James Gunn Shoots Down Guardians Of The Galaxy 3 Title Rumor

Star-Lord between Thor and Gamora

Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame.

Marvel Studios obviously has a ton of major franchises, but there are some properties that stand out as fan favorites. Chief among them is James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy, which has a unique tone that really resonated with moviegoers. The titular group of heroes have since become beloved household names, and got to crossover with Earth's Mightiest Heroes in Infinity War and Endgame.

Chris Hemsworth's Thor had particular chemistry with the Guardians-- particularly Rocket and Star-Lord. Endgame saw The God of Thunder leave Earth aboard The Benatar, dubbing the group the "Asgardians of the Galaxy." Some thought that might be the title for Guardians 3, but James Gunn recently shot it down.

James Gunn has historically used social media to directly communicate with the fandom-- although that slowed a bit after he was briefly fired by Disney from the Guardians franchise. He recently took to Instagram to field fan questions/concerns, where individual begged Gunn not to name the upcoming threequel Asgardians of the Galaxy. Gunn's response was short and sweet, check it out:

James Gunn's Instagram story

And just like that, James Gunn has essentially ended a popular fan theory. While there's still no indication of whether or not Chris Hemsworth's OG Avenger would be joining the Guardians franchise, it's clear that the developing sequel isn't going to be named after the God of Thunder.

James Gunn's Instagram story is sure to be a relief to many Guardians of the Galaxy fans, especially the one who slid into Gunn's DMs to ask the question. While many moviegoers loved the chemistry shared between Thor and the Guardians, the Guardians 3 should still be a movie that is largely focused on the motley crew of heroes. And after the franchise was seemingly in jeopardy last year, Vol. 3 has even higher stakes attached.

But James Gunn instructed fans not to worry about the third movie's title, which should help quell that specific fan concern. Smart money says the movie will end up titled Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, allowing it to be uniform with the first sequel. Although the franchise has been known to subvert expectations, so there's no telling what Gunn will bring to the table.

Both Avengers: Endgame and Infinity War seemed to set up another team-up between Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Star-Lord was clearly threatened by the muscle-clad hero, as the two argued over who was captain of the ship. The God of Thunder got his own adventure with Groot and Rocket throughout the first blockbuster, with the latter character being one of Thor's closest friends in Endgame.

Related: Kevin Smith Thanked Chris Hemsworth For Thor’s Endgame Appearance

The final scenes between the Guardians and Thor in Avengers: Endgame was a strong comedic beats, and certainly teased that he might be joining the team on an adventure or two in the future. Chris Hemsworth previously admitted he's interested in acting alongside the Guardians, although he also claimed to be taking a break now that Men In Black International and Endgame have finally arrived in theaters.

You can watch Thor and The Guardians in action in Avengers: Endgame, which is being re-released in theaters. Be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.