Editor’s Note: The following article contains spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.We have known for a long time that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be the last chapter in James Gunnfavorite trilogy of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We also know that some of the stars who play Guardians in theaters don’t want to stay in the MCU without Gunn. Finally, we know that Gunn is a sadistic genius who enjoys making his audiences cry in theaters, or at least that’s what we can understand by watching his films. So when we combined these three factors, we of course expected Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to turn the trilogy into a bloodbath by killing most of the team that Gunn helped build for Marvel Studios. But who dies in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?
Surprisingly, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 gives its Guardians a well-deserved happy ending when all the core members of the team find a new purpose or move on with their lives. Yes, that’s right, no Guardian dies in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. In fact, as the end credits scene shows, there are even more Guardians in the MCU now. This doesn’t mean you won’t cry over a few deaths. It’s because Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the bloodiest movie in the MCU, and some of those deaths hit like a truck.
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3′ kills more (relevant) people than any MCU movie
When it comes to net kill counts, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 not the bloodiest movie in the MCU. Over the past fifteen years, both heroes and villains have killed dozens, hundreds and even thousands of enemies on screen. If we consider only the deaths we see on screen, Thanos (Josh Brolin) is still the undisputed champion of death, destroying half of the intelligent life in the universe in Avengers: Infinity War. However, how much Russo brothers did a great job making the shot so emotional we all knew it. Avengers: Endgame was around the corner waiting for the effects of the Snap to be cancelled, making it easier to deal with these deaths.
However, Thanos is not the only genocide in the MCU. Doctor Strange in the multiverse of madness introduced Stephen Strange’s version (Benedict Cumberbatch) is responsible for the destruction of the entire universe after the invasion. Of course, if we broaden our search towards What if…?Infinite Ultron (voiced by Ross Marquand), who serves as the main villain of the first season, kills an entire universe before breaking through the barrier between timelines and killing more people in the Multiverse. However, the problem with these MCU genocides is that we suffer less when the people killed are just numbers. We need an emotional connection to be able to suffer in the theater, that’s why Infinity War we hurt a lot more when GamoraZoe Saldanha) dies from Vision (Paul Bettany) is destroyed. And as we remember the saddest deaths in the MCU, the death of Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) victim in The final surpasses any genocide.
Nevertheless, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 can take the crown for the most impressive deaths in the entire MCU. To begin with, Gunn’s latest film also features genocide, as the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) decides to destroy Counter-Earth when he realizes that he has failed to create a perfectly harmonious society. However, Gunn manages to make this genocide more meaningful than others presented in the MCU. First, we know that billions of people are dying without a chance to return. Secondly, Gunn allows us to spend some time with the common people who go out of their way to help the Guardians, only to be blown away after a few minutes. Finally, the genocide also claims the life of Sovereign High Priestess Aisha (Elizabeth Debicki), who was also the product of the High Evolutionary’s experiments and a somewhat tragic villain.
James Gunn knows how to make fans cry
However, that’s not why Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 seems more gory than other MCU films. James Gunn knows the nerves he needs to hit to make fans cry. This is why the High Evolutionary spends most of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 runtime tortures and kills defenseless animals. And while we can always take the death of a humanoid creature relatively, there’s something about human physiology that makes our emotions go wild when a cute animal dies. just ask John Wick fans!
Over any other victim of the High Evolutionary, the death that causes the most suffering in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 belong to batch 89, a group of beings who underwent agonizing surgical procedures at the same time as Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper). As Rocket sees his life flash before his eyes, we learn how he formed an unbreakable bond with Lilla the otter (voiced by Linda Cardellini), Walrus Teeth (voiced by Asim Chaudhry) and Flor the rabbit (voiced by Michaela Hoover). Together, the four friends spend their days in filthy cages, cleaning each other’s wounds and dreaming of the blue skies they’ll one day see together. And from the moment they appear on the scene, we understand how Gunn will spoil our souls.
Of course, the High Evolutionary always intended to destroy Party 89, so Rocket decides to break everyone out of prison. Anticipating Rocket’s rebellion, the High Evolutionary waits for the right moment to shoot Lilla in front of Rocket. And after Rocket burns out in grief and starts shooting at the High Evolutionary’s guards, Flor and Teefs are caught in the crossfire and die. Rocket’s pain in this scene is palpable, and the kill in batch 89 rivals even some of the MCU’s most touching deaths, such as Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.) or Yondu (Michael Rooker). The deaths of Party 89 also skillfully undermine public expectations. We were all ready to watch Guardians die, and Gunn even uses some of the fake death moments to play with our minds. But in the end, all the heroes survived. This does not mean Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 doesn’t have high emotional stakes as Gunn introduced a new group of lovable characters only to have them torn apart before our very eyes.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is now in theaters.
Source: Collider
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