James Gunn Explains the Guardians of the Galaxy Trilogy Themes

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to release soon, and as the premiere date gets closer, director James Gunn has dove into what the themes of the trilogy are and how the third film will connect.

Speaking to Fandango, Gunn mentioned that the first two Guardians of the Galaxy films are about Peter Quill’s (Chris Pratt) relationship with his mother and father, respectively. For the third film, the overarching theme will be the character’s relationships with themselves.

“I think of Vol. 1 as being about the mother. Vol. 2 is about the father, and Vol. 3 is about the self, and coming to terms with each of those situations,” said Gunn. “In the first one, Peter Quill is coming to terms with his relationship with his mother, which is the person he loved the most in the world. In Vol. 2, he’s coming to terms with his relationship with his father. The one he thought he wanted wasn’t the one he wanted, and the one he had was better than what he thought he was.”

Gunn went on to say that the third film is more about accepting yourself and diving into what makes people who they are. He mentioned that even in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Mantis reveals that the characters all have things they dislike about themselves as an example.

“And then in the third one, it’s about getting to accept yourself,” Gunn said. “Who are we really? And how are we okay? You know, Mantis even says it one time in the movie, most of them don’t like themselves very much. They all have issues with themselves. Nebula has issues with herself. Peter has issues with himself. Mantis, Kraglin, they all do. And Rocket most of all. So I think that that’s what this movie is about above and beyond anything else.”

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is slated to premiere on May 5, 2023.