The following story contains spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
THERE'S NO other way to put it: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the end of an era. Writer/director James Gunn is now the co-CEO of DC Studios, and his focus for the next decade (at least!) is on figuring out how to give another universe full of superheroes as much life as he gave the Guardians of the Galaxy MCU sub-franchise for the last one.
And while this era of Guardians may be concluded, there's also no questioning something else: the MCU will go on. For some characters, the journey ends in Vol. 3. But for others—we're looking at you, Adam Warlock—the adventure is just beginning. Gunn may be shifting his attention to Superman and Lois Lane, but he's more than willing to leave someone else a head start on where to take his Guardians.
Like with (just about) every MCU film, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 uses its post-credits scenes to tee up the future. There's no major new character reveal, like Harry Styles' Eros or Mahershala Ali's Blade in Eternals, and there's no direct set-up for the next movie, like the original Iron Man 2 credits scene that led us right into Thor.
But there's a whole lot of important character stuff here that will give us a major hint about what's to come in the next era of Guardians of the Galaxy, wherever they may show up next.
How many Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 credits scenes are there?
There are two credits scenes during Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3—one mid-credits, and one at the very end of the credits.
Credits Scene 1: Meet the New Guardians of the Galaxy
By the end of the film, the Guardians of the Galaxy have taken completely new shape: Star-Lord returned to see his grandpa on earth (and tears were shed in audiences everywhere), Nebula and Drax stayed behind on Knowhere to build a community and raise the children of the Sovereign they saved from the High Evolutionary, and Mantis took off to search the galaxy for meaning. Rocket, having survived his whole Vol. 3 ordeal, is named new captain of the Guardians of the Galaxy by Quill—a decision that is unanimously agreed on.
So in the first Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 credits scene, we get a look at the new Guardians of the Galaxy roster as they hang out on a desert planet, getting ready to take on a charging enemy. We've of course got Rocket (Bradley Cooper) leading the way, and his loyal best friend Groot (Vin Diesel) is now very very large, and right there with him. Joining them is Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), Kraglin (Sean Gunn), Cosmo the Spacedog (Maria Bakalava), and one of the children of the Sovereign, Phyla-Vell (Kai Zen).
Before they take on their enemy, Rocket puts on "Come and Get Your Love" by Redbone for old time's sake. End of an era, folks!
Credits Scene 2: Kevin Bacon? And The Legendary Star-Lord Will Return (Eventually)
After the credits conclude, we find Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) sitting and eating breakfast with his grandpa (Gregg Henry, a James Gunn favorite from his pre-Marvel films). Peter talks about feeling funny that a 45-year-old man, his Grandpa's new wife's son, is mowing the lawn while they're just sitting inside eating breakfast.
Peter's Grandpa tells him not to worry about it, as we see him reading a newspaper where a headline reveals that Kevin Bacon is detailing his alien encounter. This is, of course, a reference to when Mantis and Drax kidnapped the Footloose and Tremors star in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
As the scene concludes, we get one final reveal: a screen that says "The Legendary Star-Lord Will Return."
We don't know if this means a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4 (albeit without James Gunn involved, as he's leaving to run DC, it would seem unlikely), a Star-Lord solo movie, or an appearance in some upcoming project like Thunderbolts, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, or Avengers: Secret Wars. But we can be certain that at some point in the future, we'll see Peter Quill—legendary outlaw, come on!—again.
Evan is the culture editor for Men’s Health, with bylines in The New York Times, MTV News, Brooklyn Magazine, and VICE. He loves weird movies, watches too much TV, and listens to music more often than he doesn’t.
