Once upon a time Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was supposed to be our entry point into Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Unfortunately, that didn't work out, and now we sit here, a little bit less than two years from the film's release. While the events of the two previous Guardians movies, as well as the the last two Avengers movies, have given us some general ideas about what the new movie will hold, we don't really know anything specific about what we're in for. Except for apparently one thing, somebody will die.
Back in the spring of 2020 a fan asked James Gunn if "somebody will die" in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and he confirmed that "yes" somebody will. Recently, a Twitter account reposted the incredibly vague detail that somebody will apparently perish, and it went viral. Now fans are chiming in with their thoughts on who will not survive the third movie. Some people have really put some thought into it.
The idea that the deaths of characters has been hidden in the logo of each movie sort of blows my mind. At least as far as the first two films goes, it would seem to be technically accurate. That's almost certainly a coincidence, but it is a strange one. Of course, that then makes me wonder if Santa Claus will die during the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
And as wild as this theory might seem, some are seemingly on board with it, though they're arguing that the conclusion is incorrect. It's not Drax that is in danger, but Rocket.
It's certainly possible we could lose Drax or Rocket. In a James Gunn movie you can never be sure of who might live or who might die. Still, it seems unlikely that such a decision is actually being telegraphed in the logo. Which doesn't mean that the death hasn't been telegraphed in some other way. While fewer fans seem to think Chris Pratt's Star-Lord will kick the bucket, there are some that are pegging him as the victim because he is the closest thing to a main character that the ensemble movie has, and the MCU hasn't been a safe place for major characters in recent years.
Of course, it's also quite possible that no major characters are actually going to die. James Gunn's original comment was simply that "someone" will die. There was never any specification that it would be a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. It seems inevitable that somebody is going to die in the new movie. There will probably be various foot soldiers and minions who won't survive. And whoever the main antagonist of the film turns out to be, one assumes they will be defeated, and so they could die as well.
Since we know James Gunn will be closing the book on the Guardians of the Galaxy movies with Vol. 3, the possibility of characters dying before the end is certainly very real. But with James Gunn at the helm we can at least be confident that if characters do die it will be with purpose and emotional resonance. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until May of 2023 to know for sure.
