Avengers: Endgame didn’t cause shake-ups for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

James Gunn confirms that Avengers: Endgame has not affected any of his plans for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Avengers: Endgame changed the status quo in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, leaving several major characters in new and interesting situations. This is especially true for the Guardians of the Galaxy, who are currently missing one of their original members. Of course, Marvel Studios always has a plan, and James Gunn has already charted out the team’s next outing.

Gunn, who is currently filming The Suicide Squad, held a Q&A on his Instagram with fans. During the chat, he confirmed (via ComicBookMovie.com) that his story for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was not altered by the events of Endgame. This stems from the fact that the latter’s screenplay was done before Gunn started work on his:

"“The script will change because my scripts always keep changing up until the moment I shoot them.But it won’t change according to anything from Endgame, because I already knew what was in that script before I wrote Guardians 3.”"

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The script — or at least the first draft — for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was unveiled by Gunn through his social media accounts back in the summer of 2018. Shortly after the reveal, he was taken off the project after controversial tweets from the director resurfaced, leaving the fate of the screenplay in flux. Still, Marvel assured fans that Gunn’s script would still be used, and this was solidified further when he was reinstated this past spring.

Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame shook things up for the MCU’s cosmic heroes, as Gamora was killed by her adoptive father, Thanos, and most of the team was snapped at the end of the former. The latter movie would bring back all of the characters, including a 2014 version of Gamora who disappeared after the final battle. In addition, Thor seemed to be joining the Guardians on their next adventure.

In crafting this third installment, Gunn has an interesting challenge ahead of him, as he balances the events of Endgame and brings his trilogy to a satisfying end.