When Avengers: Endgame featured a time jump of five years from the events of Infinity War, it seems like there was going to be a disproportionate gap in time between the real life present and the “present” of the MCU, which is now in 2023, but as we head into the last movies of 2021, it’s clear that the gap has simply allowed Marvel to tell a lot of stories all set around that 2023 timestamp while the real world catches up and then restores the timeline to “now.” That in theory then lends itself to James Gunn’s recent comments about where Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will sit in the branching and advanced timeline.
Asked on Twitter what year Guardians 3 is set in, James Gunn simply said “Now.” However, this was in response to another question in which the director was asked whether we would see a more mature Groot in the new installment to which he replied, “Well years have passed.”
Now
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) October 10, 2021
Between the two comments, fans are still a little confused about just how much time will have passed between Endgame and the movie, considering Groot was last seen heading off with the other Guardians and Thor directly after the defeat of Thanos, if some years have passed that would suggest that the timeline is being pushed further out into the future and that could well be the truth of it when you also add into the mix the appearance of Quill, Drax and Nebula at least in Thor: Love and Thunder, which arrives next year. So with that in mind, it would seem that Gunn’s “now” actually just means at the current time in the context of the movie and not in the past.
Wait… what?
Vol. 1 – 2014 (Original Groot)
Vol. 2 – 2014 or 2015 (Baby Groot)
Infinity War – 2018 (Teen Groot; gets dusted)
Endgame – 2023 (Teen Groot; revived)
Vol. 3 – 2021? 2023? 2027? 2028? (Adult Groot?)I’m sorry, but I’m very confused by this answer o.o
— rocko8u (@rocko8u) October 10, 2021
Another aspect to be considered is The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which Gunn has confirmed will film at the same time as the movie, but will air prior to the movie and in Gunn’s words, “It’s in-canon, it’s about the Guardians, you’re gonna learn stuff that you need to learn before Volume 3, and it’s great I’m really happy with it,” as he told Collider while promoting The Suicide Squad.
Endgame released in 2019, takes place in 2023, Groot is revived in 2023 then right? James says it takes place “Now”. So that means GOTG Vol 3 has to be 2027 if its releasing in 2023. It’s been around 4-5 years ig. So Groot should be a Young Adult.
— Atom (@Attomizzed) October 10, 2021
The plot of Guardians 3 is officially an unknown, but suggestions by the actors have made it clear that the story will center on Gamora and Nebula, which itself lends to the idea that not too much time will have passed since Endgame. So if, as we expect, Thor: Love and Thunder takes place in the same time space as the rest of Phase 4 – with the notable exception of Black Widow – then the gap between that, the Holiday Special and Guardians 3 can be no more than a couple of years at most. As Gunn did not reply to the many fans throwing out date sums any further, we will simply have to wait to see what other tidbits he is willing to offer up the next time he takes to his social media accounts.
The first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies are now streaming on Disney+ along with whole Infinity Saga, while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is due to hit theaters May 5, 2023.
Source: movieweb.com