It’s practically a given that we’re going to see some major character deaths in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but fans think they have determined who will most likely survive the final movie in the franchise.
The latest trailer for the threequel hints that it may be the end of the road for some of our favorite characters. Through process of elimination and a little postulating, fans on the Marvel Studios subreddit believe they have found the only character they can confidently say is safe from the chopping block. And that character is Mantis.
But why Mantis? Well, mainly because every other character has either had a satisfying arc or we already know that they won’t be returning to the MCU. For example, we know that Dave Bautista has already confirmed that this will sadly be his last time playing Drax as he’s got big plans for his career. Can we conclusively say that his character will bite the dust by the end of the film? No, but it’s more likely considering what we know.
Other characters, like Peter Quill and Rocket have had two Guardians movies plus a further two Avengers movies and a Holiday special to fully develop their stories. If they do escape death, they’ll likely be retired and given a happy ending the same way Captain America was written out of the MCU. Fans have pointed out that Mantis hasn’t really had much in the way of screen time in the same way so to kill off her character when there’s so much potential wouldn’t make any sense.
We also found out during the Holiday Special that Mantis is actually one of Ego’s daughters which makes her Peter Quill’s sister. This revelation means that there is plenty of room for her character to expand. Why would Marvel Studios spend time setting up her character in such a way if they plan to kill her off in the next film?
Some fans believe that her character is just too innocent and adorable to lose and that alone should make her safe. Mantis is definitely the least deserving of death out of the team, it would be a bit of a bummer for the audience to see her die.
If we were to place bets on who’s surviving the final Guardians film, Mantis seems like the safest bet. However, many believe that Nebula is also likely to be safe due to the character’s personality, making her a great addition to the dynamic of any team.
Of course, the MCU isn’t so easy to predict, we could be well off. Nobody knows what James Gunn has in store for us and that’s exactly why fans of the franchise are so nervous for the final film.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 arrives in theaters May 5, 2023.
