With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 currently on hold, the future remains uncertain for the sci-fi sequel, assuming the movie even gets as far as completion. What’s more, the effects of this news may have rippled into the upcoming Avengers 4, with some speculating that the Guardians’ stories have been rewritten to account for the awkward state that the series is currently in.
This makes it all the more difficult to predict the paths that these characters will take in next year’s highly anticipated release, but that won’t stop certain fans from taking a crack at it. Reddit user Hockeytalkie, for example, has a theory to share, and unsurprisingly, it all goes back to the late Gamora.
The Redditor starts things off, however, by addressing the matter of the Infinity Stones, which Thanos used to eradicate half of all life from the universe in the recent Avengers: Infinity War. Hockeytalkie acknowledges a couple of different theories about the potential fate of these instruments once the Mad Titan has been defeated, before suggesting their own idea.
“I, on the other hand, think that the Infinity Stones will follow the Dragonballs’ example and naturally spread themselves across the universe again–just like they did after the Big Bang, according to Wong.
If that happens, the Stones (and the Gauntlet) are taken off the table for the time being, but Marvel Studios leaves the door open for them to return. I’m not sure where the other Stones will end up, but I’m pretty sure the Soul Stone will end up with The Sovereign.”
If the Soul Stone has made its way into the hands of the highly advanced Sovereign race, then this possibly puts Gamora in a tricky position, seeing how it’s a popular theory that Thanos’ adopted daughter is currently in the stone after being sacrificed by the Mad Titan. It’s an idea that was seemingly confirmed by Infinity War co-director Joe Russo, and provides the basis for the next part of this post.
“According to my theory, that statement was more or less true, and that Gamora IS trapped within the Soul Stone–and I don’t think she’s coming out by the end of Avengers 4. There was definitely some strange magic at work on Vormir, and Gamora has occupied the Soul Stone several times in the comics, and often for some fairly significant stints, at that. Somehow during the course of Infinity War, the Guardians will find out she’s stuck in there (perhaps Red Skull will provide the explanation), but the Infinity Stones will be dispersed before they have the chance to free her.”
Naturally, the rest of the Guardians – assuming that they’re feeling better after getting disintegrated in Infinity War – will try to get her back, and it’s here that the gang come into conflict with their next antagonist.
“The Sovereign will have already acquired the Soul Stone, and used it to bring Adam Warlock to life, as hinted at by a post-credits scene in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. This lines up very well with Warlock’s comic book origins, and it provides a very clear conflict for Vol. 3. The Guardians need to steal the Stone from Warlock and The Sovereign to resurrect/free Gamora, and Warlock needs the Stone to live. The Sovereign will have no interest in doing anything to help the Guardians, but Warlock will probably end up being a more conflicted character, and I think that would make for an interesting dynamic.”
This certainly sounds like a potentially worthy setup for a high stakes trilogy-closer, but the reality remains that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 still looks to be a long way off. For what it’s worth, though, actor Dave Bautista has already let slip that the Guardians will be back in Avengers 4, which hits theaters on May 3rd, 2019.
