'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' has 2 end-credits scenes. Here's what they may mean for future Marvel movies.
- Warning: There are spoilers ahead for "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3."
- "GotG: Vol. 3" contains two extra scenes after the movie ends. The first teases a new character.
Make sure to stick around if you head to theaters to see "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3."
The James Gunn-directed sequel contains two extra scenes after the movie ends, one of which teases a new character to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
If you ventured out of the theater early before catching both end-credits scenes or weren't sure about the identity of a mystery girl, we have you covered.
What happens in the first end-credits scene: We meet the new Guardians of the Galaxy
Some time has passed since the events of "Vol. 3." The scene opens with Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), Kraglin (Sean Gunn), Cosmo the Spacedog (Maria Bakalova), Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), the alien creature Blurp, and a mystery girl who was first seen with the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji).
Rocket's leading the group on a mission, but, before they begin, they each reveal their favorite music to one another.
As the group lists off tracks, Rocket takes out Yondu's Zune and starts playing "Come and Get Your Love" by Redbone.
Peter Quill first played the song on his Sony Walkman near the start of 2014's "Guardians of the Galaxy" during his first appearance in the MCU.
As the group gets up to fight off some creatures and go to work, we learn that Rocket was leaning against Groot (Vin Diesel) the entire time. When the tree-like creature stands, he's more enormous in size than any version of Groot we've ever seen.
The scene ends with this new group of Guardians prepared to fight.
What you should take away: 'GotG Vol. 3' sneakily introduces a new character, Phyla-Vell
Rocket's new lineup of Guardians plucks from characters who have appeared in Marvel's more recent 2008 run of "Guardians of the Galaxy" comics.
In addition to revealing the new group, headed up by Rocket Raccoon, the sequel teases a new character, Phyla-Vell.
First appearing in 2004's "Captain Marvel" comic series, Phyla-Vell is half-Eternal and half-Kree.
She's introduced as the daughter of Mar-Vell, a character whose gender was flipped in the MCU and played by Annette Bening.
In the comics, Phyla-Vell has assumed the role of Captain Marvel, but has also been known as the superhero Quasar, known for wearing a pair of Quantum bands.
The Phyla-Vell we meet at the end of "Vol. 3" may have been wearing a version of these bands as cosmic, quantum energy appeared to radiate from their wrists at the scene's end.
We may learn more about the character in November's "Captain Marvel" sequel.
What happens in the second end-credits scene: We return to Earth with Peter Quill
Peter and his grandfather, Jason Quill, are sitting around a small kitchen table. Peter eats cereal as his grandfather reads the news.
A headline on the front page reads: "Alien Abduction: Kevin Bacon Shares All."
Peter complains in a joking manner about how he, a 45-year-old man, has to mow a lawn as his capable grandfather watches him.
The scene ends.
The words "The legendary Star-Lord will return" appear on a white background as the sounds of Peter eating his cereal close out the movie.
What it means: 'Vol. 3' likely takes place in early 2026. We probably won't see Quill again for a while.
This is a mostly humorous scene with fun banter between the Quill men.
The biggest reveal is that Peter states his age.
Since "Vol. 2" shared that Peter was born in 1980, we know "Vol. 3" takes place in at least 2025, two years after everyone returned from the Blip in "Avengers: Endgame."
However, 2022's "Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" takes place during Christmas 2025. This is when Drax and Mantis kidnap Bacon. (According to Disney+'s MCU timeline, the holiday special occurs after "Ms. Marvel," which takes place in 2025.)
The newspaper Jason reads places "Vol. 3" after the holiday special since it mentions Bacon's abduction. Peter's from Missouri and we bet his grandfather didn't relocate. Since the weather's relatively nice and not wintery, it's likely spring 2026.
But most surprisingly, the final scene says Star-Lord will eventually return to the MCU. We have a few guesses as to how Peter might decide to get back into the action.
Maybe he gets bored with life on Earth and his grandpa tells him it's OK to return to his space adventures.
Or maybe Peter's grandfather dies, and he uses traveling the galaxy as a coping mechanism.
It's also entirely plausible that someone Peter loves ends up in trouble and he's recruited to help.
Whatever happens, it's most likely we'll see Star-Lord in action again when the galaxy needs saving once more. That may not be until 2025's "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty" or 2026's "Avengers: Secret Wars."