Are Dave Bautista and Zoe Saldaña Done with Marvel? What About Chris Pratt?

The alternate title for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 could easily be Guardians of the Galaxy: Endgame because that’s exactly what this movie is. Nine years after their debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the path is concluded for this team, at least for now. In this article, we’ll talk about three Guardians actors; Chris Pratt, who played Star-Lord; Zoe Saldaña, who played Gamora; and Dave Bautista, who played Drax the Destroyer. Following the release of Volume 3, are they done with acting in MCU?

Prior to the movie’s release, Dave Bautista and Zoe Saldaña have confirmed that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is their last MCU movie. On the other hand, Chris Pratt revealed that, while it would be weird for him to return to the MCU without James Gunn, he would still do it if it would make sense. While Pratt’s statement may sound vague, Volume 3’s post-credit scene wrote “The Legendary Star-Lord will return” on the screen, which pretty much confirms that we’ll see more of Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, in future MCU projects.

The ending of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 teased that we could see the Guardians again but with a slightly different line-up. Bautista said that he wants to do more serious, dramatic roles in the future of his career, while Saldaña said that Volume 3 isn’t the end for the Guardians, but it is the end for her Gamora. Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time that actors changed their minds after announcing retirement from a certain role, but even if there’s a chance that we could see Drax and Gamora again, it won’t be any time soon.

The Guardians of the Galaxy team will likely return but with a different line-up! One (former) Guardian is already confirmed to return!

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ended in both expected and unexpected ways simultaneously. Even though James Gunn originally announced that not all Guardians would survive to see the movie’s end, all the team members lived to tell the tale. Following the battle against the High Evolutionary, a few members of the Guardians decided to leave the team and find another path in their lives.

We won’t say Gamora left Guardians since she never officially rejoined them, but in the end, Drax, Nebula, Star-Lord, and Mantis have all left the team. Drax and Nebula stayed on Knowhere to care for the children they rescued on the High Evolutionary’s ship, Mantis embarked on the self-discovery journey, and Star-Lord returned to Earth to reunite with his grandfather. Rocket formed a new Guardians team with Groot, Cosmo, Kraglin, Adam Warlock, Phyla, and Blurp as his teammates.

The movie’s mid-credit scene showed the new team of Guardians on Krylor as they’re discussing their favorite songs and then undertaking a new mission. This potentially teases that we could see more of this new team of Guardians in future MCU projects or maybe even in the potential Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4.

On the other hand, the post-credit scene featured Peter Quill reconnecting with his grandfather. And although that may seem like Star-Lord concluded his MCU path and that we won’t see him again, the scene’s ending shows that “the Legendary Star-Lord will return.” So, even though Chris Pratt was a bit coy when asked about his potential MCU return, it seems that Kevin Feige already has more plans for him, even though Star-Lord isn’t a member of the Guardians anymore.

Guardians of the Galaxy first appeared in the comics in 1969. The original members of that team were Vance Astro, Martinex T’Naga, Captain Charlie-27, and Yondu Udonta, while later members included Stakar Ogord, Aleta Ogord, and Nicholette “Nikki” Gold. Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning reintroduced the team in the comics in 2008. The initial members of that second team were: Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Phyla-Vell, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, and Adam Warlock.

Following the global success of The Avengers in 2012, Marvel Studios decided to expand their cinematic universe. Since more popular teams like X-Men and Fantastic Four were still under Fox then, Kevin Feige hired James Gunn to adapt Guardians of the Galaxy for the big screen.

The original movie was released in 2014, and it turned out to be a surprising success, both critically and commercially. The success of the first movie and its sequel made Gunn a sought-after director, and DC recognized and hired him to write and direct The Suicide Squad, which was released in 2021.

Following his work on The Suicide Squad and the Peacemaker series, Gunn concluded his work on the MCU with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and now he’s working full-time as the creative director at DC Studios.

He is also set to write and direct the upcoming movie Superman: Legacy while he’s also working on the animated series Creature Commandos and the second season of Peacemaker. If it wasn’t for the original Guardians of the Galaxy movie, Gunn wouldn’t be here today to provide us with so much superhero content.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is now playing in theaters worldwide!