There will be a Guardians of the Galaxy 3, of that there is no doubt. But what will it look like and what story will it tell? Director James Gunn gave IGN a taste of what to expect in a recent interview, saying the movie will act as something of a springboard for more intergalactic heroics (or what's commonly being referred to as "Marvel Cosmic").
"When we’re talking about Guardians of the Galaxy 3, and that story, that’s a story that will lead to other stories," Gunn said. "It’s innate to the DNA that that’s the end of a trilogy but it’s the beginning of a whole other element of the Marvel Cosmic universe. That’s a part of what I’m doing now."
It's sort of surprising to hear that Guardians 3 will be "the beginning", considering that it has no release window, yet Captain Marvel (who is one of the most cosmic of the Marvel cosmic heroes) is planned for March 2019. I'd think that film would be the one to kick off a proper Marvel Cosmic phase, not Guardians 3. Then again, perhaps Gunn simply means that, as he's done in Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy 2, he'll introduce plot threads that could lead to more tales.
After all, the first Guardians film showed us the Nova Corps - of which one member is a major hero in the comics - and the Guardians 2 post credits scenes introduced another team of Guardians, plus a tease of Adam Warlock. Whichever direction it takes, here's hoping Guardians 3 will be as good a movie as the first two.
