Does Yondu appear in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3?

Cameron Frew
Michael Rooker as Yondu.

Yondu was integral to the first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies before sacrificing himself in emotional fashion. So does Michael Rooker’s character return in Vol 3?

In our review, we wrote: “A triumphant, beautiful closer for a team we’re devastated to lose, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 is one of the best MCU movies ever made.”

A lot has happened in the six years since Vol 2. The Guardians fought against Thanos, lost in a blur of dust, before returning and saving the universe alongside the Avengers. They’ve worked with Thor, and in the Holiday Special, they even kidnapped Kevin Bacon (he’s okay now).

With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, some Marvel fans may be wondering if Yondu makes a surprise appearance – well, we’ve got the answer.

Spoilers to follow…

Is Yondu in Guardians of the Galaxy 3?

Yes, Yondu makes a brief appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3.

Yondu died in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. He helped Peter escape after his battle with Ego, but with only one oxygen suit between them, he sacrificed himself so he could get Peter up and away into outer space. “He may have been your father, boy, but he wasn’t your daddy,” he famously told him.

Kraglin inherited his whistling arrow, but following on from Vol 2’s post-credits scene, he’s still struggling to use it when we catch up with him in the threequel, often impaling Nebula.

When the High Evolutionary’s “hellspawn” attack Nowhere, he sees Yondu in the distance telling him to “use his heart.” It’s an incredibly brief moment, but a crucial one, as Kraglin finally gets to grips with the arrow.

Gunn confirmed in an earlier tweet that Yondu is dead with no return in sight. “As I’ve said many times before, as long as I’m a part of the Guardians, Yondu is dead, 100%, forever, no magic resurrections. Any other way would be belittling his sacrifice and what his story means to so many people,” he wrote.

However, he added: “Flashbacks aren’t resurrections,” paving the way for his cameo in Vol 3.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 is in cinemas now. You can read our review here, while for more on the movie, head to our dedicated GOTG page, or check out the below articles…

Best Easter Eggs | Pete Davidson cameo | Who dies? | Counter-Earth explained | Number of post-credits scenes | Avengers: Infinity War reference | Phyla-Vell explained | Is Yondu in GOTG 3? | Chris Pratt wants to return | Lylla, Teef and Floor explained | Does Rocket die? | Doctor Moreau influence | Adam Warlock, hero or villain? | High Evolutionary explained | Soundtrack details | Description of post-credit scenes | All actors and characters | Runtime explained | Why Rocket is the MVP | Is it streaming? | What is Blurp? | Ending explained | GOTG movies ranked | Will there be a Vol 4?

About The Author

Cameron is Deputy TV and Movies Editor at Dexerto. He's an action movie aficionado, '80s obsessive, Oscars enthusiast, and a staunch Scot. He earned a First-Class Honours Degree in Multimedia Journalism from Glasgow Caledonian University, accredited by the NCTJ and BJTC. He began his career at UNILAD, starting as a Junior Journalist and becoming Entertainment Editor prior to joining Dexerto. You can contact him at cameron.frew@dexerto.com.