Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (stylized in marketing as Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3) is a 2023 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy, produced by Marvel Studios, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), and the 32nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Written and directed by James Gunn, it features an ensemble cast including Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Will Poulter, Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, Linda Cardellini, Nathan Fillion, and Sylvester Stallone. In the film, the Guardians embark on a mission to protect Rocket (Cooper) from the High Evolutionary (Iwuji). Gunn stated in November 2014 that he had initial ideas for a third and final film in the series, and announced his return to write and direct in April 2017. Disney fired him from the film in July 2018 following the resurfacing of controversial posts on Twitter, but the studio reversed course by that October and reinstated him. Gunn's return was publicly revealed in March 2019, with production resuming after he completed work for DC on The Suicide Squad (2021) and the first season of its spin-off series Peacemaker (2022). Filming began in November 2021 at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, and lasted until May 2022. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 premiered at Disneyland Paris on April 22, 2023, and was released in the United States on May 5, as part of Phase Five of the MCU. Like its predecessors, it was a major critical and commercial success. The film received praise for Gunn's direction and screenplay, its visuals, soundtrack, performances, action sequences, emotional weight and humor; many deemed the film as a satisfactory conclusion to the trilogy. It grossed over $845 million worldwide, becoming the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2023. Plot At their new headquarters on Knowhere, the Guardians of the Galaxy are attacked by Adam, a Sovereign warrior created by high priestess Ayesha, who seeks to destroy them for stealing from her. After critically wounding Rocket, Adam is stabbed by Nebula and flees. The Guardians cannot heal Rocket's wounds with their med-packs due to a kill switch embedded in him by Orgocorp, a company helmed by Rocket's creator, the High Evolutionary. The Guardians travel to Orgocorp's headquarters to find the switch's override code and save Rocket's life. While lying unconscious, Rocket recalls his past. As a baby, he was experimented on by the High Evolutionary, who sought to enhance and anthropomorphize animal lifeforms to create an ideal society called Counter-Earth. Rocket befriended his fellow Batch 89 test subjects: the otter Lylla, the walrus Teefs, and the rabbit Floor. The High Evolutionary was impressed by Rocket's growing intelligence but became furious once it exceeded his own. The High Evolutionary used Rocket to perfect his Humanimal creations, then planned to harvest Rocket's brain for further research and exterminate the obsolete