Marvel Studios showcased Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 during last night's Super Bowl, and while DC Studios boss James Gunn has one foot out of the door, he's clearly put a lot into his final MCU story.
It feels like a deliberate effort is being made to keep the threequel as secretive as possible, but this latest sneak peek offered some tantalising clues about where this story is heading. The team will find themselves fighting a war on two fronts, with both The High Evolutionary and Adam Warlock looking to take down the Galaxy's greatest heroes.
In this feature, we're taking a closer look at all the biggest moments and reveals in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's "Big Game" preview, including everything new we've learned about what Gunn has in store for these characters. Oh, and yes, we definitely have some thoughts on who will bite the dust!
Take a look through this breakdown by clicking on the "Next" button below.
5. Daniela Melchior's Mystery Character
We've been hearing rumblings for a while that The Suicide Squad star Daniela Melchior had been cast in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but she's definitely not playing Moondragon!
Instead, the Ratcatcher II actress can be seen here looking nearly unrecognisable as one of the High Evolutionary's underlings. She doesn't really resemble anyone that we know of, though there's always a chance James Gunn has plucked an obscure, relatively unknown character from the comic books.
If we had to hazard a guess, though, Melchior is just someone who helps the villain enact his twisted vision for the Galaxy, giving the actress a chance to show a completely different side of herself in this threequel. Some will argue she's worthy of a bigger MCU role, but Gunn likely has plans for Ratcatcher II in the DCU...
4. A New Gamora
Avengers: Infinity War saw Thanos sacrifice his daughter, Gamora, in order to acquire the Soul Stone. There was no coming back from that, but Avengers: Endgame's time travel meant a pre-Guardians of the Galaxy Variant found herself in the present day.
With no memory of Peter Quill or her former teammates, this Gamora is a totally different character and clearly in no rush to rekindle a romance she has zero knowledge of with Star-Lord. Despite that, the two do share a meaningful look in the shot above, so perhaps there's a chance that something could blossom!
Whatever the case may be, this dynamic promises to be a lot of fun, and while we're sure the tease of romance between Peter and Nebula is just a joke, we'd love to see the latter find some happiness.
3. The High Evolutionary's Mission
The High Evolutionary claims he wants to make the perfect society, but Rocket counters that by telling his teammates this sadist wants nothing more than to remake the world in his own twisted image.
This trailer also gives the impression that the villain is one who will be showcased in both the past (exploring Rocket's origin) and the present. Despite looking very human in some shots, others show him seemingly more machine than man with his own face stretched across whatever lies beneath.
That's pretty comic-accurate for the most part, and this foe is one the Guardians definitely need to put down for the sake of the Galaxy. As for poor Rocket, his transformation from an innocent animal to the character we all know and love promises to make for harrowing viewing.
2. Adam Warlock On The Warpath
Adam Warlock isn't getting a huge amount of screentime in these trailers, and there could be any number of reasons for that.
We'd guess he will be a supporting villain who pursues the Guardians at the behest of the Sovereign, and he can be seen targeting the team while they're visiting the High Evolutionary's twisted version of Earth inhabited by the animalistic New Men. An absolute powerhouse, Adam is causing mass destruction and definitely a threat worth taking seriously.
Given the story arc of his comic book counterpart, we have to believe he may eventually find redemption, joining the Guardians and eventually becoming a major player in the MCU. In the meantime, that fight with Groot on Knowhere should be interesting!
1. Who Dies?
Dave Bautista has already spoiled the fact his time as Drax will end after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, so we'd put money on the hero's story reaching a permanent end in this threequel. The shot above suggests he may go out battling Adam Warlock, and we can't discount the possibility he will be a one-and-done character in the MCU.
After all, this wouldn't be the first time Marvel Studios has introduced and quickly killed off a character many fans believe have great potential (poor Malekith...).
Elsewhere in the trailer, there are hints that Star-Lord and Rocket could meet their respective makers in the threequel, and with Gunn set to end this iteration of the team before heading off to to the DCU, an emotional farewell seems like a given. We do hope the team lives on in some form, however.