Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be the final chapter for this iteration of the franchise. Considering that, it's probably time to brace for the death of another Guardian. And for those looking to theorize about the identity of the next major character to die, a new fan theory, based on visual clues in the films' graphics, may provide the answer.
The first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies have the distinction of ending with two heartbreaking death scenes. The first was Groot, who let himself be destroyed by the impact of a crashing spaceship to protect his friends (although the sapling who succeeded him had the same name, it wasn't the same character). Then, in Vol. 2, Yondu gave Quill the only air supply he had, preferring his adoptive son to survive instead of himself.
An Instagram Meme Theorizes GotG Vol. 3's Big Character Death
A meme posted by Instagram user superheroes.shelter shows the title cards for each of the three movies and points out a pattern. In the original film, the lettering is colored a marbled brown, which resembles Groot's wood in a side-by-side comparison. The logo for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is blue, just like Yondu's skin, with the phrase "Vol. 2" written in a bright red that matches the fin on his head.
Finally, the logo for Vol. 3 is shown. The letters in this one are warm grey, much like the color of Drax's skin, and there are even some red brackets that could represent the red tattoos that the character has all over his body. If the pattern holds through all three movies, it seems likely that the next heroic sacrifice will be the Destroyer.
Fans who aren't ready to say goodbye to Drax can take some comfort in the theory having some ambiguities. The third movie's logo also features some eye-catching yellow, which isn't anywhere in Drax's color scheme, and there's no real reason that the colors must represent these specific characters or that the reason each was chosen was to hint at their deaths.
Dave Bautista Leaving the MCU Could Be Another Hint
However, writer/director James Gunn is known for filling his movies with Easter eggs, and there's also some unrelated evidence that Drax's time might be up. In 2021, actor Dave Bautista commented on parting ways with the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Vol. 3, and although he offered reasons for it that had nothing to do with his character's fate, he also didn't seem interested in leaving the door open for a crossover appearance in any of the countless movies in the future of the MCU.
If Vol. 3 is aiming for a tear-jerker twist, killing off one of the original Guardians would certainly fit the bill. Drax has had quite an arc already, making the audience laugh and cry since he entered the story as a crazed revenge machine. Gradually, he's dealt with the loss of his wife and daughter while becoming part of a new family. He even joined in Avengers: Endgame's epic battle against Thanos. Regardless of his fate, whatever the next Guardians film has in store, it's sure to give Drax a proper ending that honors how far he's come.
To see which hero doesn't make it out alive, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters May 5.