Cinema is dead – and Guardians of the Galaxy 3’s final scene proves it

Seen all of Quill and co’s cinematic adventures? It’s not enough, apparently

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Major spoilers follow for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. You’ve been warned.

If you haven’t yet seen the latest ahem Gunnslinger –Guardians of the Galaxy 3– and you really want to, do turn back at the end of this paragraph. Nobody wants you to read thescant spoilersI’m about to share. But wait! Before you leave, do yourself a favor: get yourself aDisney Plustrial stat, if you haven’t already got one, or grab one of the bestDisney Plus deals. You’re going to need it.

Don’t be like me, trotting along to see the flick on opening night, excited to immerse myself fully in the latest scrapes and japes of Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill and his dysfunctional surrogate family (since the last time I joined them all here) in my local IMAX theater.

To clarify: I’ve seen all priorGuardians of the Galaxymovies on this big screen, thanks to my limitless cinema ticket. Been there. Done it. Watched them all. So that’s the sole prerequisite for seeingMarvel’s latest film (outside of watchingAvengers: Infinity War,Avengers: Endgame, andThor: Love and Thunder) right?

Not quite. It turns out weallhad extra homework for this one. It’s so pivotal, in fact, that if you haven’t done so, you’ll be more than a little confused and bemused by what plays out. The message from Disney is clear: pay the TV streaming fee and bone up,MarvelCinematic Universe (MCU) fans.

What you’re supposed to know before you go

So, what’s the problem? Take a trip down memory lane with me, reader, and you’ll remember there was a 44-minuteGuardians of the Galaxy Holiday Specialthat arrived on Disney Plus in November 2022. And, if you haven’t seen it, there are a few MCU debutants who’ll knock you sideways,especiallyat the very end of the movie.

That’s not a good feeling for people like me, aka fans who decided that, given the current cost of living crisis (and given that, as an audio specialist, I am already shelling out for all of thebest music streaming services), something had to go. And that something was Disney Plus, i.e. one of the world’sbest streaming services.

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Look, I know Disney’s primary streamer is home to some of thebest Disney Plus showsaround (hello,The Mandalorian Season 3, you and your forefathers are going to be crucial to my enjoyment ofStar Wars: Ahsoka, aren’t you?) and that Doctor Strange’s particular outcrop in the Multiverse is all over this kind of juxtaposition –WandaVision, I’m looking at you. However, this is the first time my lack of Disney at home has felt like a gut punch, and here’s why.

What did we (read: I) miss in the Guardians' small-screen special? Quite a bit, actually. Everyone’s favorite cosmic supergroup has a new swanky ride called The Bowie,Groot looks totally buff (although that can be explained away owing to the passage of time, I’ll grant you), and there’s a new character called Cosmo the Dog (voiced byBodies Bodies Bodies' Maria Bakalova), a cosmonaut who speaks English through a widget in her suit and who has mad telekinesis abilities.

Oh and Kevin Bacon. Kevin Bacon! You know, everyone’s favoriteFootloosestar and one of Quill’s beloved Earth-based heroes. You may remember that Gamora died inInfinity Warand, understandably, Peter was not happy about it. ComeEndgame’s time traveling escapades, too, an alternate reality’s version of Gamora is now alive and well in the MCU, but she’s also younger than before and, most importantly, doesn’t know who Star-Lord is. Cue Quill moping about the joint at the start of the Holiday Special, then. To cheer him up, Drax and Mantis kidnap and gift “legendary hero” Bacon to Quill as part of the Holiday Special’s festive themed story.

I did not know any of this. So imagine my surprise during the end credits crawl when a scrapbook/collage image of Kevin Bacon appears alongside the rest of the cast, my internal monologue screams “Why is Kevin Bacon’s face there though?”, and my outer monologue quickly follows. Then, in the finalfinalscene, we see Quill slurping cereal with his grandfather – this is after the Guardians disband, with Quill heading back to Earth to reunite with ol' pops after their last meeting inGuardians 1– and complaining about how their neighbor’s 45-year-old son likes to watch him mow the lawn.

The old man shakes out the morning paper. We’re ripe for a teaser folks! And there it is, the headline on the front page: “Alien Abduction: Kevin Bacon Tells All”. As part of the movie’s second post-credits scene (and, technically, the final scene of Gunn’s MCU career), I felt left out. IloveKevin Bacon, and hearing Quill’s constant referencing of the actor in the Guardians' movies was a fun, inside joke. To know that he’dactuallyappeared in the MCU at some point, then, was incredibly disappointing to me. That’s despite my love for this bizarre and misfit-fabulous corner of the MCU, too.

I’ve been thinking about it all wrong: Disney knows its cash cow – streaming is the future

I know, I know. I’m looking at it all wrong. There’s no point getting all “I pay for unlimited tickets at my movie theater, I shouldn’t need to pay for Disney Plus, too” when Disney knows theoppositeis true. The bulk of its loyal, global fanbase – especially MCU fanatics – are starting to wait until Marvel films debut on Disney Plus before they watch them. Just look atBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever, Thor 4, and the forthcomingAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania(find outwhenAnt-Man 3comes to Disney Plus), all of which didn’t perform as well as expected at the box office, as proof of that. In short: why pay to go to the movies when Disney cares most about its captive, streaming-first audience.

I can’t help but feel, then, that my beloved cinema is dying. The post-pandemic world hasn’t helped, with people still reticent to venture out  to watch films on the big screen. That’s even more clear when you see people investing in one of thebest TVs,best soundbars, and other home entertainment paraphernalia they could afford over lockdown.

So yes, my love for my local Odeon persists strong and true. And, if my only two concerns are 1)Guardians of the Galaxyand 2) attending my local theater as soon as the movie lands, paying a monthly fee for 44 minutes of crucial content that aids my understanding of this film franchise and my enjoyment might seem like a bit of a non-argument to some of you. At the time of writing (May 12),Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3has taken $365.6 million at the box office (perBox Office Mojo), so plenty of us are going to see it.

At the movies, though, there are no distractions. There’s no beep from the washing machine, no neighbours shouting, noAmazondelivery for  those living in the apartment above me (but they’re not in, so I have to take it in…). The cinema is my time, and I’m sad that Disney doesn’t really get that – or, if it does, it also needs me to pay for the MCU’s expanding suite of TV-based content as well.

And I get it. The interconnectivity of the MCU means that, if you don’t keep pace with most Marvel TV shows, you will end up being confused when you and watch the next MCU movie in theaters. Just look atThe Marvels, which arrives in November and requires you to have seen deep breathCaptain Marvel,Avengers: Infinity War,Avengers: Endgame,Shang-Chi,WandaVision, andMs Marvel(the latter two being Disney Plus series). Even so, there are people like me who can’t afford a Disney Plus subscription right now – and we’re the ones who’ll end up missing out on key information about the MCU before we go and watch the movie series' next film. No matter what side of the fence you sit on, that doesn’t sit right with me.

For more Marvel-based coverage, find outhow to watch the Marvel movies in order. Alternatively, get the lowdown onSecret InvasionandLokiseason 2, two of Marvel’s TV offerings for 2023.

Becky became Audio Editor at TechRadar in 2024, but joined the team in 2022 as Senior Staff Writer, focusing on all things hi-fi. Before this, she spent three years at What Hi-Fi? testing and reviewing everything from wallet-friendly wireless earbuds to huge high-end sound systems. Prior to gaining her MA in Journalism in 2018, Becky freelanced as an arts critic alongside a 22-year career as a professional dancer and aerialist – any love of dance starts with a love of music. Becky has previously contributed to Stuff, FourFourTwo and The Stage. When not writing, she can still be found throwing shapes in a dance studio, these days with varying degrees of success.

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