Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 ##VERIFIED##

Discussing his firing and re-hiring in May 2019, Gunn said that of all the elements of the film that he had been sad to leave when he was fired, the most meaningful to him was the character of Rocket. Gunn personally identifies with Rocket, describing himself and the character as "the same".[19] He had actually grown to love the character since working on the first film due to feeling that an origin story for Rocket could justify what a Bugs Bunny-like "goofy character" like him could exist in the MCU if it were the saddest one in the universe, crediting it as the "seed" of the trilogy. While Vol. 3 effectively reveals Rocket's backstory through flashbacks akin to those from the story structure of The Godfather Part II (1974), Gunn initially considered to tell Rocket's origins in a team-up movie between him and Groot without the other Guardians, but ultimately felt that he had to conclude Peter Quill's story first and then focus on Rocket in a third Guardians-centric film.[118] That month, Gillan confirmed that she was returning for the sequel and expressed excitement for Gunn's return to the franchise.[14] In June, Saldaa was asked about her role in the film after her character Gamora was killed in Infinity War, and she returned to play a younger version in Endgame who travels through time to the present. Saldaa said that Gamora's fate would depend on the plans that Marvel and Gunn have for Vol. 3, but that she would like to see Gamora rejoin the Guardians and also be portrayed as "the most lethal woman in the galaxy" as she has been referred to previously.[8] Gunn was asked in October if he was unhappy about Marvel's decision to kill Gamora in Infinity War and said he was not, adding that he had discussed the storyline with the studio beforehand.[119] According to Infinity War and Endgame screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, Gamora was brought back in Endgame specifically so that Gunn could include her in Vol. 3,[9] so Gunn found no complications over writing her character arc in Vol. 3 due to having been told in advance.[120] In December, Gunn was asked if he would have Yondu return in the film and said as long as he was involved with the Guardians characters, he would not have the character be resurrected. Gunn felt the stakes of a character's death were important and said characters who die in his films would likely remain dead.[121] Gunn said in February 2020 that bringing Yondu back to life would "nullify Yondu's sacrifice" in Vol. 2, and said the character would not return unless it was for a prequel or flashback;[122] Gunn later said Yondu would not be resurrected in the film to not diminish his death's meaning.[123] In April, Gunn said the COVID-19 pandemic would not affect production plans for the film at that time,[124] saying the next month that the film would be released "a little after 2021".[85]

According to press notes, the Guardians bought Knowhere from the Collector/Taneleer Tivan (Benicio del Toro) and are in the process of fixing it up as a haven for any outsiders and refugees in the galaxy after Thanos' (Josh Brolin) attack.