"It Is the End for Me" — Celebrity Discusses Future Marvel Movie Plans

There are a LOT of changes coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

We are currently in phase 5 of the MCU, with the newest big bad villain, Kang, having been more fully introduced recently in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. That could lead to some exciting changes, but there’s more in store. Marvel’s upcoming movie, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is also expected to bring a big change to the MCU.

Why is that? Well, for starters, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn told Deadline in January that Vol. 3 is “the end for us, the last time people will see this team of Guardians.”

But that’s not the only reason the Guardians may be changing. Several of the actors in the franchise have also stated that they will no longer continue in their MCU roles.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Dave Bautista has been particularly “vocal” that Vol. 3 would be the last time he would portray Drax in the MCU. After filming was completed, he posted on Instagram: “Haven’t found the words yet. It ended so suddenly and I was on to my next film before I could process it all. End of a journey that changed my life.”

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Bautista is not the only actor who might be done with the MCU, though. Zoe Saldana, who portrays Gamora, told The Hollywood Reporter, “I don’t think this is the end for the Guardians. It is the end for me.”

But according to Yahoo! Entertainment, that doesn’t necessarily mean Gamora will go away. In one interview, she said “The one thing I would not want is for Gamora to go away…I would love for Marvel to figure out a way to find that next generation of actors that can incarnate these characters.”

Of course, people can and often do change their minds — so you never know what the future might hold. But this could signal a big change for these actors and the future of the Guardians.

And while some may be ready to move on, some of the remaining team could potentially return to the MCU (depending on what happens in Vol. 3). We could also see the Guardians evolve with new members, including some characters from the comics.

Inside Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

It does seem like the MCU is starting to gravitate toward its newer characters, including Sam Wilson/Captain America, Cassie Lang, Kate Bishop, Black Panther/Shuri, Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Photon/Monica Rambeau. And Doctor Strange seems to have more adventures ahead of him if the end of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is any indication.

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 might be the end of an era, but it could also be the beginning of a new one. We’ll be watching for more updates and will be sure to share the latest news with you soon.