The ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’ Post Credit Scenes, Explained

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is now in theaters, capping off a trilogy that started all the way back in 2014. It’s an emotional story that bids a (possible) fond farewell to some of the most beloved characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—and, true to form, it’s got a couple of post-credit scenes.

Curious about what’s in those scenes? Not sure you understood every reference? We’ve got you covered! Here’s a breakdown of both Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 post-credit scenes.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 post-credit scene 1: the new Guardians

In the first post-credit scene, Rocket, Kraglin, Cosmo, Adam Warlock, one of the genetically enhanced kids who were rescued from the High Evolutionary’s ship, and Adam’s weird furry pet Blurp are sitting in the desert, talking about music. Rocket puts on one of his favorite songs, and it turns out to be “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone. This is the song that Peter Quill danced to in the opening scene of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1., when he was on his way to steal the orb. It’s a nice callback to the original film.

The villagers gathered behind the group don’t seem to like the music, though. In fact, they start screaming and running away. Wait—it turns out something is coming! Rocket nudges the rock next to him, which turns out to be Groot. Groot is now gigantic, with branches coming out of his head that look like a crown. His new form is a nod to his appearance in the comics—and a possible reference to a comics Groot variant known as King Groot. Groot in the comics, after all, is royalty.

The kid, her eyes glowing purple, frets over what she and the others are about to do to whatever’s coming for them. However, Rocket tells her that the villagers can’t protect themselves—and calls her Phyla-Vell, revealing that she’s a new MCU character straight out of the comics. They start fighting a horde of aliens. Meet the new Guardians of the Galaxy, with Rocket in command.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 post-credit scene 2: Peter eats breakfast

At the end of the movie, we saw Peter go home to see his grandfather again after several decades away. Now, after the credits, we catch up with them. Peter and his grandfather are sitting at the breakfast table. Peter, his mouth full of cereal, complains about how the neighbor’s 45-year-old son watches him while he mows their lawn. His grandfather reads the morning paper, which has the headline “Alien Abduction: Kevin Bacon Tells All.” The headline, of course, is a reference to the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, in which Mantis and Drax kidnap Kevin Bacon as a Christmas present for Peter.

After the scene, we see a tag saying that Star Lord will return. With all the Guardians alive and well, don’t be surprised if we see them again in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty or Avengers: Secret Wars, coming in 2025 and 2026.

(featured image: Marvel)