Is There A Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Spoiler Hint Sitting There On Instagram?

Marvel Studios has debuted the first trailer for "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3." The first look at the film shows a more mature set of Guardians, the cosmo's coolest heroes who continue to reel from the events seen in "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Endgame." The trailer beautifully juggles the sense of awe and wonder that Marvel fans know and love with a devastating feeling of finality. Some of the biggest reveals include the return of Gamora (Zoe Saldana), the debut of Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), and a brief look at Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) in his youth.

From the reflective tone it does look like writer and director James Gunn is wrapping things up for the Guardians, with the trailer dropping bold quotes like: "We'll all fly away together, one last time, into the forever and beautiful sky." With an aura of conclusion surrounding the film, it's difficult not to wonder what twists and deaths Gunn and Marvel boss Kevin Feige have in store for the final "Guardians" project. Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) and the gang's latest outing is completely shrouded in mystery but that hasn't stopped fans from speculating, trying to figure out what direction "Vol. 3" will go in. It turns out that a potential major spoiler for Gunn's latest could be hiding away on Instagram, and all it has to do with Dave Bautista's Drax.

Drax actor Dave Bautista took to Instagram in May to share a heartfelt photo of him and a select few members of the "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" cast as filming wrapped up. The actor's caption reads: "Haven't found the words yet. It ended so suddenly and I was on to my next film before I could process it all. End of a journey that changed my life." One of the hashtags Bautista uses is quite definitive: "#GoodbyeDrax." The actor's statement from earlier this year makes it seem quite certain that Bautista is done with the Marvel Cinematic Universe for good. This news wouldn't be too surprising considering the former WWE fighter has previously criticized the direction his character has gone in (via Twitter). Could Bautista's definitive comments mean that he's done with the role, to the point that the character of Drax is dead? It's possible.

The first look at the feature makes it abundantly clear that someone will die and all signs point to the fallen Guardian being Rocket Raccoon (Cooper). Some fans, however, think Rocket's "death" is nothing more than a fake-out. "[Rocket's] death is so telegraphed that I'm actually starting to believe he doesn't die," wrote user u/Danishroyalty while discussing the Marvel trailer on r/Movies. u/NoNefariousness2144 suggests that Bautista's Drax is the perfect contender to die, saying, "I could see them killing Drax. The guy who famously shows little emotion and has poor regard for people ends up sacrificing himself to save his new family."

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" helmer James Gunn hasn't shied away from the finality of his upcoming threequel. Back in 2017, the multi-hyphenate creative revealed in a Facebook post that "Vol. 3" would "conclude the story of this iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy," a bold statement he hasn't backed away from in the years since. In fact, Gunn has confirmed that someone will die in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," and there are plenty of contenders as to who that could be.

Dave Bautista has made it clear that there's very little chance he'll return to the role of Drax after the Guardians' third outing. The actor previously told Ellen in a 2021 interview that the Marvel role was becoming too physically demanding. While speaking with Digital Spy the same year, Bautista said that he has no future plans with Drax. "I mean, as far as my obligations, I've got 'Guardians 3', and that's probably going to be the end of Drax," the actor said. Could Gunn have made it so that Drax dies in "Vol. 3" so Bautista can blissfully retire from the Marvel role? Some fans think so. Reddit user u/cweaver says "James Gunn probably has a dozen or more DC characters picked out already that he could use Dave Bautista for." They also add that Drax no longer has much purpose now that Thanos (Josh Brolin) has passed, making it easy to send the character off.

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" hits cinemas on May 5, 203.