Remember that happy time not so long ago when we were all sure that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was going to kick off Phase Five in style? Well, now that the movie is here, it’s been torn apart by both critics and fans, almost single-handedly sinking the hype for this middle chunk of Marvel’s Multiverse Saga. In a situation that’s dripping with irony, this leaves the MCU‘s next film to save the day — Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which of course comes from James Gunn, the man behind Marvel’s recently rebooted rival, the DC Universe.
This past January, after his appointment to the lucrative-yet-demanding position of co-CEO of DC Studios was announced in November, James Gunn shared the full slate for DCU Chapter 1: Gods & Monsters, a creative and mostly refreshing collection of projects that honestly puts Marvel’s lineup for Phase Five to shame. While this no doubt made Kevin Feige and his crew sit up and take notice, Gunn is still very much part of the Marvel family himself, at least until Guardians 3 arrives this May and he can wash his hands of the franchise for good.
And yet if the cosmic threequel is as high-quality as fans are hoping, Gunn may just provide the MCU with the shot in the arm that it needs to withstand the combined negative press of Quantumania, Phase Four failing, and the rise of the DCU. The filmmaker has already admitted to seeding some elements into Vol. 3 that could fuel future storylines in the MCU. Gunn is such an all-round comic book fan that he likely doesn’t see a problem with fully committing to giving both studios his best work, but something tells us Warner Bros. execs might be hoping his final Marvel flick doesn’t live up to his usual standards.
From everything we’ve seen and heard about Guardians 3 to date, however, the movie looks to be delivering all that we could ask for, including drawing things together to a heart-breaking and dramatically satisfying conclusion (unlike Quantumania, with its botched last-minute replacement ending). The first Guardians of the Galaxy proved that Marvel Studios could turn risks into great rewards, and now it looks like James Gunn’s final gift to the company will be to convince the world that the franchise still has more gas left in the tank. Even if he’ll have to immediately prove the opposite as the head of DC.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is coming to theaters on May 5.