The Super Bowl 2023 Trailer Has Marvel Fans Convinced Guardians Of The Galaxy 3 Will Be A Bloodbath

It's almost time for one last ride with your favorite family of a-holes.

Marvel Studios used the Super Bowl to unveil a brand new –- and unnecessarily gut-wrenching –- trailer for "Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3" the final entry in James Gunn's Marvel Cinematic Universe trilogy and his last project with the franchise before jumping to the DC Universe full-time. In fact, the director is already on double-duty this evening, promoting the new "The Flash" trailer on his Twitter just moments before this one. The upcoming film reunites the stunning ensemble of Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, and Karen Gillan, and introduces new characters Cosmo (Maria Bakalova), Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), and the villainous High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji).

Debuting just a couple of months after February's "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" looks set to continue MCU Phase 5 with higher stakes, heart, and sacrifice than what we've seen before. The imminent danger of this band of misfits' final adventure is obvious in the marketing, with released footage causing many fans online to panic about the fates of the characters they've grown to love.

As @Elocin_712 wrote on Twitter: "This is going to break out hearts, isn't it."

Indeed, if there's one thing fans can expect from a James Gunn Marvel film –- aside from off-beat humor and perfect needle drops –- it's a heavy dose of heartbreak. The first "Guardians of the Galaxy" film saw the original Groot sacrifice himself for his newfound family. In the second, Peter's adopted father, Yondu (Michael Rooker), gave up his life for his adopted son. Given that this is the last film in Gunn's nearly ten-year "Guardians" saga, it's likely he won't leave any heartstring un-tugged. In other words, as one fan tweeted: "we aren't ready for the pain, James."

Some fans couldn't even survive this small snippet of footage without getting misty-eyed. @char_arnstein tweeted, "This trailer literally made me cry. Don't do this to me." @emiliaharcourts shared a photo of John Cena's Peacemaker bawling his eyes out with the caption, "JAMES I CANT DO THIS TODAY IM GONNA CRY." Meanwhile, @spideynolfan claimed the trailer has made them "AN EMOTIONAL WRECK" that will be inconsolable until at least the film's May 5th release date.

While most fans are getting overwhelmed by the mere notion of the "Guardians" series coming to an end, most are beside themselves with preemptive grief over the death of a fan-favorite character. Judging by these users, one Guardian, in particular, seems to be on the chopping block for the threequel – and no one is ready to say goodbye.

In James Gunn's Twitter mentions, fans agree on one thing and one thing only –- Rocket Raccoon will meet his maker (literally and figuratively) in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3." To the credit of these fans, the footage released in the first two trailers doesn't exactly paint his future in an optimistic light, with the character bathed in heavenly white light as he delivers an ominous line about flying away "into the forever."

"This [trailer] has the stench of death..." wrote @rvbdrm, "Rocket's gonna die, isn't he?" @forvendetta_0 replied, "That was my feeling." Several other users expressed their anxieties about Rocket's fate, including @JamesBabington_ (who accompanied their terror with a grim use of the "Walt screaming in a car" meme) and @magoforrest1, who begged, "please let Rocket Raccoon live." @BahuNader shared a foreboding screenshot from the trailer of Peter screaming in anguish over something unseen, noting that it likely signaled a moment of unmatched pain yet to come.

Though the series seems determined to go out on a bleak yet triumphant note, fans are nonetheless excited to experience this pain together. "This is gonna be such an emotional movie knowing it's the last guardians film," tweeted @jonnkenobi. @NemesisPax1986 admitted, "I am simultaneously excited and terrified of getting my heart torn into shreds." Finally, and arguably most aptly put, one user wrote, "I can already tell this one is going to be hitting me right in the feels. And I look forward to it."