With director James Gunn departing the MCU to take charge of Warner Bros.’ DC franchise, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 marks the end of an era. And since music has always been the backbone of the Guardians franchise, the pressure was on to provide a memorable musical send-off.
Judging by the reaction from fans, Gunn definitely succeeded—not with another retro song choice, but with a distinctly millennial track by Florence + the Machine.
Opening with “Creep” by Radiohead, Vol. 3 sets a more serious tone than the previous two films, focusing on Rocket Raccoon’s tormented backstory. By the end, each of the heroes have found some kind of personal closure, disbanding the original Guardians team. To bid them farewell, Gunn selected “Dog Days are Over” by Florence + the Machine, a song whose bittersweet lyrics were perfect for the franchise’s defining theme of found family.
Amid tearful reactions from MCU fans, singer Florence Welch posted her own response on TikTok, sharing a video of herself crying in a movie theater. “So I cried all the way through this movie but when the The Guardians of the Galaxy started dancing to Dog Days I really lost it,” she wrote.
@florence So I cried all the way through this movie but when the The Guardians of the Galaxy started dancing to Dog Days I really lost it. Thank you so much for all the love for this moment. The superhero obsessed little girl in me can’t believe it happened ♥️ x
♬ Dog Days Are Over – Florence + The Machine
This needle-drop is already drawing comparisons to the “Running Up That Hill” scene in Stranger Things, which had Kate Bush rocketing up the streaming chart. Released in 2008, “Dog Days” was a ubiquitous radio hit at the time. But that Guardians scene gives it a different emotional context, creating a cathartic moment as the Guardians prepare to go their separate ways.
“The way one scene can change how you listen to a song is insane to me” reads the caption on one viral TikTok.
@drewpark_2k The way one scene can change how you listen to a song is insane to me #gotg3 #giardiansofthegalaxy #guardiansofthegalaxyvol3 #dogdaysareover #marvel #marveltok #mcu #fyp #cyzb ♬ Dog Days Are Over – Florence + The Machine
It’s obviously early days yet, but the “Dog Days” montage is already building momentum as an iconic moment in MCU fandom, with numerous people posting about being moved to tears.
@thesancheztaylor Guardians of the Galaxy volume 3 is the closest ive ever came to crying in the cinema #guardiansofthegalaxy #guardiansofthegalaxyvol3 #starlord #rocket #rocketraccoon #dogdaysareover ♬ Dog Days Are Over – Florence + The Machine
@st3vengrant had me sobbing #guardiansofthegalaxyvolume3 #gotg3 #mcu #marvel #rocketraccoon ♬ Dog Days Are Over – Florence + The Machine
While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s critical reviews are not exactly stellar, these reactions illustrate how this movie succeeded where other MCU projects faltered: It provides a conclusive, emotionally fulfilling finale.
Some of these characters will return in other spinoffs, but this movie is very clearly the end of a trilogy. Crucially, GotG is also the first MCU franchise to be directed by the same filmmaker from beginning to end. Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor each had multiple directors, resulting in patchy character arcs and a lot of variation in quality and tone. And since Marvel is constantly trying to promote upcoming projects, many storylines arcs don’t really “end” in a conclusive way—they just lead into new spinoffs.
By contrast, James Gunn was able to keep the Guardians (more or less) on track, shepherding them through to an ending that actually feels like an ending. The purpose of that “Dog Days are Over” scene is to let fans say goodbye—and that’s the real reason why it’s such a tear-jerker.
