Editor’s note: The following article contains spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.We’ve known for a while that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 would be the last chapter in James Gunn’s beloved Marvel Cinematic Universe trilogy. We also know that some of the stars who play the Guardians in theaters are not willing to remain in the MCU without Gunn. Finally, we know that Gunn is a sadistic genius who enjoys making his audiences cry in theaters, or at least that is what we can understand by watching his movies. So, when we combined these three factors, of course, we were expecting Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to wrap the trilogy in a bloodbath, killing most of the team Gunn helped build for Marvel Studios. But who dies in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?
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Surprisingly, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 gives its Guardians a well-deserved happy ending, with all the core members of the team finding a new purpose or moving on with their lives. Yes, that’s right, not a single Guardian dies in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. In fact, as the end-credits scene reveals, there are even more Guardians around the MCU now. That doesn’t mean you won’t be crying over a few deaths. That’s because Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the bloodiest movie in the MCU, and some of these deaths hit like a truck.

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‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Kills More (Relevant) People Than Any MCU Movie

Image by Annamaria Ward 

When it comes to pure kill counts, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is not the bloodiest movie in the MCU. Over the last fifteen years, both heroes and villains alike have killed dozens, hundreds, and even thousands of enemies on screen. If we only consider the deaths we see on screen, Thanos (Josh Brolin) still is the absolute champion of death, having wiped out half the sentient life in the universe in Avengers: Infinity War. However, as much as the Russo Brothers did an excellent job in making the Snap so emotional, we all knew Avengers: Endgame was just around the corner, waiting to revert the effects of the Snap, which makes those deaths easier to handle.

Thanos is not the only genocide in the MCU, though, as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness introduced a version of Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) responsible for destroying an entire universe after causing an Incursion. Of course, if we expand our search toward What If…?, the Infinity Ultron (voiced by Ross Marquand) that serves as Season 1’s main villain kills an entire universe before breaking the barrier between timelines and killing even more people in the Multiverse. However, the problem with these MCU genocides is that we are less affected when the people killed are just numbers. We need an emotional connection to be able to suffer in theater, which is why Infinity War hurts us a lot more when Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) dies of the Vision (Paul Bettany) is destroyed. And when we remember the saddest deaths in the MCU, Natasha’s (Scarlett Johansson) sacrifice in Endgame trumps any genocide.

That said, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 might take the crown for the most impactful deaths in the whole MCU. For starters, Gunn’s latest movie also features a genocide, as the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) decides to wipe out Counter-Earth when he realizes he failed to create a perfectly harmonic society. However, Gunn manages to make this genocide more meaningful than the other ones featured in the MCU. First, we know billions of people are getting killed with no possibility of return. Second, Gunn allows us to spend some time with simple people who go out of their way to help the Guardians, only to be blown away a few minutes later. Finally, the genocide also claims the life of the Sovereign High Priestess, Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki), who was also a product of the High Evolutionary’s experiments and a somewhat tragic villain.

James Gunn Knows How to Make Fans Cry

Nevertheless, that’s not why Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 feels bloodier than other MCU movies. James Gunn knows which nerves he needs to hit to make fans cry their eyes out. That’s why the High Evolutionary spends a good chunk of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 runtime torturing and killing defenseless animals. And while we can always relativize the death of a humanoid creature, there’s something about human physiology that makes our emotions go haywire when a cute animal dies. Just ask John Wick fans!

Above every other victim of the High Evolutionary, the deaths that hurt the most in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 are those of Batch 89, the group of critters that underwent excruciating surgical procedures at the same time as Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper). While Rocket sees his life flashes before his eyes, we learn how he forged an unbreakable bond with the otter Lylla (voiced by Linda Cardellini), the walrus Teefs (voiced by Asim Chaudhry), and the rabbit Floor (voiced by Mikaela Hoover). Together, the four friends spend their days in dirty cages, cleaning each other’s wounds and dreaming about the blue sky they would one day see together. And from the moment they come into the scene, we understand how Gunn will wreak our souls.

Image via Marvel Studios

Of course, the High Evolutionary always intended to destroy Batch 89, so Rocket decides to break everyone out of jail. Anticipating Rocket’s rebellion, the High Evolutionary waits for the right moment to shoot Lylla in front of Rocket. And after Rocket gets consumed by grief and starts to shoot at the High Evolutionary’s guards, Floor and Teefs are caught in the crossfire and die. Rocket’s pain in the scene is palpable, and the Batch 89 murder might rival even some of the most touching deaths of the MCU, like that of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) or Yondu (Michael Rooker). The Batch 89’s deaths also cleverly subvert the audience’s expectations. We were all prepared to watch the Guardians die, and Gunn even uses some fake-death moments to play with our minds. But in the end, all the heroes are still alive. That doesn’t mean Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 doesn’t have high emotional stakes, as Gunn introduced a new group of lovable characters only to tear them apart in front of our eyes.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is currently in theaters.

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