Before 2014, the Guardians of the Galaxy were some of Marvel’s most obscure characters. When Marvel Studios announced a film adaptation of the comics, it was considered to be a huge risk and the MCU’s best chance of finally bombing at the box office. Of course, after James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy was released to some of the MCU’s best reviews, it was a different story.
As unlikely as it had previously seemed that a talking tree superhero would make it into the mainstream, the Guardians now rank among the most popular characters in the world — and, arguably, the best part of Marvel’s behemoth ensemble.
Escaping From The Kyln
The first time that the Guardians come together as a team is when they’re all locked up in the Kyln and decide to break out so they can take the Orb to Knowhere and split the reward between them.
Due to a miscommunication with the plan, Groot carries out the final stage first and the team has to improvise, exemplifying just how great their teamwork is when they actually work together.
“Bunch Of Jackasses, Standing In A Circle.”
What initially brings the Guardians together is the giant paycheck they’ll share after selling the Power Stone. But they really become a team when Quill galvanizes them to help save Xandar from Ronan the Accuser’s wrath.
The last one to stand up and pledge their solidarity to the team is Rocket, who undercuts the drama of the scene by saying, “You happy? We’re all standing up now. Bunch of jackasses, standing in a circle.”
Groot’s Sacrifice
During the final battle of the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, the Guardians manage to infiltrate Ronan’s ship and bring it down. Groot starts growing out his branches to give his new friends a cocoon that will protect them from the impact of the crash.
Rocket tells Groot that he can’t do it because he’ll die, but Groot sums up why he’s happy to sacrifice himself to save the other Guardians: “We... are... Groot.”
Saving Xandar With A Dance-Off
When Ronan’s ship crashes onto Xandar and the Kree baddie prepares to use the Power Stone to destroy the entire planet, Quill distracts him with a dance-off set to “O-o-h Child” by the Five Stairsteps.
As he’s distracted, Quill grabs the Power Stone, and the other Guardians all take his hand to help him bear the brunt of its immense power. Quill tells a bewildered Ronan, “You said it yourself, b*tch! We’re the Guardians of the Galaxy!”
Rocket, Groot, And The Detonator
In the Guardians’ last-ditch effort to vanquish Ego from the universe and prevent “The Expansion” from taking over the universe, they decide the only way to kill him is to detonate a bomb in his core.
But the only one small enough to get into the core and plant the bomb is Baby Groot, who can’t grasp which button he’s supposed to press, no matter how many times Rocket explains it.
“You Shouldn’t Have Killed My Mom And Squished My Walkman!”
At the turn of the final act in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Ego reveals his megalomaniacal evil plan to his son in the hope that he’ll join him. Quill, of course, refuses and instead decides to face insurmountable odds and engage his ultra-powerful biological father in combat.
Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” kicks in on the soundtrack as Quill taps into his emotions to draw power from Ego’s planet and simply tells his Celestial dad, “You shouldn’t have killed my mom and squished my Walkman!”
Yondu’s Sacrifice
When Rocket is leaving Ego’s planet while Quill is still down there, he gives Yondu the only spacesuit and, without words, he knows the sacrifice he’s going to make. Groot tells Yondu, “I am Groot,” which Rocket translates: “He said, ‘Welcome to the frickin’ Guardians of the Galaxy’ — only he didn’t use ‘frickin’.’”
After Quill defeats Ego and accepts his fate as the planet crumbles around him, Yondu swoops in to save him and gives his life to save his adopted son. He tells Quill, “He may have been your father, boy, but he wasn’t your daddy.”
Yondu’s Funeral
Immediately following Yondu’s heartbreaking sacrifice, the Guardians throw a funeral for him. Quill gives a heartfelt eulogy about how his dad was basically David Hasselhoff all along before a memorial service complete with the horns of freedom and the colors of Ogord.
For fans who manage to get through Yondu’s death scene without choking up, the funeral usually gets them — especially Kraglin’s passionate battle cry when the other Ravagers show up.
Quill Tries To Shoot Gamora
In Avengers: Infinity War, when the Guardians head to Knowhere to keep the Reality Stone out of Thanos’ hands, Gamora makes Quill promise to kill her if she gets captured by the Mad Titan because she won’t be able to keep the location of the Soul Stone from him.
When they get to Knowhere and Gamora is promptly captured by Thanos, a heartbroken Quill reluctantly keeps his promise — only for Thanos to turn his blaster fire into bubbles.
Thor Leaves Earth With The Guardians
There were a number of great team-ups in the ambitious crossover event that is Avengers: Infinity War, but the most tantalizing one was the Waititi-ized Thor joining the Guardians of the Galaxy. Chris Hemsworth proved he had terrific chemistry with the Guardians cast.
So, it was a joy when he returned to the team in Avengers: Endgame. He joined them on their ship as they left Earth following Tony Stark’s funeral. Thor and Quill’s banter about who’s in charge sets up a hilarious dynamic for the Guardians’ highly anticipated appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder.