Guardians of the Galaxy 3 post-credits scenes explained

The Guardians of the Galaxy 3 post-credits scenes are worth waiting around for. Like most Marvel movies, the film ends with some extra surprises that give a hint about the future of the MCU. But how many post-credits scenes are there, when do they arrive, and what do they contain?

With the movie now playing in the UK and the US, we've dived deep into all of those questions below, bringing you the ultimate guide to the Guardians of the Galaxy 3 post-credits scenes. The first section of our explainer is spoiler-free, so you can find out how many scenes there are without worrying about accidentally discovering the plot. After that, we dig into spoilers to analyze those stingers. So, it should go without saying, but don't read too far if you haven't seen the movie yet.

So, for the lowdown on James Gunn's MCU swan song, look no further than the below.

How many Guardians of the Galaxy 3 post-credits scenes are there?

The latest MCU movie from James Gunn says goodbye to the beloved band of misfits – but, how long should you stick around in the movie theater? Well, there are two post-credits scenes in total at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy 3.

The first one comes after the initial stylized credits while the second takes place a few minutes later after the full credits run. Then you’re good to go as that’s all the hidden gems.

So if you haven’t seen the movie yet, it’s your time to turn back as we’re about to get into big spoiler territory from here on out. We’ll be dissecting exactly what happens in the Guardians of the Galaxy 3 post-credits scenes as well as what this could mean for the future of Marvel Phase 5.

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 post-credits scenes, explained SPOILERS

The mid-credits scene introduces our new set of Guardians of the Galaxy. Now led by Rocket, who was gifted the captaincy by Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) at the end of the movie, we see the group on a mission.

Alongside Rocket, the new team includes Kraglin Obfonteri (Sean Gunn), Groot (Vin Diesel), Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), Cosmo the Spacedog (Maria Bakalova), and one of the young girls who they helped escape the High Evolutionary’s ship called Phyla-Vell.

Here, she's just a young girl with some impressive powers but her comic book history is very interesting. She's actually the daughter of Captain Marvel and has even been the superhero herself at one point. It'll be intriguing to see how Marvel uses her as we head into Phase 5 and Phase 6.

The gang is all sitting around on a desert planet speaking through their favorite songs when Rocket chooses one that will be very familiar to fans of the first Guardians movie. He puts on 'Come and Get Your Love' by Redbone, which of course is the song that plays when we meet Quill in the first movie.

It’s fitting that it soundtracks this new team on a mission too, as they face off against a new foe. This time around, it’s a series of fox-like alien beasts who have been terrorizing the planet.

The earworm then plays throughout the rest of the credits, which feature plenty of stills from the Guardians' appearances throughout the MCU so far. Another sweet inclusion comes in the special thanks section too, which issues a shout out to "all the fans".

Later on, we get a final scene with Quill after the full credits have run. This sees him sitting down over breakfast with his grandad (Gregg Henry) as the pair discuss mowing one of their neighbor’s lawn. Not much more happens than that, but the scene gives us a bit of a glimpse into his mundane life back on Earth.

There’s also an Easter egg included in this scene too, as his grandad Jason Quill can be seen reading the St. Charles Post newspaper, which features a story about Kevin Bacon’s kidnapping under the headline 'Alien Abduction'. Fans of the Guardians Holiday special will know this is in reference to Mantis' and Drax's mission to Earth.

However, probably the most interesting aspect of the whole scene comes at the end when a title card appears reading: "The legendary Star-Lord will return". This is very intriguing as many thought Guardians 3 would be Chris Pratt’s last appearance as the character in the MCU. While it’s not clear exactly how he’ll return, it will be fascinating to see how the MCU brings him back again.

In an exclusive chat with GamesRadar+, Pratt shares his thoughts on returning to the role. He also opened up about how dark the new movie is, while his co-stars Will Poulter and Chukwudi Iwuji broke down their villains.

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 hits cinemas in the US on May 5. For more on the movie, here are our spoilertastic explainers on the biggest talking points:

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.