For many Marvel fans, the worst news to come out if this year’s Comic-Con was James Gunn‘s confirmation that “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” would bring a close to the director’s trilogy of sci-fi hijinks. And while the first trailer for the film might have been a Comic-Con exclusive, here’s everything we saw – and what you can expect when the teaser finally drops online (we assume sometime in the next few weeks).
The exclusive look at the trailer begins with the guardians being boarded in deep space by a crew of Ravengers. Nebula (Karen Gillan) reveals to the crew that the leader of their captors is none-other than Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), the former member of the guardians who was killed by her father Thanos in “Avengers: Infinity War” and later replaced by an alternate universe version of herself. Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is visibly distraught by his sudden and unceremonious reunion with the woman he loves and does his best to remind Gamora of their lost romance, to little effect.
What follows is a series of vignettes that allude to the creation of Rocket Racoon (Bradley Cooper), the arrival of Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), young-adult Groot (Vin Diesel) in the midst of battle, and the team dressed in technicolor space suits bounding through a cosmic vista, all set to “Do You Realize” by The Flaming Lips.
The trailer also gives us a look at how the team dynamic among the guardians has evolved. Beyond swanky new comic-accurate suits, we see that Nebula has lightened up a little while Mantis (Pom Klementieff) has become more assertive – and may even get a chance to show off some fighting skills.
Drax (Dave Bautista) rounds out the returning cast, injecting some much-needed dryness to the trailer’s final punchline, revealing that the whole gang has been able to hear Quill’s lovelorn confession to Gamora over the speakers in their space suits.
Beyond the trailer, Hall H attendees also got a first-hand look at the film’s villain, The High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), who entered the convention hall in-character to deliver a spine-tingling threat to the crowd.
Not featured in the trailer was Maria Bakalova, who Gunn confirmed as Cosmo the Space Dog. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” will hit theatres May 5, 2023.