WhenAvengers: Endgamefeatured a time jump of five years from the events ofInfinity War, it seems like there was going to be a disproportionate gap in time between the real life present and the “present” of theMCU, which is now in 2023, but as we head into the last movies of 2021, it’s clear that the gap has simply allowed Marvel to tell a lot of stories all set around that 2023 timestamp while the real world catches up and then restores the timeline to “now.” That in theory then lends itself to James Gunn’s recent comments about whereGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3will sit in the branching and advanced timeline.
Asked on Twitter what yearGuardians 3is set in,James Gunnsimply said “Now.” However, this was in response to another question in which the director was asked whether we would see a more mature Groot in the new installment to which he replied, “Well years have passed.”
Between the two comments, fans are still a little confused about justhow much time will have passed between Endgameand the movie, considering Groot was last seen heading off with the otherGuardiansand Thor directly after the defeat of Thanos, if some years have passed that would suggest that the timeline is being pushed further out into the future and that could well be the truth of it when you also add into the mix the appearance of Quill, Drax and Nebula at least inThor: Love and Thunder, which arrives next year. So with that in mind, it would seem that Gunn’s “now” actually just means at the current time in the context of the movie and not in the past.
Another aspect to be considered isThe Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which Gunn has confirmed will film at the same time as the movie, but will air prior to the movie and in Gunn’s words, “It’s in-canon, it’s about the Guardians, you’re gonna learn stuff that you need to learn before Volume 3, and it’s great I’m really happy with it,” as he told Collider while promotingThe Suicide Squad.
The plot ofGuardians 3is officially an unknown, but suggestions by the actors have made it clear that the story will center onGamora and Nebula, which itself lends to the idea that not too much time will have passed sinceEndgame. So if, as we expect,Thor: Love and Thundertakes place in the same time space as the rest of Phase 4 - with the notable exception ofBlack Widow- then the gap between that, theHoliday SpecialandGuardians 3can be no more than a couple of years at most. As Gunn did not reply to the many fans throwing out date sums any further, we will simply have to wait to see what other tidbits he is willing to offer up the next time he takes to his social media accounts.
The first twoGuardians of the Galaxymovies are now streaming on Disney+ along with wholeInfinity Saga, whileGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3is due to hit theaters June 06, 2025.
