*MILD SPOILERS FOR GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3*
Guardians of the Galaxy is probably my favorite MCU property. Something about the combination of the humor, the pathos, and the incredible soundtrack speaks to my Gen X soul. The entire MCU could be described as a found family story, but Guardians has always been explicit about it–they are a motley crew of idiots who have chosen to stick together because they see themselves as family.
What makes that dynamic work–in addition to the chemistry between all of the characters–is the near-constant bickering among them as they blast their way through adventures and in and out of the Avengers’ plotlines. If you come from a large family, you recognize it instantly–siblings fight all the time, but the minute an outside threat appears, they’re a unified force.
When Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opens, the gang is regrouping after the events of Avengers: Endgame, building a new home on Knowhere and licking their wounds. Gamora is dead, and although there’s another Gamora from the past still alive somewhere, Peter is in mourning for his own Gamora. He’s a mess, and taking care of him seems to be a community effort. Groot’s a young adult now, Kraglin still can’t work the Yaka Arrow, and Cosmo the Spacedog has been given an expanded role, which is really all I needed. All in all, everything’s okay until Adam Warlock suddenly shows up trying to kidnap Rocket, leaving our favorite raccoon severely wounded and Knowhere in shambles.
The only way to save Rocket’s life is to head off on a quest into the darkness of his origins, and nothing snaps Peter Quill back into sobriety faster than a threat to his remaining family. The gang is off, picking up New Gamora along the way.
A lot has been written about the difficult moments in this movie, the scenes and themes of cruelty to animals that are part of Rocket’s personal history. It’s true; this is hard to watch. But Rocket doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and the actions of the High Evolutionary who created him are cruel on scales both intimate and galactic, making Rocket only one victim among countless others. Rocket reaches the completion of his story in Volume 3 by finally bringing his past into the present, where he can be both victim and avenging angel. It’s easy to write off Marvel movies as superhero schlock–and plenty of famous directors do!–but in the 3-movie arc of this CGI raccoon, we have a fully realized character portrait. A baby raised in abuse who grows a hard shell to protect himself, but always remains the wounded, betrayed child within. It’s devastating, and beautiful, and worth the difficulty of witnessing.
Rocket has been running from his past since the moment we met him. The only way he could ever find peace was to stop running. It’s a surprisingly mature lesson to learn from a foul-mouthed raccoon.
The other Guardians are learning hard lessons as well. Peter is thrown together with a Gamora who is not the woman he loves, and try as he might, he cannot turn her into the woman he loves. His Gamora–our Gamora–is gone. It would have been simple, and perhaps comforting, to think that all versions of a person will feel the same emotions and develop the same relationships–it’s just a Marvel movie, after all. Gamora died, but not really, so she’s back and there can be a happy ending, right? Well, no. People are not interchangeable, and everyone is shaped by their experiences, as Rocket’s story shows us. Just because she is Gamora doesn’t mean she will be the same person our original Gamora was, and James Gunn’s script doesn’t take that easy way out. This version of Gamora has walked a different path, experienced other things, and developed in another way. What does that mean for her relationship with her found family? With her lover? And how can Peter cope with loving a woman who he knows so well, but also doesn’t know at all?
The stakes of the big quest this time are personal, making every interaction feel fraught–the bickering among Drax, Mantis, and Nebula takes on an edge that feels too sharp at times, and we get the sense that the family is fraying at the seams. The pressure of trying to keep Rocket alive until they can save him is enormous, and will feel familiar to anyone who has had to care for a very sick family member. Stress and fear infect the generally happy tone of the Guardians’ interactions, and a sadness creeps in among the quipping. These people love one another, undoubtedly, but will it always be enough to solve all their problems?
Guardians of the Galaxy is, above all, a franchise known for fun, and Volume 3 is plenty fun as well. But I’d be lying if I said it was entirely a good time. When all is said and done, the characters seemed tired, drained, ready to lay down their burdens. Saving the galaxy while saving yourselves can take a lot out of a person, or a raccoon. One cannot keep doing it forever.
The Guardians seem to have realized that it’s time for them to move on. This bittersweet final movie in the trilogy makes sure viewers are ready for that, as well.
