Warning: This article contains spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Since writer-director James Gunn has focused on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 being the definitive ending of the team’s on-screen journey, Marvel fans were expecting at least one major character death, but the threequel spares all its heroes’ lives and still gives every character a satisfying ending. Most of the discussion leading up to the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 revolved around speculation about which character was going to die. All the trailers focused on the culmination of Rocket’s character arc, and both Dave Bautista and Zoe Saldaña had confirmed that the third Guardians movie would mark the end of their MCU tenure, so it seemed as though no one was safe.
Although there are a couple of moments that come dangerously close to killing off a Guardian, like Peter Quill being stranded in space and Adam Warlock beating Drax to a pulp – and, at one point, Rocket actually flatlines, so he does briefly die – everyone in the titular ragtag band of space outlaws manages to survive to the closing credits. But just because no one dies, it doesn’t mean Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a dissatisfying ending. All the characters find peace in a different way: Rocket becomes the Guardians’ new leader, Quill returns to Earth to reunite with his family, Mantis goes on a journey of self-discovery, and Drax and Nebula find a new purpose as surrogate parents to the freed slave children. The movie didn’t need to kill anyone off to provide emotional gut-punches or definitively conclude the saga.
Characters Don't Have To Die To Have A Satisfying Ending
When a character’s on-screen journey is coming to an end in a blockbuster franchise, killing them off has become the standard approach. Tony Stark sacrificed his life to save half the universe in Avengers: Endgame. Wolverine used up his last shred of animalistic rage to give the next generation of mutants a chance in Logan. James Bond was wiped out by a nuclear strike in No Time to Die. The Baba Yaga was gunned down in a duel in John Wick: Chapter 4. The Star Wars sequel trilogy killed off Han, Luke, and Leia. Death is particularly prevalent in the MCU – Black Widow, Vision, Heimdall, Quicksilver, Aunt May, Jane Foster, Odin – because dying is the only way to ensure that Marvel won’t keep bringing a character back.
But Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 proves that death isn’t the only way to end a character’s on-screen journey. The Guardians’ story doesn’t end with the characters dying; it ends with the team disbanding. Rocket forms a new incarnation of the Guardians under his own leadership, Quill confronts the past he spent his life running from, Drax and Nebula take on the more peaceful purpose of parenthood, Gamora returns to her Ravager comrades, and Mantis goes off on her own to figure out who she really is.
Gunn ultimately made the right decision in letting all his Guardians live. Drax making a glorious sacrifice to save the children or Rocket reuniting with Lylla in the hereafter would’ve been an easy way to tug on the audience’s heartstrings. But Gunn didn’t take the easy way out. Ever since Drax was introduced, he’s been seeking revenge for the death of his family, so dying in a dramatic sacrifice would be the most obvious way to end his story. But, as Nebula said so beautifully, Drax wasn’t born to be a destroyer; he was born to be a dad – and Guardians Vol. 3 gives him a second chance at that.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Is An Emotional Rollercoaster Without Major Character Deaths
Each of the previous Guardians movies used a character death as their big climactic tearjerker. The original Groot gave his life to save his friends in the first movie and Yondu gave his life to save his son in the second one. Killing off another character in the third movie would’ve just felt like it was following the established formula. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is just as heartbreaking as its predecessors, but it finds new ways to break the audience’s heart. As Rocket spends most of the movie lying on an operating table, Vol. 3 focuses on the lengths that the Guardians will go to save one of their own.
The flashbacks to Rocket’s origins with the rest of “Batch 89” build to possibly the most excruciatingly sad moment in the entire MCU. Gunn didn’t need to add more death on top of that – it would’ve been emotional overkill. Rather than kill the Guardians, he focused on how far this found family has come, and how much they love each other. Mantis sticks up for Drax, Kraglin finally calls Cosmo a “good dog,” and Quill refuses to let Rocket die. Quill gets over his relationship with Gamora and accepts that the Gamora who came from 2014 isn’t the same Gamora that he fell in love with. Instead of seeking a new lilypad to help him float through the great pond of life, Quill is finally learning to swim. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is an emotional rollercoaster, and it didn’t need to kill off any of its beloved protagonists to accomplish that.