scarlet Witch and QuickSilver) from being actual Mutants. 

• (1:07) Peter, Gamora, Drax, and Mantis can be seen held in some kind of jail or possible laboratory of the High Evolutionary based on the growths sprouting around the all white room. There is no sign of Rocket or Groot, who are probably causing chaos elsewhere or trying to break the other Guardians out. Mantis is supporting a wounded Drax, who is bleeding from the chest. 

• The High Evolutionary is hinted to have something to do with Rocket’s origin as the furry Guardian is shown lying wounded (some described as burned since metal pieces from his experiments are shown on his face). During this he heartbreakingly says, “We’ll all fly away together. One last time. Into the forever… that beautiful sky.” Something is going to happen to Rocket, and no one in the entire galaxy is emotionally prepared for this. Odds are pointing to a tragic ending for the loveable raccoon or as Star-Lord likes to call him, “Trash Panda”, Rocket. When Rocket mentions “that beautiful sky” that is hinting at his redemption and calmness before his death. 

• (1:18) Peter and Groot can be seen running away from The Bowie, which is all crushed and destroyed. That ship lasted for the entirety of the Holiday Special and probably half of Guardians 3. 
• (1:19) This isn’t an easter egg but Nebula can be seen celebrating. What? We don’t know but let’s just take a second and appreciate how far Nebula has come since Guardians of the Galaxy. Nebula herself had one of the most driven character arcs in all of the MCU. The character herself represents the silence of abuse survivors and how all of the Guardians films show how Nebula internalizes her past traumas. She takes the neglect she’s faced for years from Thanos and Gamora as she yearns to be noticed and liked and just win for once. Tony described Nebula (in Avengers: Endgame) as “the Blue Meanie” who is “very practical. And only a tiny bit sadistic.” 
• (1:22) Peter is seen screaming and crying near a white tube. This can be one of two things. He is either be tortured or experimented on or someone very close to him (like Rocket) may be dying.

• (1:24) There is a shot of Rocket hugging his long-lost love, Lylla. It’s obvious this is going to be an emotional reunion for the two of them as she plays a pivotal role in Rocket’s origin story. Fans don’t believe her origin story will be as severe as Rocket’s but in the trailer while hugging Rocket, one of her arms seems to be replaced with a robotic one, meaning she was also experimented on. In the comics, Lylla is Rocket’s otter soulmate, and fans are desperately hoping that is the same case in the MCU. 

• Lylla was teased all the way back in 2014, but Marvel as well as James Gunn were just waiting to introduce her for the right time. In Guardians of the Galaxy, while the team is being held and assessed by the Nova Core, in Rocket’s records, under associates, Groot as well as Lylla. 

• Has Lylla already been secretly cast?? It’s been rumored for quite some time now, since 2019, that Lady Gaga herself joined the MCU as a part of the Guardians of the Galaxy family in a very important role for the third film. Since then the Star Is Born star who has worked very closely with Bradley Cooper has been rumored to be playing Rocket’s love interest. With the trailer release and glimpse of Lylla, are all these points justifying these theories?? 
• (1:25) Another Abilisk is going to be a threat?! Fans might remember this creature, or better described as a monster, at the beginning of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Where Drax said, “the beast’s [the Abilisk] hide is too thick to be pierced from the outside. I must cut through it from the inside.” 
• (1:28) The trailer closes with the first look at Will Poulter as thee Adam Warlock, who can be seen engaged in combat against Nebula. Fans have been awaiting his introduction to the MCU since 2017 as the Guardians 2 credit scene teased him. In this scene Ayesha, a Sovereign, is planning her weapon/creation of Adam. He’s described to be “more powerful, more beautiful, more capable of destroying the Guardians of the Galaxy. I think I shall call him… Adam.”

• Warlock is definitely here to deliver as he was created to simply destroy the Guardians. Though his function in the film is unclear and his comic character has played both the hero and villain making it even more confusing. It is likely that he will be a secondary antagonist in the film but will have to band together with the Guardians given there is a much greater threat at hand, High Evolutionary. 
• (1:29) Why is Mantis seen sobbing uncontrollably?? Once again this can be one of two things. She can either be dying or someone very close to her (like Rocket or possibly even Drax) may be dying.

• (1:32) “WE ARE GROOT!!” Groot’s new look seen in the Holiday Special is the same shown in the trailer. He is growing up, fans have seen him as a potted plant baby, to a vivacious toddler, to a snarly and moody teen, and now to this new version fans are describing as “Swole Groot”. 
• (1:34) Groot and Star-Lord are seen standing back to back together firing blasters. Groot is holding multiple blasters with multiple arms. Fans are questioning why Star-Lord is doing Groot and Rocket’s usual pose. They’ve done this in Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Infinity War. So does this mean Rocket doesn’t make it to the final battle??

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 lands only in theaters May 5th, 2023!! 

“We’ll all fly away together. One last time. Into the forever… that beautiful sky.”