Who dies in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3?

With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 in cinemas everywhere, and following much fear and hype about how it would end for the beloved characters, here we’re examining who lives, and who dies.

James Gunn has been teasing an emotional end to the MCU series for years now. And the writer-director isn’t afraid to kill off a beloved character, with Yondu biting the big one at the end of Vol 2.

Vol 3 is officially the end of his Guardians of the Galaxy journey, with Gunn off to DC where he’s already working on a Superman movie.

So this really is the end of the current Guardians of the Galaxy line-up. But who lives, and who dies? We’re going into detail here, so Warning: Major spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 ahead!

Who dies in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3?

Honestly? Hardly anyone. Several actors have stated this would be the last time they’d play these particular characters. Which, combined with various James Gunn quotes, led fans to believe some major players would die.

But they don’t. There’s lots of death in the movie – collateral damage in battle and explosions, involving henchmen and hench-women, as well as hench-pigs. There are also animals who are tortured and killed, including three new characters who will break your heart.

But the only (kind-of) major figure from a previous GOTG movie who dies is Ayesha, with the High Priestess of the Sovereign being killed when the High Evolutionary’s planet and space-station are destroyed.

But even the High Evolutionary – overarching villain of the piece – survives the picture. Rocket lets him live out of principal, because – as the furry fella puts it – “I’m a freaking Guardian of the Galaxy.”

Do the Guardians of the Galaxy survive Vol 3?

Yes, all the Guardians of the Galaxy live to fight another day. Meaning rumors of Drax and Rocket’s demise had been greatly exaggerated.

There are multiple fake-outs, with characters appearing to be mortally wounded – most notably Rocket, Nebula, and new Guardian Adam Warlock. But they all make it to the end of the movie very much alive.

Suggesting that while this might be the end of the GOTG as we know them, there’s a potential future for all these characters in the MCU. One that’s hinted at during the second post-credits sting.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 is in cinemas now. You can read our review here, while for more on the movie, head to our dedicated GOTG page, or check out the below articles…

Best Easter Eggs | Pete Davidson cameo | Who dies? | Counter-Earth explained | Number of post-credits scenes | Avengers: Infinity War reference | Phyla-Vell explained | Is Yondu in GOTG 3? | Chris Pratt wants to return | Lylla, Teef and Floor explained | Does Rocket die? | Doctor Moreau influence | Adam Warlock, hero or villain? | High Evolutionary explained | Soundtrack details | Description of post-credit scenes | All actors and characters | Runtime explained | Why Rocket is the MVP | Is it streaming? | What is Blurp? | Ending explained | GOTG movies ranked | Will there be a Vol 4?