The following contains spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, now playing in theaters.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been steadily expanding since the conclusion of the Infinity Saga that connected the films of Phases One, Two, and Three. While Phases Four and Five have largely been about introducing new heroes and giving old ones closure, it's also been steadily setting up a multiverse-level conflict in the build-up to Avengers: Secret Wars. While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 doesn't seem all that connected to that underlining story, some of the important players in the build-up to Secret Wars might have just quietly come to the MCU.
Guardians of the Galaxy 3 introduces a host of young new geniuses to the MCU, with the film ending with the High Evolutionary's latest experiments being placed into the hands of the film's heroes. Given their appearance and abilities, these children may actually be the MCU's version of the Children of the Sun. If that's the case, then their role in the overarching Incursions storyline from the comics could tease their eventual involvement in the future of the franchise.
Who Are The High Evolutionary's Newest Experiments in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?
For the most part, Guardians of the Galaxy 3 doesn't touch upon the multiversal stakes that are quietly building across the MCU. While films like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness touched upon the brewing dangers threatening the multiverse (such as the Incursions between timelines), Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is far more focused on the titular team. The group confronts their lingering personal traumas and hang-ups while struggling to save Rocket -- with the team largely breaking apart at the end of the film to find new paths in life.
For Drax, this means relocating permanently to Knowhere and becoming a guardian to the brilliant children that the High Evolutionary had been experimenting on in Guardians of the Galaxy 3. It's a sweet development for Drax and sets him up to have a lot of influence on a potential new generation of heroes. One of them, Phyla, is already taking up the heroic mantle by joining Rocket's new iteration of the Guardians. But Phyla and the rest of the children were being designed for some greater purpose -- and given their clearest comics counterparts, it may actually have something to do with the multiverse after all.
The Children of the Sun, Explained
Guardians of the Galaxy 3's children experimented on by the High Evolutionary share several similarities with the Children of the Sun. Introduced in Avengers #4 (by Jonathan Hickman and Adam Kubert), they were a young race created by Ex Nihilo as a means of advancing the evolution of the Earth. Like the children in High Evolutionary's care, the Children of the Sun had particularly white skin and lacked many of the basic needs most lifeforms require. Both sets of children are inherently brilliant and very capable of being influenced by their guardians. In the comics, the Children of the Sun became noble through their connection to Hyperion, Thor, and Sunspot. Their apparent film counterparts could learn a lot from Drax -- leading Phyla to already step into a heroic role. They even attracted the attention of the High Evolutionary in the comics (although the heroes were able to force his retreat).
Notably, the Children of the Sun played a role in the overarching Incursions storyline that was at the heart of Hickman's tenure on Avengers and New Avengers and led directly into Secret Wars. The Children of the Sun were instrumental in the research about Incursions and played an important role in helping the heroes understand the full scope of the threat posed to them by the multiversal danger. Repeatedly in Guardians of the Galaxy 3, it's hinted that the High Evolutionary has grand unseen plans for the children -- requiring the kind of intuitive minds that Rocket showed as a kid, which set the entire plot in motion. This could turn out to be related to Incursions, which have been seemingly increasing across the multiverse. Now under the care of the heroic Guardians of the Galaxy and their allies, the High Evolutionary's experiments could end up playing a role in the build-up to the cinematic adaptation of Secret Wars, giving the Guardians' send-off larger importance in the overall progression of Phase Five of the MCU.
To meet the MCU's possible Children of the Sun, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is now playing in theaters.