Last year, writer-director James Gunn was fired from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, having helmed the previous two movies, after some decade-old offensive tweets were dug up. There was talk of Disney using his script for the threequel as they searched for another director, and then they just rehired him without much explanation.

In the interim, he was snatched up by the DCEU for the Suicide Squad sequel, and so Marvel will have to wait for him to make that before moving onto the third Guardians film. The threequel will likely introduce new characters, like the second did, so here are 5 Members We Want To See In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 (And 5 We Don’t).

Don’t want to see: Jack Flag

Jack Flag just doesn’t have the weirdo factor that would make him a good fit for a Guardians of the Galaxy movie. There’s nothing about him that’s particularly special: he’s great at martial arts, he has impeccable stamina, and his only superpower is superhuman strength. Jack would be out of his depth among the likes of Drax the Destroyer and Rocket Raccoon.

The Guardians are weird, yet lovable – that’s their whole appeal. The problem with Jack Flag is that, at least among these characters, he would just be boring. He wouldn’t get any jokes in, there would be nothing particularly interesting about his action sequences, and the audience ultimately wouldn’t care about him.

Want to see: Vance Astro

From his name, Vance Astro might sound like another Peter Quill – a charming rogue with the qualities of both Han Solo and Indiana Jones – but he’s actually nothing like Quill. He’s a mutant with the power of psychokinesis and a mastery of Captain America’s shield.

He comes across the shield after Cap loses it (which could be something that happens between Cap’s inevitable death, or retirement, in Endgame and the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) and learns how to use it. Astro sometimes goes by the codename Major Victory, although this is optional in the film adaptation, since Vance Astro is a pretty cool name as it is.

Don’t want to see: Cosmic Ghost Rider

Cosmic Ghost Rider is the result of a messy and confusing series of alternate timelines. In one version of events (probably one of the 13,999,999 others Doctor Strange saw in Infinity War), Thanos managed to conquer the universe. Then the Frank Castle of that timeline, instead of becoming the Punisher, made a deal with the demon Mephisto and became the Ghost Rider, eventually becoming the Cosmic Ghost Rider and joining the Guardians of the Galaxy.

While it would be an elaborate way to get fan-favorite Jon Bernthal back into the mix after Netflix dropped his Punisher series, but with a Ghost Rider already in the MCU and the single timeline we’re in already being confusing enough, this is probably best left out of it.

Want to see: Moondragon

We might already have a bald-headed female alien character in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, but Nebula is totally different from Moondragon. Moondragon, otherwise known as Heather Douglas, has mastered basically everything a person can do that is impressive: science, space flight, martial arts, and others.

Also, she’s openly bisexual, which would go a long way towards fixing the lack of inclusivity in the MCU. The character has some truly dark storylines in the comics, including turning Thor into her sex slave and accidentally killing her father, but whether or not the MCU adapts them is up to Kevin Feige (probably not, though).

Don’t want to see: Beta Ray Bill

Beta Ray Bill would not fit into the MCU at all. He was the first Marvel character outside its take on Norse mythology to be able to wield Thor’s hammer Mjolnir. And okay, this wouldn’t be an issue now, since Mjolnir has been destroyed, but Beta Ray Bill has been deemed worthy to wield Stormbreaker, too. And it’s the principle of the thing.

If none of the Avengers were able to shift that hammer in Age of Ultron, audiences wouldn’t be too thrilled to see some hotshot Korbinite waltz on in and start fighting off bad guys with Thor’s axe. He doesn’t suit the tone or world of the MCU either.

Want to see: Phyla-Vell

Phyla-Vell is one of the key members of the current Guardians of the Galaxy team. The character has gone by a number of different alter egos – including Quasar, Martyr, and Captain Marvel (although the MCU probably won’t be using that last one for her) – and she’s extremely powerful. She has super-strength, the ability to fly, and the powers of energy projection and absorption.

Her species is a hybrid of Titanian and Kree, which would certainly make an interesting conflict – she’s a blend of the species of the Guardians’ two greatest foes, Thanos and Ronan. Actually, this could lead to a very important message about not judging a book by its ethnic cover. Plus, it’s been heavily hinted in the comics that Phyla-Vell is a lesbian, and it’s about time the MCU was joined by an LGBTQ superhero.

Don’t want to see: Agent Venom

Agent Venom is the superhero alter ego of Flash Thompson, the guy who used to bully Peter Parker in high school. Tony Revolori’s Flash Thompson in Spider-Man: Homecoming and its upcoming sequel is a funny character, but he’s not the kind of guy we want to see get involved in the action.

The comic book version of Flash Thompson is a big, tough jock who fights in Iraq, loses both his legs, and becomes a superhero when he’s bonded with the Venom symbiote. However, the MCU Flash is a dorky douche who’s still in high school – it just wouldn’t work.

Want to see: Angela

Angela was created by Neil Gaiman, initially for the Spawn comics, although the rights were later sold to Marvel Comics and she became a member of the modern Guardians of the Galaxy team. Currently, in her Marvel incarnation, she is a god and the heir to the Asgardian throne.

With Chris Hemsworth likely leaving the MCU after Avengers: Endgame, the Angela character would be a great way to continue the Asgardian legends on the big screen without him. Plus, despite Captain Marvel’s introduction, there’s still a dearth of strong female characters in the MCU, and Angela joining the franchise would go a long way.

Don’t want to see: Cosmo the Spacedog

There are a lot of silly characters in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, including a talking raccoon and a talking tree, but the actors playing them humanize them with their performances. That probably can’t be done for Cosmo the Spacedog, a parody of the Soviet space dog Laika.

Cosmo already appeared in the first Guardians movie in a cameo role as a living exhibit in the Collector’s museum (and later appeared with the Collector and Howard the Duck in the post-credits scene), but the character is too absurd to be taken seriously in a larger role in Vol. 3.

Want to see: Adam Warlock

Introduce Adam Warlock to the MCU already! James Gunn wanted to bring him into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but producer Kevin Feige made him wait. In hindsight, the decision made sense, because Adam Warlock would enter the ring as one of the most powerful characters in the MCU along with Captain Marvel and Thanos.

It would’ve messed up the power balance of Infinity War and Endgame. So, he was confined to a mid-credits scene in which the Sovereign creates an artificial being capable of destroying the Guardians and calls it “Adam.” In the third Guardians movie, we need to finally meet this guy.

  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Release Date: 2023-05-05 The Avengers 4 Release Date: 2019-04-26