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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is in a unique place, as it's currently the interim period between phases. There are a ton of exciting blockbusters coming to theaters over the next few years, chief among them being James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The highly anticipated threequel was delayed after Gunn was briefly fired from the MCU, leaving the rabid fandom to patiently wait for the team of heroes to return to the big screen. Luckily for us, Gunn has been all too happy to shut down certain fan theories about Vol. 3.
One of the biggest question marks surrounding Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the future of Gamora. While Zoe Saldana's character was killed by Thanos in Infinity War, she was "resurrected" via time travel in Endgame, as the 2014 version of Gamora entered the current timeline and helped take down her father. One fan theory indicated that Mantis might be the key to giving 2014 Gamora her counterpart's memories, and James Gunn addressed that on social media, saying:
Well, that seems pretty cut and dry. It looks like Mantis won't be able to fill 2014 Gamora in on her life with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Namely because her empathic powers wouldn't apply to issues of memory, which was more closely associated with the mind. As she explains in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, "telepaths feel thoughts. Empaths feel feelings."
James Gunn shut down this Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 rumor over on his personal Twitter. While the social media service got him in hot water for a bit, Gunn regularly uses it to directly communicate with fans. Gunn recently participated in Comic Book's #QuarantineWatchParty for Guardians 2, and fielded all sorts of questions about the franchise in the process. The filmmaker is usually happy to end fan theories and rumors on social media, and this Gamora/Mantis theory is no exception.
Gamora's death was one of the most unexpected plot twists of Avengers: Infinity War, one that would obviously have some huge ramifications within the future of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. While it seemed that Zoe Saldana's iconic Marvel hero was gone forever, the 2014 version of Gamora was brought into the present after Thanos intercepted Nebula during the Time Heist. She ultimately took arms against her father/abuser, and joined the epic final battle in the ruins of the Avengers Compound.
Marvel fans can re-watch The Guardians' tenure in the MCU on Disney+. You can use this link for a free 7-day trial to the streaming service.
While Star-Lord briefly reunited with that version of Gamora, she ended up sneaking away after the battle. Avengers: Endgame's conclusion saw the Guardians (and Thor) departing on The Benatar in search of Gamora, so clearly that's going to be a major plot point in the upcoming threequel. Mantis won't be the key to welcoming the character back to her chosen family, so it should be interesting to see exactly how things shake down.
James Gunn no doubt has a very specific plan for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, as well as each member of the fan-favorite group of superheroes. Gunn wrote the movie's script before he was briefly fired from the project, so his vision is clear. As for what he's got planned, that's anyone's guess.
The next installment in the MCU is Black Widow on November 6th. Be sure to check out our 2020 release list to plan your trip to the movies once they reopen.
