Summary
The Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy provides some of the most entertaining – and most unhinged – moments in the extensive movie history of the MCU. Back in 2014, the Guardians of the Galaxy were among Marvel Comics’ most obscure characters. The fact that a space opera including characters like a wisecracking raccoon and a walking tree was being made at all was impressive enough, but the additional fact that it somehow tied into the same universe as The Avengers made things even more interesting.
With their endless bickering, struggles to do the right thing, and heartfelt family dynamic, the Guardians have gone on to become some of the most popular characters in the MCU timeline. This only became more true as the franchise continued, as each of the Guardians’ appearances saw audiences grow more and more fond of them. With the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ending closing out the series as viewers knew it 9 years after their first film, there’s a big selection of moments to look back on in the Guardians history, showing a range of comedy and tragedy – as well as plenty of awe-inspiring fights.
Picking Up Thor In Outer Space
In Avengers: Infinity War
The tag at the end of the first trailer for Avengers: Infinity War saw Thor coming face-to-face with the Guardians of the Galaxy. This was exciting for a couple of reasons, because seeing the Guardians in an Avengers movie was tantalizing enough, but seeing them interact with a post-Ragnarok Thor specifically was an amazing prospect. In the actual movie, this scene didn’t disappoint, as the Guardians answered an Asgardian distress signal and found the God of Thunder floating through space. The dynamic among the group immediately sets up for great comedy, as everyone besides Quill – who tried to impersonate him – was instantly enamored with “the god-man.”
Getting Chased By The Sovereign
In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
The opening scene of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 sees the titular team protecting some valuable batteries from an inter-dimensional beast for the Sovereign. They successfully kill the beast, and seemingly return all the batteries to the Sovereign. But before they leave, Rocket swipes a few of the batteries – not because he needs them, but simply because he couldn’t resist doing something wrong – so the Sovereign’s fleet of ships chases the Guardians through space. The Sovereign’s crafts are all remotely piloted, so the only people in danger here are the Guardians themselves, adding an entertaining level of stakes to the action sequence.
Star-Lord Drops The MCU’s First F-Bomb
In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
As a largely family-friendly franchise, the MCU was without one of cinema’s favorite curse words for a long time, leading to speculation about who might get to drop the first official F-bomb being rife as a result. The rag-tag Guardians proved to be the winning bet for this debate, as a sequence of dialogue between Star-Lord and Nebula where the former explains how cars work concludes with Peter telling his comrade to “open the f*cking door.” It’s a moment that feels perfectly fitting for the trilogy, and also one that solidifies the Guardians of the Galaxy series’ legacy in the overarching franchise.
Breaking out of the Kyln
In Guardians Of The Galaxy
The Guardians cast breaking out of Kyln was the scene that made the Guardians a team in the first place. They were caught trying to one up one another on Xandar and got locked in the Kyln, leading the group to realize that they needed to work together to break out. None of them could escape on their own, and they were driven by the prospect of splitting the bounty they’d receive for the Orb. The team devised a plan to break out, and then ruined it immediately, because Groot didn’t hear that his part was supposed to be done last – so they really had to pull together to make the breakout a success.
Destroying Ego’s planet
In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
The MCU is often criticized for following a rigid formula, particularly in its movies’ third acts. The films will usually converge in a big battle in which the heroes fight a faceless army on their way to the villain. The third act of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has one of these battles, but the stakes are personal. Not only does the villain want to wipe out all life in the universe and start it from scratch in his own image; the villain is Star-Lord’s biological father. Star-Lord fights his dad, while Baby Groot takes a bomb to the core of his planet, with the team eventually succeeding in their goals.
Yondu’s funeral
In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
It’s a stone-hearted Marvel fan who can get through Yondu’s funeral without tearing up. The great thing about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’s ending is that, while it gives Yondu a heartfelt send-off, it doesn’t forgive his deeply questionable past. Yondu had a lot of regrets, and he wanted his final action to be something good, so he saved his adopted son’s life – as, finally realizing how lucky he was to raise Quill, Yondu sacrifices himself to save him. Quill gives a heartbreaking eulogy about having “a pretty cool dad,” and then the Ravagers show up to honor their fallen comrade.
The Guardians Fight The High Evolutionary
In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
Each of the Guardians sequels escalated its action scenes from the previous one, making Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 provide some truly intense action to close out the film trilogy. After breaking into the High Evolutionary’s ship, the Guardians get to work on their greatest heist yet – freeing the inhabitants of the ship, who’d all been subjected to the same kind of brutal experimentation that Rocket had experienced in his youth. The fight within this sequence is immense – set to “No Sleep ‘Till Brooklyn” by the Beastie Boys, and providing a look at how intertwined the Guardians are now able to fight after all these years – but it’s also a lot more than that.
It’s a period of the film with some horror – as the High Evolutionary’s skin mask is parted from his face, revealing what lies beneath it – and some heart-wrenching emotion, as Rocket is able to also save a group of raccoons from the ship, providing him with some closure regarding his own brutal origin story. Fittingly, this all closes on an overall light note, with everyone being saved from the spacecraft thanks to the psychic efforts of Cosmo the Spacedog, and Star-Lord escaping a near-death experience after the interference of a now-heroic Adam Warlock.
Confronting Thanos on Knowhere
In Avengers: Infinity War
While Rocket and Groot took off in the escape pod with Thor to get a new weapon forged on Nidavellir, the rest of the Guardians went to Knowhere to try to prevent Thanos from acquiring the Reality Stone, which had been kept there since Thor: The Dark World’s post-credits scene five years earlier. However, they were shocked to discover that the Mad Titan had already arrived – and even more shocked to discover that he’d acquired the Stone and tampered with the fabric of reality to trick them. The most heartbreaking moment comes when Gamora tells Quill to fulfill his promise to kill her, and after he gathers the courage to do it, Thanos turns his blasts into bubbles.
“We are Groot.”
In Guardians Of The Galaxy
James Gunn has confirmed that the Groot audiences came to know and love in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film is dead – with Baby Groot being his offspring – making the original movie far more potent as a result. Groot really did make the ultimate sacrifice as Ronan’s ship was going down, ultimately knowing that he was going to permanently die as a result of trying to protect his friends. And because he’d found a family with this lovable band of misfit outlaws, he was happy to do it. Rocket was heartbroken, but Groot is ultimately a hero, and his sacrifice is still one of the series’ most potent moments.
The Original Guardians Of The Galaxy Part Ways
In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 had some big shoes to fill in order to provide a fitting sendoff for its team of plucky sci-fi adventurers – and mercifully, it did that and more as the final installment in the series. The movie’s goals are best encapsulated by its ending, which gives time to say goodbye to each member of the original team, and show a little about what their future holds.
This includes some heartfelt goodbyes in the case of Drax and Mantis, some heartfelt hellos in the case of Gamora reuniting with the Ravagers and Peter reuniting with his grandfather, and a final funky dance scene for everyone else. While the Guardians of the Galaxy series may continue with the new Guardians team lineup, this fond farewell to the first roster is the perfect note to conclude the first squad’s time with, by epitomizing the comedy and emotion that made their time in the MCU so successful.
