Who dies in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?’

Warning: the following article contains spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

It was heavily advertised throughout Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s pre-release marketing that the film was going to be a huge farewell for the fan-favorite Marvel ensemble, as a number of cast members hang up their hats and perhaps more importantly, James Gunn makes for greener pastures as co-head of DC Studios. 

As such, given Gunn’s history with superhero movies, fans went into the film upon its theatrical release in May prepared for the demise of at least one or two of the Guardians. Likewise, now that it’s just made its streaming premiere on Disney Plus, fresh viewers who didn’t manage to catch the threequel on the big screen are once again worrying if any of the cosmic team meet their fates.

So if you’ve already caught the movie and just want a recap of its death count (no judgement, morbid person) or else you’ve yet to see it but don’t care about spoilers, here’s all you need to know about who lives and dies in Guardians 3.

Does Peter Quill die in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?

First of all, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is the main character of the Guardians trilogy (even if James Gunn thinks the secret hero of the story is Rocket), so does the team’s leader make it out of the movie alive? Peter apologists will be pleased to know that, yes, Quill does indeed survive the film’s events. That said, he undergoes a huge change of circumstances as he finally returns to Earth to reunite with his grandfather after retiring from the Guardians. What’s more, as the surprising post-credits banner tells us, “The legendary Star-Lord will return.”

Does Drax die in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?

Ahead of Guardians 3‘s theatrical release, there was so much speculation that Drax was going to kick the bucket (not that he would understand what that expression means), thanks to Dave Bautista‘s cast-iron conviction that he was definitely done with the character after this outing. Plus, the Destroyer has always had something of a death wish ever since he lost his wife and child. However, Drax does not die in the movie but earns an ending that is even more fitting for him, as he joins Nebula (Karen Gillan) in raising the Star Children on Knowhere, finally becoming a father again.

Does Rocket die in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?

Even more than either Star-Lord or Drax, though, Rocket (Bradley Cooper) was the character fans were most concerned about going into Guardians 3 as the trailers were trying to hard to convince us that the beloved trash panda wasn’t going to survive his re-encounter with his creator, the High Evolutionary. Of course, now that we’ve seen it, we know Rocket doesn’t exactly have an easy time of it, and his grave injury at Adam Warlock’s hand is the whole inciting incident of the story. However, by the end, Rocket has recovered, embraced his identity as a raccoon, and even become the leader of the New Guardians.

Do any of the Guardians die in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?

In his final act as one of the more prolific MCU directors, James Gunn has gone ahead and subverted our expectations one last time. While there’s plenty a fakeout when it comes to the deaths of our heroes over the course of the film, every one of our key cast members manages to cross the finish line of the film unscathed, and more or less living happily ever after. 

The bittersweet quality of the movie’s ending, however, comes from the fact the Guardians team as we know it is over, as our heroes all pretty much go their separate ways. e.g. Gamora (Zoe Saldana) finds a family with the Ravagers and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) goes off alone on a journey of self-discovery.

Quill wasn’t even injured in that memorable trailer shot in which he is being carried by Nebula (, he’s just wasted in the opening moments of the film, so points to you if you saw that one coming! Although that’s not to say that the film wasn’t without its bloodshed…

What notable characters die Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?

While the Guardians managed to escape the events of Vol. 3 unscathed, others weren’t so lucky. For starters, Adam Warlock’s mother and one of Vol. 2’s villains, Golden High Priestess Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki), is implied to have perished when the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) leveled Counter-Earth. Speaking of the film’s big bad, the High Evolutionary certainly gets the snot kicked out of him by the Guardians, but is ultimately spared by Rocket. His right-hand man, a scientist played by Nico Santos, however, wasn’t so lucky. Rocket’s mercy towards the High Evolutionary was a very big move on his part, considering the following.

In a flashback sequence, we also learn of Rocket’s past growing up in captivity and under the High Evolutionary’s thrall. He made a few friends at that time – Floor the rabbit (Mikaela Hoover), Teefs the walrus (Asim Chaudhury), and Lylla the otter (Linda Cardellini). When Rocket learns of the High Evolutionary’s plans to euthanize him and his buddies, Rocket plots a daring escape, only for his friends to perish in the chaos, resulting in one of the film’s most heartbreaking scenes. 

Although all the main players survive, then, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 doesn’t fall short on fatalities, so be prepared for tears if you’re catching it on Disney Plus.