This article contains major spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the finale to James Gunn’s beloved sci-fi superhero trilogy, has enjoyed massive success both at the box office and among fans, with some even hailing it as one of the greatest films in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. But while the film may do a commendable job concluding the character arcs of the original Guardians team, it still leaves one massive lingering question: what’s next for the Guardians of the Galaxy?
The film’s mid-credits scene establishes that the Guardians’ adventures are far from over, showing off a new team lineup consisting of Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Kraglin, and Cosmo, along with newcomers Adam Warlock and Phyla. But over the course of the Guardians’ long comic history, they’ve had plenty of other members who could eventually wind up crossing paths with the team in the MCU. Here are just a few comic book Guardians who would be natural additions to the team’s next big-screen outing — whenever that may be.
Nova
One obvious candidate for future Guardians membership is the legendary Human Rocket: Richard Rider, the man called Nova. In the comics, Rider starts out as an ordinary human teenager who’s granted incredible power in order to carry on the legacy of the destroyed Nova Corps. While he starts out as a bright, idealistic young hero in the vein of Peter Parker or Kamala Khan, Rider becomes a more tragic figure over the course of his adventures. He grows from a bright-eyed youth into a hardened leader who bears the weight of the galaxy on his shoulders, and is haunted by those he failed to save. Still, he’ll never stop fighting to protect everyone he can — even if his guilt often makes him his own worst enemy.
While Richard Rider has yet to appear in the MCU, rumors persist that he’ll be receiving his own solo project on Disney Plus, either in the form of a TV series or a Special Presentation. But regardless of when he makes his live action debut, Nova has remained a mainstay of the Guardians comics in recent years, and has enjoyed particularly close relationships with Star-Lord and Gamora. If there’s any Marvel hero who’s likely to join the Guardians in the future, it’s Nova.
Moondragon
One of the new additions to the Guardians in Vol. 3 is Phyla, one of the superpowered Star Children created by the High Evolutionary. While she currently bears little resemblance to her comic counterpart, Phyla is clearly intended to be the MCU counterpart of Phyla-Vell, the daughter of Mar-Vell and a founding member of the Earth-616 Guardians. Instead of a Star Child, the comics’ Phyla is an adult Kree — and more importantly, she’s married to Moondragon, the daughter of Drax the Destroyer.
That’s right, Drax’s daughter is alive in the comics, and she’s a superhero with vast psychic powers. While the MCU’s Drax had a biological daughter of his own, she’s been long-dead at the hand of Ronan the Accuser since the first GOTG. So while some fans theorized that Kamaria would somehow return as Moondragon, this did not come to pass. Still, with Drax now becoming a father figure to all of the Star Children, it’s possible that Moondragon could be introduced in a future movie as his adopted daughter — and perhaps even enter a relationship with an older Phyla.
Hercules
One of the most recent additions to the Guardians roster, not to mention one of the most unexpected, Hercules joined the team during writer Al Ewing’s acclaimed 2020 comic run. Under Ewing’s pen, Hercules is portrayed as much older, wiser, and more responsible than his usual depiction as a boisterous, glory-seeking brawler. Of course, it’s the latter take on Hercules that’s bound to influence his MCU incarnation, who was introduced in the mid-credits scene of Thor: Love and Thunder — played by Brett Goldstein of Ted Lasso fame, no less. It’s currently unclear whether Chris Hemsworth will be returning for a fifth Thor movie, so in the event that Hercules doesn’t end up clashing with Thor, he could potentially find his way to the Guardians instead.
Beta Ray Bill
Speaking of Thor’s supporting cast, the honorable alien warrior Beta Ray Bill first appeared in 1983’s The Mighty Thor #337, written and drawn by Walt Simonson. While he and Thor first met as enemies, they quickly became friends after Bill proved worthy of lifting Mjolnir. Odin even forged Bill his own enchanted hammer: Stormbreaker, which has already entered the MCU as a weapon for Thor. While he most frequently appears as an ally of Thor, Beta Ray Bill has also served as a member of the Guardians in the comics. He’s by far the biggest long shot on this list, considering his origins are so closely tied to Thor, but he’s still a massive fan favorite whose inclusion would surely be well-received.
Super-Skrull
Another unconventional recruit from Ewing’s run, Kl’rt, aka the Super-Skrull, has spent most of his comic history as an enemy of Earth’s heroes. Enhanced with the combined powers of the Fantastic Four, Kl’rt was sent to conquer Earth for the Skrull Empire. But while he has no love for humanity, the Super-Skrull genuinely wishes to protect his people — and to that end, he eventually joined forces with the Guardians. In the MCU, the Skrulls were initially portrayed sympathetically in Captain Marvel, but they’re soon to take on an antagonistic role in Secret Invasion. So while it’ll likely be a while before the Super-Skrull enters the MCU, it’s not out of the question that he’ll end up fighting alongside the Guardians.