Warning! Spoilers ahead for The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
Through Avengers: Endgame. Time and again, director James Gunn teased that the threequel will be very emotional given the nature of its narrative as the swan song to the original cosmic team, coupled with a few character reveals in the film, including Rocket Raccoon's origins. Marvel Studios just reaffirmed this by laying the groundwork for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to be more devastating than Avengers: Endgame which culminated the Infinity Saga.
Similar to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Avengers: Endgame was the final outing for MCU's founding Avengers team. While it was emotional to see the original six go on their last mission together, the Avengers were nowhere near as close as the Guardians of the Galaxy are. The Easter egg-laden GOTG Holiday Special reaffirmed this by seeing the Guardians team go out of their way in order to make each other happy for Christmas, because they genuinely care about each other. Given this, their impending separation will arguably be more heartbreaking to watch than what the Avengers went through in Avengers: Endgame.
Why The Guardians of the Galaxy Is A Better Team Than The Avengers
The Avengers may be the MCU's premier superhero squad, but the Guardians of the Galaxy is a far better team. They have a better camaraderie and overall dynamic. This stems from their respective origins. The Avengers were forced to bond over their shared duty after they were recruited by then-SHIELD director Nick Fury for his Avengers Initiative endeavor. Meanwhile, their cosmic counterparts were self-instituted; they were a team because they chose to. No one mandated them to work together, and at any time, any team member can leave. Yet, they have remained intact after all these years. This effectively makes the Guardians a better team than the Avengers.
Will The Guardians of the Galaxy Return After GOTG 3?
Gunn has been vocal about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 wrapping up the original roster's story. While plot specifics about the film are still being kept under wraps, the filmmaker has also teased about one or two major deaths in the threequel. This said, it's likely at least one founding Guardians of the Galaxy will continue their journey in the MCU beyond Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s story. By then, however, Gunn will no longer be the primary creative force behind their stories, as the blockbuster will be his final one with Marvel Studios before exclusively working on the DCU for the next four years.
Considering the popularity of the Guardians of the Galaxy, however, it’s difficult to imagine Marvel Studios fully retiring the superhero team. While the remaining after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 could move forward separately for a while, it’s safe to say that they will eventually reconvene. In essence, this will be the same approach the MCU has had with the Avengers after Avengers: Endgame.
