Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2: What Does The Ending Really Mean?
Thanos better watch out for the sting of vengeance...
It might not be quite as good as the original (to be honest, nothing in the MCU is, so that's nothing to be ashamed of), but Vol 2 is easily one of the best Marvel sequels.
For a stand-alone MCU movie that diverges from the over-arching Infinity Stones story unifying the rest of the films, Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2 actually ties to the wider franchise in a surprising number of ways. There are obscure references to a couple of Thor: Ragnarok's characters, there's a future Doctor Strange tie and a big ramification for Thanos' quest for the Infinity Stones all in there.
And considering the ending of the sequel in particular, there is a lot to decode for the future of this franchise and how it will come to mesh with the rest of the MCU for the climax of Phase 3.
With the third in James Gunn's trilogy already announced - with the director himself confirmed to be returning - there's also a pretty good indication of what we can expect to be the main plot there too. And of course, there were some pretty major revelations and moments of self-realisation for each of the main characters that will fundamentally cast out waves for future movies.
So what does the ending of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2 mean in real terms?