SPOILERS: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 - 8 Ways It Sets Up The Future Of The MCU
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 may tell a self-contained story, but it drops some HUGE hints about what's to come in this franchise and The Avengers. Here are the biggest ways it sets up the MCU!
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is now in theaters, and while the sequel has left us with a lot to think about, it's not too soon to start thinking about all the ways it sets up what's to come in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While writer and director James Gunn has told a fairly self-contained story here safe from Iron Man 2 levels of world building, it still sheds some light on what's next for these heroes.
However, it's not just the future of the Guardians that some hints are dropped for here. With Avengers: Infinity War right around the corner, the battle against Thanos will expand the Marvel Cosmic Universe in a big way, and this movie does indeed tease us with what could happen there. So, read on through the list below to find out the eight biggest ways Vol. 2 sets up the future of this world.
It goes without saying that MAJOR SPOILERS for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 follow from this point.
8. The Hunt For Thanos
The Guardians don't have an awful lot to say in this movie about Thanos, a surprise considering the fact that Drax wants to kill the villain to find redemption for the murder of his wife and children. Gamora and Nebula's rivalry does revolve around the Mad Titan, though, and once they've put their differences aside, the latter sets off on a quest to take down her father.
This was somewhat of a surprise considering most of us assumed she would be joining the team by the time all is said and done, but it does explain how she factors into Avengers: Infinity War. We can obviously expect Nebula to cross paths with both Earth's Mightiest Heroes and the Guardians, but it will be interesting to see what happens when she catches up with her dear old and whether she ends up with her hands on the Infinity Gauntlet.
7. Adam Warlock
Ayesha makes for an interesting secondary villain, but bested by the Guardians and with the Sovereign fleet wiped out, she makes a surprise appearance in one of the five after-credits scenes to make it clear what's next for her. A glorious golden coccoon holds a creation she intends to use to wipe the team out and before the screen goes black, we learn that she plans to call him "Adam."
This is obviously Adam Warlock and the signs are now pointing to him being a villain in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (presumably before coming to his senses and embarking on a heroic path). With four years between the events of Vol. 2 and Avengers: Infinity War, it's possible they could have already battled him and that he's joined them, but we would have heard some casting by now and that could be a bit too much to cram into that movie.
6. Star-Lord Goes Home
Now that Star-Lord has met his father and learned the truth behind his mother's death, the door seems wide open for him to return home to Earth. While he makes it clear earlier in the film that it's always been too painful to return to an Earth where his mother isn't alive, his last remaining relatives are there, so it's entirely feasible that the Guardians' arrival there will come at the worst possible time for The Avengers and that they'll mistake them for being allies of Thanos.
Alternatively, it could be that the team feels it's their responsibility to help protect Peter's home when The Mad Titan attacks, but Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 most definitely sets the stage for them to visit Earth. Recent set photos also appear to confirm that Thor and Rocket will be hanging out on this planet, so it's pretty much a sure thing now!
5. The Celestials
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Ego is revealed to be a member of the Celestials. We first saw them in the previous movie when one could be seen using the Power Stone to destroy a planet. Why Ego took on the appearance of a Living Planet rather than a massive armoured figure isn't clear, but the concept of Celestials is now a big part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and should shake things up in a big way as a result.
In the Infinity Gauntlet comic book, Thanos was confronted by many of the universe's cosmic entities, including Galactus; the Stranger; the Titan Kronos; Epoch; the entities Love and Hate; two Celestials; Master Order and Lord Chaos; and Eternity. The latter was also mentioned in this movie, so Marvel may very well be setting the stage for a similar sort of face off in Avengers: Infinity War or its sequel!
4. Groot Grows Up
Baby Groot is both hilarious and adorable, but despite how much money Disney and Marvel will be making by selling toys based on the character's likeness, it's clearly not the plan to leave the sentient tree in this form. As you more than likely know by now, one of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2's after-credits scenes shows that Groot has grown up into a moody teenager, a sure fire sign that he'll be back to his old self by the time Avengers: Infinity War rolls around.
As I've mentioned, four years have passed between the events of those movies, so that's more than enough time for Groot to mature, though it's hard to say for sure what he'll look like. I find it hard to imagine that he'll be a carbon copy of the version we first met back in 2014, so Marvel has the chance to do some pretty creative things with the fan-favourite hero come 2018.
3. The Original Guardians
I wasn't overly keen on the appearance from the "original" Guardians of the Galaxy, but it's pretty obvious Marvel has bigger plans for them. With the team back together by the time all is said and done, they're going to show up somewhere and that could be in either Avengers: Infinity War or this movie's sequel. I would bet on the former, personally, and while some might argue that it would be a waste, them being wiped out by Thanos would offer some significant casualties without the A-Listers being too badly affected.
If they show up in Vol. 3, though, a team up with the current Guardians would be fun to see depending on how their dynamic is handled. However, I'm not overly keen on the possibility of them taking over the franchise down the line as they honestly just don't seem that interesting.
2. The Watchers
The Watchers may appear in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as a joke relating to Stan Lee, but their appearance is still very interesting. Most of us assumed that Uatu and this group belong to Fox as part of the Fantastic Four franchise, so this could either be an indication that Marvel Studios has regained the rights to that team and the characters related to them or that they reached a deal with Fox similar to the Ego/Negasonic Teenage Warhead swap.
Either way, The Watchers having a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward could shake things up in a meaningful way, especially with a conflict as big as the one taking place in Avengers: Infinity War right around the corner. Sure, it's possible this is the first and last time we'll see them, but we may want to still consider, well, watching out for them!
1. Wonder Man
Marvel must have plans for the character elsewhere and wasting him with a cameo which would have got a laugh out of just the most die-hard comic book fans would be foolish. When and where he'll show up is hard to say, but given his history with Captain Marvel, I wouldn't be remotely surprised to see him serve as a love interest in that highly anticipated release. We'll just have to wait and see!
Did you spot all these ways Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 sets up the future of the MCU? Have we missed any others? As always, sound off in the comments section below.