This article contains major spoilers forGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.Ending a story can be quite a tricky matter, especially these days. In an age where even mega-franchises likeStar WarsandGame of Throneshave becomes objects of ridicule for their botched conclusions, seeing a popular series actually stick the landing has started to feel like a miracle — and yet, writer-director James Gunn has arguably done the impossible with the newly releasedGuardians the Galaxy Vol. 3.
TheGuardiansmovies aren’t the first series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to reach a full trilogy, nor are they the first trilogy to be overseen by the same director. But while movies likeCaptain America: Civil WarorSpider-Man: No Way Homeboth serve as the start of a new status quo,Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3truly feelslike the end of an era.Giving the original Guardians the final chapter they deserve was truly a tall order, but somehow, the new movie pulls it off magnificently.
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How Guardians 3 Brings the Story Full Circle
It feels almost like a cliché to point out by now, but the story of theGuardians of the Galaxymovies is, above all else, a story about found family. It’s the tale of a group of broken, messed up people who come together to make each other better. Each of the Guardians has experienced their own unique traumas that cast a shadow over them, but they’ve still managed to find peace through their bonds with one another. And indeed, throughout their near-decade of big-screen adventures, the Guardians have allfaced their individual traumashead-on.
The firstGuardians of the Galaxysaw Drax avenge his family’s deaths at the hands of Ronan the Accuser, whileVol. 2focused on Star-Lord dealing with both his father Ego and his complicated relationship with Yondu.Avengers: Infinity Warshone a spotlight on Gamora’s horrific upbringing from Thanos, andEndgamefeatured Nebula quite literally coming face to face with her dark past. EvenThe Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Specialoffers more insight on Mantis coming to terms with her past with Ego. So of course, the last member of the Guardians to confront their personal demons (besides Groot, anyway) is Rocket, who takes up the protagonist role inVol. 3.
Rocket’s traumatic past is first hinted at back in the originalGuardians, in which he alludesto the horrific experimentsthat turned him into what he is now. However, it’s only at the end of the trilogy that Rocket’s backstory is explored in depth. After all, he’s spent most of his story as the prickly loner of the team — an outsider even among outsiders. But now, after truly embracing his bond with his newfound family, Rocket finds the strength to face his tragic history head-on. And along the way, his teammates all manage to find closure on their own personal journeys as well.
Guardians 3 Gives Each Character the Ending They Need
One of the most praiseworthy elements ofGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3is the way that it manages to not only juggle such a large ensemble cast, but also give each member of said cast a satisfying conclusion to their individual character arc.Take Mantis, for instance.After being largely underutilized inVol. 2and becoming the central character in theHoliday Special, one might expect that Mantis would once again stay on the sidelines. But instead, she receives a new character arc, proving to her teammates that she’s strong in her own way before eventually deciding to leave the team to find her own place in the universe.
Meanwhile, Nebula is forced to confront her own flaws as a leader, perhaps realizing that she’s retained too many of her father’s lessons. In the end, she decides to give up fighting altogether to become a leader for Knowhere, hoping to turn it into the kind of home she never had as a child. At the same time, Drax discovers that his true callingis not as a Destroyer,but as a father — and so, he chooses to honor the memory of his lost wife and daughter by becoming a protector to the High Evolutionary’s children. The variant Gamora finds her own family in the Ravagers, while Star-Lord moves on from mourning the Gamora he lost and finally faces his own past, returning to Earth and reuniting with his grandfather.
Even Kraglin, Yondu’s first mate, has a brief arc where he lives up to his fallen captain’s legacy by mastering the Yaka Arrow. But of course, the biggest payoff of all comes from Rocket’s arc. Over the course of nearly a decade, he’s gone from a lonely, self-loathing outcast to the heart of the Guardians. In the end, he embraceshis role on the team— along with his Earth heritage — and becomes the leader of a new generation of Guardians as Rocket Raccoon. And while he doesn’t get much of an arc, Groot still receives one of the most emotional moments of the film. For just one moment, the audience is allowed to hear his true words: “I love you guys.”
At the end of a trilogy filled with so much emotion and loss, there’s something immensely cathartic about watching all these characters find true happiness at the end of their journey. It just goes to show that sometimes, a good old-fashioned happy ending can be exactly the kind of ending a story needs. Neatly wrapping up so many character arcs must have been a truly monumental task, butJames Gunn makes it lookdownright easy. Whatever the future holds for the Guardians of the Galaxy, it seems as if this is the end of the Guardians as fans know them — but if so, then it’s just about the best ending imaginable.
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