The final movie of the Guardians franchise is just weeks away. And before the next Marvel movie is released, it’s good to know some facts about the film first, like when does it take place.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is intended to be a sequel to the first two Guardians of the Galaxy films, the second film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Phase 5, and the 32nd film in the MCU as a whole. It comes after Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and before The Marvels.
But with Marvel, it doesn’t mean that if a film is released first, it takes place earlier than the upcoming films. Furthermore, after the time jump in Avengers: Endgame and all the multiverse stuff, things got quite confusing in Marvel films.
So, when does Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 take place in the MCU timeline?
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When Does Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Take Place in the MCU Timeline?
The films that are to be considered when determining the timeline for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 are Avengers: Endgame, Thor: Love & Thunder, and the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
It can be recalled that Thor joined the Guardians when they left Earth in Avengers: Endgame. We see the Guardians in Thor: Love & Thunder, but not for a long time. Thor 4 concludes the short storyline established in Avengers: Endgame where Thor journeys with the Guardians.
According to director James Gunn, there are "a couple years between Endgame & Vol 3." Because of the five-year time jump in Avengers: Endgame, the film ended in 2023 in the MCU timeline. Thus, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 could occur somewhere in late 2025. However, the holiday special changes things.
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We last see the Guardians in the holiday special, which means that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 takes place after the holiday special. A determining factor of this too is Groot, as his form changes in the holiday special, and the trailer for Vol. 3 shows him in the same form. This confirms that Vol. 3 takes place shortly after the holiday special.
Furthermore, we know that the holiday special takes place in December 2025, or two years after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Thus, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 could take place in the middle of 2026 in the MCU timeline.
However, the Guardians films are quite different compared to the other Marvel films because they’re set in space. Thus, they aren’t involved much with things happening on Earth. Furthermore, Peter Quill does say in the first trailer for Vol. 3 that they were “gone for quite a while”, so how long exactly were they gone?
Perhaps our questions will be answered in the final film of the Guardians franchise. For now, you can watch the trailer for the movie below:
The official synopsis of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is as follows:
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 our beloved band of misfits are settling into life on Knowhere. But it isn’t long before their lives are upended by the echoes of Rocket’s turbulent past. Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him on a dangerous mission to save Rocket’s life—a mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 releases on May 5, 2023. The first two Guardians of the Galaxy films, Thor: Love & Thunder, and Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special are available to stream on Disney+.
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