Spoilers ahead for Guardians 3.
The MCU is always expanding, and we’re currently the midst of Phase Five. Hardcore fans who have been watching the Marvel movies in order were thrilled when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 finally hit theaters and seemingly ended the story of the current team. Fans are calling what director/writer James Gunn did to Gamora “painful.” And to be honest, it hit me in the feels too. Let’s break it down.
Guardians 3 had some narrative hoops to jump through related to Zoe Saldaña’s Gamora. The hero we knew and love was killed by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War to acquire the Soul Stone, and the 2014 version of her was resurrected during Endgame’s Time Heist. The end of Guardians 3 revealed she and Peter never got back together, although their “break-up” seemed amicable. Fans responded strongly to this plot point on Twitter, sharing:
What Gunn did with Gamora 2.0 is very painful. He takes a story decision from different people and doesn't take the easy way out by backtracking it, but instead uses it to say something very personal about falling out of love, growing apart, and not recognizing eachother anymore. pic.twitter.com/QbtYl0cOTYMay 7, 2023
Some serious points were made. While James Gunn was methodical with his work on the Guardians franchise, Gamora being killed off in another movie was a huge twist that no doubt complicated plans for the threequel. And in the end he was able to find an emotional ending to her story with Peter, one that was equal parts heartwarming and hopeful. No wonder DC made Gunn the new co-CEO of the DCU. He’s probably going to hit me in the feels there too.
The Russo Brothers swung hard during Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, forever changing the MCU in the process. Phases Four and Five have very much lived in the shadow of those projects, especially related to the Snap/ The Blip. And rather than trying to retcon or reverse Gamora’s story, Gunn leaned into the idea that Saldaña was playing a different woman entirely.
Throughout Guardians 3’s runtime, audiences watched as Peter Quill attempted to reconnect with Gamora, and show her much he and the rest of the team meant to her previously. But she’s unwilling to simply pick up where her alternate self left off. In the end Gamora found common ground with Star-Lord, and she (and the audience) understood Groot’s language. But she ultimately decided to return to her life with the Ravagers. In a larger than life franchise, this simple break-up narrative was something that really touched me in theaters.
The finale of the Guardians threequel is set to Florence + The Machine’s beloved track “Dog Days Are Over.”, and showed each of the cosmic heroes getting their version of a happy ending. While it seemed sad that Gamora and Peter never found a way to reconnect, we see how truly happy she is with the rest of the Ravagers. She found her own chosen family, it’s just not the one audiences would expect.
Guardians 3 is in theaters and making money at the box office now. The next MCU movie hitting theaters is The Marvels on November 10th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
