Marvel fans have been eagerly awaiting Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ever since the release of the second film all the way back in 2017. And while the movie’s May 2023 release is still a long way off, new information about it has finally started to be released — most prominently, the casting of Will Poulter as Adam Warlock.
But until then, Guardians fans have something else to keep them occupied: the Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy video game developed by Eidos-Montréal, best known for their work on the Deus Ex series. While the game is set in its own distinct continuity separate from the MCU, it borrows just as much from James Gunn’s movie adaptations as it does from the original source material. As such, there are plenty of things that GOTG Vol. 3 can learn from its video game counterpart, in terms of both what it should and shouldn’t do.
A Kinder, Gentler Guardians
One of the things that have been praised the most about the Guardians game is how it portrays the titular team. At first glance, the game’s Guardians of the Galaxy seem identical to their MCU counterparts. Star-Lord is the wisecracking leader, Rocket Raccoon is the cranky tech genius, Drax is the brawler who takes everything literally, Gamora is the serious, brooding assassin, and Groot is, well, Groot. However, as the game progresses, it becomes clear that these Guardians have a bit more depth than their movie selves.
For instance, Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord has been typically portrayed as a reckless man-child — which makes sense considering his multi-film arc is all about maturing as a person, but not everyone is happy with how he’s been written. Many fans wish that the MCU’s Peter Quill had finally grown up by now, becoming closer to the more coolheaded commander featured in the original comics. Meanwhile, the video game’s Quill strikes a nice balance between the two extremes. He maintains his movie self’s love of witty banter and 80s music, but also grows into a more responsible leader over the course of the story. Perhaps the MCU is due for a more mature Star-Lord as well.
Gamora is another character with subtle differences from her movie counterpart. While she’s still the most levelheaded and serious-minded member of the Guardians, she’s less no-nonsense than she has been in the films. The game’s Gamora will urge her fellow Guardians to stay focused when need be, but she also isn’t above making goofy puns, singing along (badly) to Quill’s favorite tunes, or getting lost in the thrill of battle. In one memorable scene, it’s even revealed that she collects dolls — something she tries to keep secret because she fears that her love of cute things clashes with her image as a terrifying warrior. While Zoe Saldana has proved that she can be both heartfelt and hilarious with her performance as Gamora, the character might gain some more nuance by embracing her sillier side.
Exploring the Past
As for Drax, he’s mostly unchanged from his film incarnation, even possessing the same backstory. But unlike the first two Guardians films, the game presents Drax with a major character arc that delves into the pain and sorrow behind his comedic exterior. In the game continuity, Drax has already killed Thanos. As such, his story isn’t about avenging his family, but letting go of his guilt over losing them. The MCU has hinted at Drax’s lingering trauma before, but never delved into it to this extent. Giving Drax some more focus in GOTG Vol. 3 would be a perfect way to explore one of the less-developed Guardians.
And then there’s Rocket. In the MCU, he’s been one of the most heavily developed Guardians, even receiving a major character arc in Vol. 2. But despite all the time that’s been spent with Rocket, very little about his backstory has been revealed. Meanwhile, the Guardians video game places heavy emphasis on Rocket’s past. There are multiple scenes where he speaks at length about his history as a victim of Kree experiments on Halfworld, where he was created as part of a super-soldier project. Like Drax, Rocket even receives his own arc where he confronts his past trauma and opens up to his teammates as a result. Rumor has it that the MCU will also be exploring Rocket’s backstory in GOTG Vol. 3 — and considering Gunn’s track record for making audiences cry, no doubt it’ll be even more impactful there as it was in the game.
Warlock or War-Lacking?
However, there are some ways in which Gunn would be better off not emulating the Guardians game. For instance, there’s the matter of Adam Warlock. Warlock plays a major role in the game’s story as an ally of the Guardians, but he isn’t particularly fleshed out during his screen time. Very little is revealed about his origins, and he doesn’t show much personality beyond his flowery, pretentious speech pattern and cold, condescending attitude. Having such an abrasive demeanor isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the game’s Warlock isn’t compelling enough to back up his unlikable portrayal. Hopefully, Will Poulter’s depiction of the golden sage will leave more of an impact.
On the topic of characters not yet featured in the MCU, the game’s villains don’t fare much better. The main threat of the game is the Universal Church of Truth, a cult that’s attempting to transform all life in the galaxy into a hive mind, robbing everyone of their free will while leaving their souls trapped in illusory dream worlds. It’s a threatening scheme with plenty of thematic weight within the story — but sadly, the masterminds behind it aren’t nearly as interesting. The primary antagonist, Grand Unifier Raker, is a rather generic evil priest with a flimsy backstory, and a bland personality. But in the end, it’s revealed that Raker was being manipulated all along by Magus, Adam Warlock’s dark side made manifest. Sadly, Magus is just as unimpressive as Raker, combining Loki’s smug narcissism with Thanos’ power-hungry ambition, but without the charm, nuance, or menace of either. Whoever the main villain of GOTG Vol. 3 ends up being, hopefully, they’re more like Ego and less like these two.
However, one thing the Guardians game deserves credit for is being willing to focus on characters and factions that have gone unexplored in the MCU. For instance, the Nova Corps plays a major role in the story despite its small presence in the movies. Meanwhile, characters like Nikki Gold, Lady Hellbender, and Fin Fang Foom all have significant roles even though they have yet to be featured in the MCU at all. It’s that willingness to spotlight little-known or unexpected characters that sets James Gunn apart from other superhero movie directors, and hopefully, he’ll showcase that quality once again when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 eventually hits theaters.