That in theory then lends itself to James Gunn’s recent comments about where Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will sit in the branching and advanced timeline.
The first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies are now streaming on Disney+ along with whole Infinity Saga, while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is due to hit theaters May 5, 2023.
Asked on Twitter what year Guardians 3 is set in, James Gunn simply said “Now.”
So with that in mind, it would seem that Gunn’s “now” actually just means at the current time in the context of the movie and not in the past.