While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is locked in for the release date of May 5, 2023, James Gunn revealed that the upcoming Guardians holiday special would be 40 minutes as fans still await an official date sometime before the end of 2022. The Guardians might be the funniest characters in the franchise, but they have been plagued by a number of fears, more so than many others.

These apparitions range from insecurity issues like Rocket Raccoon’s fear of being abandoned to Star-Lord’s fear of grappling with his greatest loss. Every member also has the same kinds of things they are scared of and why they feel so strongly about them.

To Be Openly Vulnerable

The Guardians are rarely shown in a position of vulnerability because they’re afraid of showing this side of themselves. For instance, Rocket’s many funny quotes in the MCU have to do with the fact that he’s hiding his true feelings of insecurity, as pointed out by Yondu in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

Rocket isn’t the only member, though, as the rest of the group do the same by deflecting any moment where their sensitive side might be shown with a joke. The Guardians are largely nervous about looking weak in front of people, which even applies around one another except for when they can’t hide it anymore.

To Lose Anyone In The Group

Some of the saddest quotes in the MCU have come from the Guardians since they have been unfortunate to lose quite a few of their members. No matter how much they might fight and bicker, the team genuinely cares about each other, and losing anyone is an underlying fear.

It was this that drove Star-Lord to attack Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, as the former’s worst fears had come true. Similarly, Gamora went straight into Thanos’ lair when she was scared for Nebula’s life, which was a fear that Thanos perfectly exploited to lure her there.

To Be Undermined And Belittled

The Guardians generally come from backgrounds where they have been treated with cruelty, which has since become a touchy point for them. The members have an underlying fear of being subjected to such treatment once more, and they overcompensate by acting tough.

Drax developed feelings of inferiority after his family was killed because he was unable to stop it. As such, he took on a demeanor where he wanted to act as the bully, so he wouldn’t feel undermined once more. The same applied to Star-Lord, who lived in such fear while growing up because of how harsh the Ravagers were to him.

To Face Certain Death

Although the Guardians are frequently in situations where they can be killed off, they are fine with it as long as they believe there’s a way out. It’s when the issue of certain death comes up that they lose their composure. This was seen best during the Snap, where the Guardians reacted with terror.

Rocket was also visibly frightened when he and Rhodey were about to drown, as he whimpered with the belief that his time may have come until Ant-Man saved him. The Guardians are fine with accepting death if they have had time to process it, but a sudden demise is something that truly scares them.

To Be Left All Alone

The Guardians engage in the action-heavy lifestyle because they can’t function in an environment where they’re all alone. Escaping solitude was among the reasons why the Guardians joined the group since they found a family of sorts with their fellow members.

Loneliness and isolation are aspects that drive fear into each member’s heart because they need each other’s company to keep their day-to-day life going. Gamora was visibly emotional in Avengers: Infinity War when she discussed potentially losing her life with Star-Lord, which represented how she feared the possibility of being alone.

To Be Forced To Fight When They Don't Want To

It’s incredible how different the Guardians behave when they’re in a fight they want to be a part of and when they want to run away from one. The group is brave in general, but being forced into battle is something that scares them because they didn’t sign up for it.

The first Guardians of the Galaxy had them run away from Ronan and the Ravagers in fear, as the Guardians wanted nothing to do with the conflict surrounding Xandar. Similarly, they wanted to flee when they learned of Ego’s plans in the sequel, with the group scared at the possibility of the villain slaying them.

To Have A Target On Their Back

There have been several memes about the Guardians of the Galaxy’s funny behavior whenever their backs are against the wall, but these jokes are a way of hiding their fear. The Guardians were visibly frightened when Ayesha’s forces were after them, as it meant they had a constant target on their back.

Avengers: Infinity War brought this fear back when the Guardians realized that Thanos was after Gamora, which led to rash decisions from the team. While the Guardians are good at improvisation, it also comes with a considerable amount of fear since their usually laid-back lives are threatened.

To Be Rejected By Their Loved Ones

The Guardians carry a great fear of rejection due to the fact that they never found a place they felt included until they met each other. As such, this fear is magnified around their loved ones, whom they never want to be estranged from even if they won’t admit it.

Star-Lord fled from Yondu rather than worry about the possibility of being disowned by the latter, while Gamora was distraught when Nebula initially refused to reconcile with her. Rocket has also gotten into situations where he claims he’s done with the Guardians out of fear of them doing the same to him.

To Return To The Sorrowful Lives They Had Before Joining The Group

The Guardians are aware of how their lives have been enriched being around each other, mainly because they had no purpose before it. Having to return to their sorrowful existence once more understandably frightens them, as it means giving up their newfound purpose.

Despite the rest of the Guardians’ death years prior, Rocket was shattered at the prospect of them never coming back to life in Avengers: Endgame when the Time Heist was threatened. It had to do with him losing the hope he had that they could still be reunited with him.

To Be Confronted With Their Greatest Sadness

Out of all fears, this just might be the greatest one for each Guardians member. The teammates always avoid talking about their biggest sadness or regret because they’re afraid of feeling the effects of this loss all over again. To their credit, the Guardians have been part of some of the saddest MCU moments yet.

Star-Lord spent decades afraid of reliving the painful experience of losing his mother, Gamora tried to push down memories of life as Thanos’ daughter, Drax has failed to move on from the pain of his family’s demise, and Rocket and Groot refused to go in length at their backgrounds. Overall, having to face up to their sad history is something the Guardians remain afraid of.

NEXT: The 10 Luckiest MCU Characters, Ranked