Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is expected to feature some major character deaths, and James Gunn could break a major MCU trilogy trend if he does so.

A major Marvel Cinematic Universe trilogy trend could be broken thanks to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s deaths. James Gunn’s final entry in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy has long been touted as the last film featuring the original iteration of the team. Audiences have been bracing for years to say goodbye to the Guardians of the Galaxy group that began with Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot. There have understandably been plenty of theories about how James Gunn will end the franchise and wrap up his story, while also potentially leaving room for Marvel Studios to make more films with a new team.

There is every expectation that Guardians of the Galaxy 3 will kill some major characters as the trilogy completes. James Gunn has repeatedly teased the likelihood that some fan-favorite MCU characters will die as the Guardians battle Adam Warlock and High Evolutionary. Speculation has turned toward almost every main character as arguments can be made for why each one could die. The heartbreak that could come no matter who dies in Guardians of the Galaxy 3 will be something audiences have never experienced before when it comes to an MCU trilogy.

No Main Hero Has Died In The Last Movie In An MCU Trilogy

It might seem difficult to believe, but no main hero has died in the last movie of an MCU trilogy to this point. Marvel Studios has completed five solo film trilogies through the beginning of Phase 5 without killing a main hero. Iron Man survived fighting Aldrich Killian in Iron Man 3, while Team Iron Man and Team Cap refrained from killing each other in Captain America: Civil War. Thor defeated Hela in Thor: Ragnarok without dying, and Spider-Man saved the multiverse by erasing his identity in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Even Ant-Man did not die fighting Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Some might argue that Avengers: Infinity War featured major deaths as Thanos snapped away half of the MCU heroes and killed Gamora. However, the snapped characters did not technically die and Gamora was not a main character in Infinity War despite her standing as such in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Since killing characters is a chance to have a definitive ending and raise the stakes for a final installment, it is surprising that the MCU trilogies have not gone further than killing important supporting characters like Aunt May, Odin, or Peggy Carter.

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Will Likely Kill One of the Main Heroes

The MCU trilogy trend of no major deaths is likely to end with Guardians of the Galaxy 3. The movie’s trailers are playing up the emotional finale and have made it seem as though any Guardians of the Galaxy 3 character could die. Speculation has long centered around James Gunn killing Rocket in the movie, and his comments about the raccoon being the main character of the third film only makes that more likely. Meanwhile, Dave Bautista has openly said Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is the last time he will play Drax, which could mean he also dies protecting the group.

No matter which of the Guardians dies in the MCU trilogy capper, Marvel Studios will break the trend of no main heroes dying if any of them do go. While Star-Lord is arguably the main character of the trilogy, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, Groot, and Nebula have also become focal points. They all make up the Guardians of the Galaxy team and are equally important, so each of them is a main character in the franchise. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s deaths will be all the more heartbreaking as a result.