Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Doesn't Take The Easy Path With Star-Lord And Gamora

This post contains major spoilers for "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3."

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is a break-up movie.

When we saw them in "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame," our titular group of intergalactic heroes were put through the wringer. In between writer/director James Gunn's two ensemble films, the Russo Brothers made their own creative decisions with the characters (including some that Gunn has expressed his personal disagreement with). Tragically, in "Infinity War," the deadliest woman in the galaxy, Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), died at the hands of her father, the Mad Titan Thanos (Josh Brolin), drastically changing the dynamic of the group going into "Vol. 3," and especially with her slow-burn love interest, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt).

That version of Gamora, the one we've seen evolve from lone-wolf assassin into the caring sister who found redemption within her found family, is gone. But through time travel antics, an alternate universe Gamora, who has never gone on that self-improvement journey, lives on.

As audience members, we're primed to see fictional couples like Star-Lord and Gamora and their love prevail over any and all obstacles. After all, this is the same franchise where Doctor Strange and Christine find each other in every universe, right? But "Vol. 3" does something fresh and different when it comes to bookending the relationship between these two characters: Instead of taking the easy route and giving the audience exactly what they want, Gunn chooses what makes the most sense for his individual characters.

At the end of "Vol. 3," Peter and this new alternate Gamora go their separate ways, and the film is better for it.

As Mantis (Pom Klementieff) puts it, Peter has spent his life jumping from lilypad to lilypad, and eventually, it's going to be time to learn how to swim.

As loyal and brave as he is, Peter was taken from Earth at a young age during a traumatic moment in his life, and that comes with its own extreme emotional baggage. Before the Guardians, he was a man of non-committal hook-ups, thieving, and looking out for himself. The Gamora he knew, however, was the first person he ever felt a true romantic connection with, and although their relationship was challenging and their true feelings were often unspoken until close to her death, it was real, authentic, and transformative. The Guardians as a collective have bettered each other as individuals. His genuine love for Gamora challenged Peter to — yes — become a better man.

But as much as Peter's love is valid, it's ultimately unfair to project all of it on alternate Gamora. "Infinity War" and "Endgame" are too jam-packed as films to properly unpack Peter's grief, so Gunn is given the luxury of properly dealing with it in "Vol. 3." We're reintroduced to Peter Quill on Knowhere, numbing himself with alcohol and mumbling about Gamora in his sleep. Over the course of "Vol. 3," we watch Peter try to rekindle a romance with alternate Gamora, but in a very literal sense, this Gamora is not the same person Peter fell in love with. In the end, Peter's ultimate character arc is learning to accept what was lost, and starting anew.

But just because what Peter and Gamora have in "Vol. 3" is no longer romantic doesn't mean their relationship has lost all meaning. Alternate Gamora is plucked straight from 2014, right before she ever got the chance of crossing paths with Peter, Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Groot (Vin Diesel) and Drax (Dave Bautista). Though she's moved on from her life serving Thanos by becoming a Ravager, alternate Gamora's characterization is pointedly less empathetic. In heists, she doesn't act like a proper Guardian. Her objective is decidedly more important than the lives and well-being of others, and she'll threaten an innocent bystander if it means achieving her mission.

Gamora is still moving on from her old life, and is still in many ways Thanos' daughter. She initially joins the Guardians on their quest in this movie because of the money she'll get from helping them, and she can barely even comprehend why the Guardians are risking their own lives to save Rocket. Although he's suffering from heartbreak, her time with Peter in "Vol. 3" shows her exactly what has been missing from her life — not through romantic gestures, but through his actions. Though she will never quite be the same woman they knew, ultimately, alternate Gamora walks away from the experience of fighting alongside the Guardians with a renewed faith and sense of unconditional love.

In that way, Peter is correct about alternate Gamora. The heroic and compassionate person he fell in love with is still there, even if the circumstances are different — and even if she can't love him back in quite the same way.

It would be easy and gratifying for the audience to keep our gang of misfits together, but eventually the last act kicks in and they all go their own separate ways. Gunn prioritizes not what the audience would like to see, but rather what makes sense for his characters. Peter goes back to Earth. Alternate Gamora goes back to her new Ravager family. Mantis goes on a journey of self discovery. Nebula and Drax parent a whole new community of children. They're still a family, and there's a lot of love there, but sometimes, true love means accepting the reality of parting one day.

But "Vol. 3" doesn't take the easy path with its characters, especially not with Peter and Gamora's relationship, and that's why it largely succeeds with its emotional beats. Gunn made a film about letting go of past traumas and inhibitions to forge a new path. That both extends to Rocket's journey of accepting that life is worth living, and also to Star-Lord and Gamora finding happiness and fulfillment outside what they used to have together.

Before Gamora returns to her Ravager family, she takes one more look at Peter and says, "I bet we were fun." It's only natural to think about how things could have been. Maybe one day, on better terms, Peter and Gamora will cross paths again and try again. But the future of their story lives beyond what's written in the screenplay. Star-Lord will be back (as promised in the post-credits text), but Zoe Saldaña's portrayal of Gamora is decidedly over.