Phase 5 of the MCU is fully upon us now, and with it comes hellos and goodbyes. Perhaps the most interesting is the send-off of both writer-director James Gunn — and the current Guardians line up including Chris Pratt et al — in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Now Gunn is the head of DC Studios and working hard on his new universe it looks like his fourth outing (including his joyful Christmas special) will be a swan song for the original roster.

But, what should we as an audience expect from Gunn and co if this is the climax of the freakin’ Guardians of the Galaxy, and what does it mean moving forwards?

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Fear not, for here is everything you need to know about Star-Lord and co and their latest adventure.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 release date

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will hit our screens on 3 May, 2023, reuniting the cast with James Gunn as writer director after his controversial firing due to offensive tweets and his hasty re-hiring.

It’s been a long road given that in the mean time he went off to director The Suicide Squad for DC and then gave us The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.

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While there is no official word on the runtime of the film, James Gunn has gone on record saying it will be longer than the previous two films which clocked in at 2 hours, 2 minutes and 2 hours, 17 minutes respectively. This makes sense as both Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania had longer runtimes than their previous films.

With this many characters to juggle and some at the end of their road it’s not surprising Gunn is opting for an epic runtime.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 cast

Well, since this is the end of the line you’d expect the old gang to be. Chris Pratt is returning to headline the team as Peter Quill / Star-Lord, along with Karen Gillan’s Nebula, Dave Bautista’s Drax the Destroyer, Pom Klementieff as Mantis as well as Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel voicing Rocket Raccoon and Groot respectively.

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Also back is Zoe Saldaña as Gamora, this version is an incarnation from 2014 brought forwards during the events of Avengers: Endgame and without the long history and romance shared with Quill.

Gunn also plans to bring back characters teased in previous outings like Elizabeth Debicki as the High Priestess Ayesha of the Sovereign, Sean Gunn as Ravager commander Kraglin, Sylvester Stallone as Ravager Stakar Ogord. Teased in Volume 2, we also see Michael Rosenbaum as Martinex.

Academy Award nominee Maria Bakalova reprises her role from the Holiday Special as Cosmo the Spacedog, a new member of the Guardians who speaks via a translator device.

New additions to the cast are Will Poulter as newly created artificial weapon Adam Warlock who will cause trouble for the Guardians and Chukwudi Iwuji as The High Evolutionary, a character linked to Rocket’s past.

Also in the cast are Superstore’s Nico Santos and The Suicide Squad’s Daniela Melchoir in undisclosed roles.

What is the plot of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?

The official plot synopsis is that after purchasing Knowhere from The Collector, the Guardians of the Galaxy attempt to make it a safe haven for alien refugees. But following a brutal attack, Peter Quill must lead the Guardians on one last mission to protect one their members that could lead to the team dissolving.

Aside from this little is known though Gunn has teased an exploration of Rocket’s past, and a more emotional arc for the grizzled Rocket while also following on threads left by previous Marvel projects.

Who will be left, and who will go on to face Kang in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty only Gunn knows.

Here's the official synopsis: "In Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 our beloved band of misfits are settling into life on Knowhere. But it isn’t long before their lives are upended by the echoes of Rocket’s turbulent past.

Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him on a dangerous mission to save Rocket’s life—a mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them."

Is there a trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?

The first trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was released in December, 2022. Watch it above.

Striking a more ominous tone than previous Guardians of the Galaxy trailers and scored by a dramatic, slowed down version of Spacehog's 1995 hit In The Meantime, the teaser hinted at the end of the team of A-holes we've grown to know and love.

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A second trailer revealing Will Poulter as Adam Warlock, and Star-Lord's attempts at wooing back Gamora is also playing in cinemas.

Watch the second Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 trailer

Another trailer was released during the 2023 Super Bowl.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is in cinemas and IMAX from 5 May, 2023

Watch: Kurt Russell talks to Yahoo about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2