James Gunn warned fans that he plans on ending his time with the Guardians of the Galaxy with Vol. 3.
Gunn brought the rag-tag team of space rogues to the silver screen back in 2014. Since then, the Guardians of the Galaxy have become an integral part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They returned for a sequel and had key roles in the likes of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. While the road to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been a long one, it sounds like it's the end of the line.
During an Instagram Q&A, one fan asked whether there would be a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4 and claimed Gunn had previously said he wouldn't do Vol. 2. The director responded, "I absolutely never said I wouldn't do a Vol 2., as I planned to do a trilogy from the beginning if the first one worked. I have no plans to do a 4th." The comment doubles down on Gunn's previous comments that he'll round off his vision with a third movie.
It's no secret that Gunn has always maintained it would be three movies and done when it comes to the Guardians of the Galaxy. That being said, it doesn't necessarily mean that's it for the Guardians. Similar to how Avengers: Endgame put the pieces in place for a revamped roster of Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 could introduce a new iteration of the team. Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 added the likes of Nebula, Mantis and Yondu to the team and teased the original Guardians line-up.
So far, little is known about Vol. 3 other than that Rocket will play a major part and the villainous Ayesha will return. It's expected the story will pick up where Avengers: Endgame left off and follow the Guardians as they search for Gamora. Elsewhere, at least some of the Guardians are confirmed to be part of Taika Waititi's Thor: Love and Thunder. Even if Gunn steps aside after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, there's still likely a place for the team in the MCU.
Although Gunn kick-started a more cosmic branch of the franchise, that doesn't mean he has to be the one to helm it. Major franchises like Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America have changed hands over the years. As it stands, Chris Hemsworth's Thor is the only character who has the honor of helming their own quadrilogy of movies. There have already been ideas floated for a Mantis and Drax spinoff, but either way, it's doubtful the MCU is finished with the Guardians of the Galaxy.