Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is now in theaters, and if you haven’t seen the Marvel threequel yet it’s probably because of early reports that list non-stop sobbing as one of the side effects of viewing the James Gunn written and directed movie. And with Gunn leaving the franchise — and Marvel — for the Distinguished Competition, it’s entirely possible that Guardians of the Galaxy 3 could be a bloodbath.
That’s definitely what early trailers and posters seemed to be implying. Add in that stars like Dave Bautista and Zoe Saldaña have said they’re leaving their Marvel roles of Drax and Gamora respectively, and it’s fair to think that one, if not several characters, die in Guardians of the Galaxy 3. So in case you need to know what you’re getting into before you head to theater, let’s break it down: who dies in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?
Nope! Rocket ends up leading the new Guardians of the Galaxy in a post-credits scene.
Nope! Groot ends up much larger than usual, and also on the new Guardians team.
Nope! Star-Lord heads back to Earth to live with his grandpa, and the second post-credits scene teases “The Legendary Star-Lord Will Return.”
Nope! Gamora goes to hang out with her new family, the Ravagers.
Nope! He stays on Knowhere and raises approximately 300 children.
Nope! She also stays on Knowhere to help this new civilization.
Nope! She leaves to go find herself with three giant alien monster pets in tow.
Nope! Cosmo is a good dog.
Nope! He’s also on the new Guardians team.
Nope! He, as well, is on the new Guardians team after redeeming himself by saving Star-Lord’s life.
Nope! Rocket leaves him alive, albeit lying on the floor in an exploding spaceship.
A bunch of random soldiers die, a few minor characters you’ve never met before, and an entire civilization of animal people on a planet called Counter-Earth. Also Ayesha, one of the villains from Guardians 2 and the mother of Adam Warlock dies in the Counter-Earth explosion.
The characters everyone is crying over, though, are Rocket’s three animal friends: Lylla, Teefs, and Floor. Lylla gets killed by the High Evolutionary when Rocket tries to escape as a kid, and Teefs and Floor die in the crossfire when Rocket takes down some of the High Evolutionary’s soldiers. It’s really frickin’ sad! Now you know.