Civil War is raging on planet Earth. Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) stands on one side of the battle. Captain America (Chris Evans) stands on the other. How does this affect the protectors of the universe, the Guardians of the Galaxy?
Short answer (and nothing more than a guess at this point): It probably doesn’t.
Marvel sent several jolts through the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the news (reported by Variety) that Robert Downey Jr. is negotiating to join Captain America 3 for a storyline that would kick off a "Civil War" storyline – though likely not one as expansive as the one in the comic books (because that would require so many characters that Marvel doesn’t own). The split likely will begin in Joss Whedon’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, and will continue through Cap 3 while setting up action that could carry into a third (and possible fourth) Avengers movie. Which these guys might direct.
How will this affect the action in Guardians of the Galaxy? It’s too soon to tell, but I’m not sure that it will. James Gunn is currently hard at work on a draft of Guardians of the Galaxy 2. But he has suggested in interviews that he’s content to keep the Guardians team in the galaxies, meeting an interacting with unusual creatures. Gunn has said they’d like to explore the mystery of Peter Quill’s father, elaborate on Yondu, and give more screen time to the members of the Nova Corps. Gunn even said the bulk of his Guardians 2 treatment had been solidified, saying:
I wrote up a lot. [Kevin Feige] knows all the stuff, and if I died tomorrow they could go make a movie. They could write the story of Peter Quill’s father and it would all be there. I think Yondu is a very important character, a really important character in this universe, and I think Nebula is really important too and so I think we’ll see more of both of those characters."
I really don’t see the Guardians coming down to Earth to be part of the developing Civil War storyline. Not yet, anyway. Marvel confirmed that Guardians of the Galaxy 2 will be in theaters on July 28, 2017. That’s more than a year after Captain America 3, though it will be separated by the (alleged) standalone Doctor Strange movie. Does that mean a lot can change between now and then. Absolutely. But from everything that we have been hearing about Guardians of the Galaxy 2, their next adventure will take place in space, and will not be a part of the Civil War.
