How Marvel can explore its universe without ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

It remains unclear exactly what Marvel Studios is planning to do with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Since writer-director James Gunn was fired by Disney this summer, the next installment in the space superhero series has seemingly run aground, with it being put on hold in August and a new rumor based on an issue of Production Weekly suggesting that production wouldn’t begin for several years.

It’s easy to see why Marvel might want to leave a third Guardians movie alone for awhile; the series has been so identified with Gunn that any future installment will raise the specter of his dismissal, and resurrect discussion over whether or not the studio made the right decision in dismissing him over years-old posts on social media. The idea of simply abandoning the series altogether has almost certainly been discussed, although likely swiftly discarded considering how successful earlier installments have been, and how beloved the characters are. But what if there was some way for Marvel to continue the movie series without all the baggage of the Guardians brand?