Marvel Cinematic Universe: 11 Films To Expect In Phase 4

To say the journey of the third Guardians of the Galaxy film has been a wild one would be an understatement, as James Gunn was very publicly fired ahead of production only to be rehired not long after he had signed on to tackle The Suicide Squad for Warner Bros. and DC. Had that bump in the road not occurred, Vol. 3 likely would've hit theaters either next year or in 2021, but instead the film won't head into production until Gunn's other big commitment is over, which means we probably won't be seeing it until 2022 at the earliest.

That said, the fact that the film is back on track has made a lot of people - including its disheartened cast - happy, and it'll be interesting to see how the events of Infinity War and Endgame have impacted them going forward, both as a family unit and as a band of cosmic heroes. On a character level, there's a lot left to mine that's been teased, from Rocket's origins to the search for Gamora and, of course, how Thor will fit in with his new team (which may rule out a likely fourth Thor film, at least for Phase 4).

Even Vol. 2's biggest tease - the creation and impending arrival of Adam Warlock into the MCU - is still up in the air, with many fans itching to see him finally turn up. Throw in a return of Stakar's reformed team and the fact that Gunn has promised that Vol. 3 will be the last time we see this specific iteration of the Guardians together and there's enough on the table to get excited about in seeing this trilogy finally come to its big conclusion.