SPOILERS: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 - 8 Ways It Sets Up The Future Of The MCU

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!

Feature Opinion
By JoshWilding - May 06, 2017 08:05 AM EST
Filed Under: Vol. 2


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



I'll admit that this is something of a wild guess, but bear with me here. We've known for a while now that Nathan Fillion was supposed to make a cameo appearance as Simon Williams (a.k.a. Wonder Woman) in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but he was nowhere to be seen in the sequel. Even the posters featuring his likeness had vanished, and while Gunn has blamed time constraints (a perfectly valid reason), I have another theory.

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.


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RagnarGolem
RagnarGolem - 5/6/2017, 8:16 AM
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 is awesome!
lvcl
lvcl - 5/6/2017, 9:08 AM
Hahahahaha the first trans in the MCU

"Nathan Fillion was supposed to make a cameo appearance as Simon Williams (a.k.a. Wonder Woman) in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2"

DarthGrizzly
DarthGrizzly - 5/6/2017, 9:59 AM
@lvcl - LMFAO, I wouldn't have noticed if you didn't point it out.
SimpleeComplex
SimpleeComplex - 5/6/2017, 10:52 AM
@lvcl -lol yeah I noticed that too.
RegularPoochie
RegularPoochie - 5/6/2017, 4:11 PM
@RagnarGolem "2-8 ways to get people click the next button."
RagnarGolem
RagnarGolem - 5/6/2017, 4:30 PM
@FinnishFlash - Yes haha!
incredibleTalk
incredibleTalk - 5/6/2017, 5:09 PM
@RagnarGolem - GotG 2 was awesome....I want you to understand why....Marvel/ Disney know how to capture the general audience's heart like no other studio....we sit and watch a talking raccoon insult people and it's normal because Gunn made us see this as normal behavior by introducing this character to the public in a way that we would also care about the character...this group is made up of aliens from different planets and Gunn made them normal and acceptable as the crew from Star Trek Generations had become in the 90's. They aren't just a great group of characters....they became a great cast of actors who since yesterday can never be recasted....ever!!!When you can get millions of movie goers to believe a talking raccoon can save the galaxy there is nothing Marvel/ Disney can't pull off!
RagnarGolem
RagnarGolem - 5/6/2017, 5:18 PM
@incredibleTalk - I understand why! Thank you! :)

BTW, good text! :)
RolandD
RolandD - 5/6/2017, 7:49 PM
@incredibleTalk - I have recast the GOTG.
RolandD
RolandD - 5/6/2017, 7:50 PM
@incredibleTalk - JK, however I do think that comment of yours is hyperbole. I have said this many times on CBM. I thought GOTG would fail, primarily because of that talking raccoon. I am okay with eating my words.
RolandD
RolandD - 5/6/2017, 7:51 PM
@incredibleTalk - PS-Speaking of Star Trek, the original cast could never, ever be recast. Oops. lol
RolandD
RolandD - 5/6/2017, 7:57 PM
@RolandD - Pine is no Shatner (whatever you think of that). Nevertheless, they have done a great job recasting. The Next Generation, even having better stories much of the time than TOS, is not worth recasting. In fact, I think they will be harder to recast. Who could be Piccard or Data? Anyone else could easily be recast except maybe for Michael Dornan's Worf or Whoopi Goldberg's Guinan. I mean those four actors seem like one-of-a-kinds. PS-John Cho was alright, but he is no George Takei.
RolandD
RolandD - 5/6/2017, 8:00 PM
@RolandD - Harder to recast-Not what I meant to say. Easier to recast except for the four mentioned actors.
PPS-The one thing I really hate about the reboot is the Spock/Uhura romance. If he is going to be in a relationship with her, there should be a very logical reason for the relationship (think of the progeny) or he should be shown struggling emotions vs. logic over why he is in the relationship with her.
lvcl
lvcl - 5/7/2017, 2:09 AM
I think that the problem with Star Trek is that there are no beautiful or sexy women only with a few exceptions like Alice Eve

Check the evolution in the Box Office...

467 M$ Star Trek Into Darkness (with Alice Eve)
385 M$ Star Trek
343 M$ Star Trek Beyond

*
In GoTG Gamora is so sexy warrior intelligent and beautiful that everybody loves her and without that character the gross box office will fall down



Peter Quill is the guy that everybody wants to be but GAMORA is the key character for adults and Rocket Raccoon for children
Origame
Origame - 5/7/2017, 4:57 AM
@lvcl - Yeah 1) sexy women aren't going to sell hundreds of millions of dollars in the box office alone. 2) You say Guardians has Gamora while Star Trek doesn't have someone that attractive when one of the main cast members of the new Star Trek movies is the actress who plays Gamora.
Origame
Origame - 5/7/2017, 11:54 AM
@lvcl - I read it. That seems more like something I'd point in your direction. I don't get what your point is since your comment before that was on how sexy women are needed to sell tickets and mine was a counter to that. What are you trying to say?
lvcl
lvcl - 5/9/2017, 10:04 PM
@Origame - The point is that she is the same actress but different focus on characters

Uhura is just Spock´s girlfriend and a secondary character in a male-dominated movie with only a few scenes and words.

Gamora is a warrior with a sword and guns and a sexy leather suit, she is independent intelligent beautiful and wonderful. Her involvement on the movie is bigger

Who do you prefer?

Of course that sexy women sell tickets just imagine GoT without Gamora and it won´t be the same.

Yes Origame, sexy women on a poster and movie sell more tickets
Origame
Origame - 5/10/2017, 3:15 AM
@lvcl - What? Uhura is literally one of the main characters. Just because she dates Spock doesn't change the fact she has just as much of a role as Gamora has in Guardians. And yes, sexy women do sell tickets, but my point is that you need a hell of a lot more than that. And your whole discussion draws that point into question.
DENNISsystem
DENNISsystem - 5/6/2017, 8:17 AM
Nathan Fillion playing a washed up actor who gets superpowers and tries to cash in while getting one last taste of glory A La Booster Gold? Yes. Yes to all of it. Gimme. Find a role for Alan Tudyk while you're at it.
Chewtoy
Chewtoy - 5/6/2017, 9:18 AM
@DENNISsystem - Alan Tudyk needs to play the Beast part of their old comics relationship... although obviously they'd have to make him a different character.

But I am so down for a super-powered "Fall Guy" premise based on Wonder Man's days as a stuntman that Hollywood could light on fire and blow up. Cowardly, leisure jacket wearing, B-list actor Wonder Man was the best version of the character.
DENNISsystem
DENNISsystem - 5/6/2017, 9:33 AM
@Chewtoy - Alan could play his agent/publicist!
TexasAvenger
TexasAvenger - 5/6/2017, 8:19 AM
Vol. 2 was awesome but I felt it needed some more Baby Groot.
RagnarGolem
RagnarGolem - 5/6/2017, 8:20 AM
@TexasAvenger - Absolutely!
DoubleD
DoubleD - 5/6/2017, 8:21 AM
56 million for Friday. Hoot Hoot
noahthegrand
noahthegrand - 5/6/2017, 8:23 AM
I just finished watching. I'm through the first two credits scenes
ElJefe
ElJefe - 5/6/2017, 8:37 AM
@noahthebest - stop texting during the show!
noahthegrand
noahthegrand - 5/6/2017, 8:41 AM
@ElJefe - it's the credits! The lights are on so its okay!
Chewtoy
Chewtoy - 5/6/2017, 9:59 AM
@noahthebest - they turn the lights on during the credits? You need to find a better theater.
ODanil
ODanil - 5/6/2017, 8:23 AM
The Watchers were the most exciting part for me

I thought they belong to Fox;
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