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James Gunn will return to direct Guardians of the Galaxy 3 after all

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Eight months after Disney fired James Gunn, writer and director of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and its sequel, over a series of old and tasteless social media posts resurfaced, the company has had a change of heart. Gunn has been reinstated and will direct Guardians of the Galaxy 3 as originally planned, Deadline reports.

Gunn lost his Marvel Cinematic Universe gig in July 2018, after an alt-right trolls dug up tweets that Gunn made nearly a decade ago that poked fun at serious topics like pedophilia and rape. Gunn, who broke into the film industry via Troma Entertainment, a studio that’s notorious for it’s low-budget, off-color fare, had previously apologized for the jokes. However, renewed attention on Gunn’s “indefensible” statements forced Disney to remove the director from Guardians of the Galaxy‘s third installment. A replacement was never announced.

Walt Disney Studios president Alan Horn decided to rehire Gunn after a series of meetings, Deadline says, and was impressed by both Gunn’s further apologies and his conduct following his termination. Gunn will direct Guardians of the Galaxy 3 from the screenplay that he wrote before his initial dismissal.

Almost immediately after Gunn lost the Guardians of the Galaxy 3 gig, his Guardians cast members issued a statement in support of the director and asked Disney to reconsider its decision. MCU fans flocked to Gunn’s aid, too, and went so far as to crowdfund a billboard in Anaheim, California, that encouraged Disney to rehire the filmmaker.

In the meantime, Warner Bros. hired Gunn to write and direct its Suicide Squad sequel, which will see Margot Robbie reprise her role as Harley Quinn in addition to a mostly new cast. According to Deadline, Gunn’s Suicide Squad is still on the table: Marvel has agreed to postpone Guardians of the Galaxy 3 production until after Suicide Squad 2 is finished.

The Guardians of the Galaxy characters — the few who survived the end of Avengers: Infinity War, anyway — will next appear in Avengers: Endgame, which debuts at the end of April. Gunn’s next project will be Brightburn, a twisted take on a Superman-style origin story starring Elizabeth Banks. Gunn produced the film, which hits theaters on May 24.

Chris Gates
Former Digital Trends Contributor
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Who dies at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?
Nebula carries Star-Lord's limp body in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

It's the end of an era. Nearly a decade ago, Guardians of the Galaxy changed the MCU forever and introduced the world to a band of a-holes who, over the course of several movies, grew into a family. Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Groot, Mantis, and Nebula have become sentimental favorites to MCU fans and helped usher in the cosmic side of Marvel that is the dominant playground for Phase 5.

When things come to an end, however, that usually means someone bites the big one. And certainly, in the press and trailers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, there's a strong indication that death will visit one or more of our beloved Guardians. Zoe Saldana has openly spoken about being done with playing Gamora, one of the MCU's best female characters, after this movie; ditto Dave Bautista with Drax. And one of the key promo images for the movie has Nebula carrying Star-Lord's limp body. Did I also mention one of the key plot points involves Rocket being mortally wounded?

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Is there a post-credits scene in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?
'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' Nebula (Karen Gillan), Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), and Drax (Dave Bautista) wearing black and red uniforms, walking along a metal ship hallway.

When a certain type of movie ends, audiences know it's not time to leave the theaters just yet. It's now a ritual for audiences to linger after the end credits roll for superhero movies and even "regular" movies like John Wick: Chapter 4, as they know there will be one or two (or in some cases, more) "stingers" that tease about the endless sequels and cinematic universes that dominate the pop culture landscape. Marvel perfected the art of the end credits sequence in The Avengers, with the reveal of Thanos as the architect behind a grand scheme to collect all the Infinity Stones.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is certain to continue this tradition when it's released on May 4. The last film in James Gunn's trilogy, Vol. 3 has fans curious about what will happen to the beloved team in what appears to be their final adventure together. Does the film have any post-end credits scenes? And if so, what do they reveal about the future of the Guardians and the MCU? Find out by reading below!
How many post-credit scenes are there in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?
There are two post-credit end scenes in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The first one appears shortly after the main cast credits are shown. The second scene occurs after all of the credits have been displayed. Both are short and run approximately 90 seconds each.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 post-credits scene No. 1: a new team is born

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The best characters in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, ranked
'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' Nebula (Karen Gillan), Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), and Drax (Dave Bautista) wearing black and red uniforms, walking along a metal ship hallway.

After a long and winding journey, Marvel Studios has finally released James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. This highly-anticipated film follows the Guardians as they face off against the Rocket’s creator, the High Evolutionary, in their darkest but most beautiful adventure yet.
Since this seems to be the last time we’ll see the Guardians together, now’s a good time to rank all the characters who rocked cinemas in their final tour.
Please note: there are major spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in this article.
13. Ayesha

The Sovereign empress returns to exact vengeance on the Guardians with the help of Adam Warlock and the High Evolutionary. But it is revealed that she and her people were created by the High Evolutionary, and she becomes more subservient in his presence.

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