Now almost a decade into their MCU journey, the Guardians of the Galaxy have faced a bunch of different villains on-screen. Ayesha and the Sovereign are one threat that will surely return in the future. And in the last two Avengers movies, they even teamed up with Earth’s mightiest heroes to take on Thanos.
In their solo franchise, the Guardians have tackled some of the MCU’s least compelling villains, like the one-note Ronan the Accuser, but also some of its most interesting, like Nebula and Ego the Living Planet. They were both strongly developed villains, but who was stronger?
Ego: He’s Blinded By His Own Arrogance
Ego’s plan is to tear down the entire universe and rebuild it in his own image, because he’s disappointed with a bunch of planets’ civilizations and thinks they could benefit from a healthy dose of himself.
In this regard, Ego doesn’t believe he’s evil. He thinks he’s doing the right thing, because like Thanos, he’s blinded by his arrogance (hence the name Ego).
Nebula: Her Motivations Are Understandable
Gamora and Nebula were raised by Thanos, the cosmic warlord who would go on to wipe out half of all life in the universe, so murder was pretty normalized in their household. And not only that, the Mad Titan used to force the two sisters to fight each other.
Vying for his approval made them resent each other. Nebula was particularly resentful because she never won. Her desire to kill Gamora just to get her dad’s attention is dark, but understandable.
Ego: He’s Immensely Powerful
Ego is a Celestial, one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel universe, so it wasn’t easy for the Guardians to defeat him. It took all of their combined efforts to destroy his planet.
All the best MCU villains have a huge amount of power that makes them a formidable threat to the heroes. Thanos is an unstoppable tour de force, the Winter Soldier is filled with Super-Soldier Serum, and Ego is a living planet.
Nebula: She’s A Relentless Killing Machine
Once Nebula has set her sights on killing Gamora, she refuses to back down. No matter how many setbacks she faces in her quest, she keeps her eyes on the prize, dedicated to ending her sister’s life.
Thanks to being raised by Thanos, Nebula feels next to nothing when she kills people, especially if those people are standing in the way of her sadistic goals. As soon as she spots Gamora on Ego’s planet, she crashes her ship into her.
Ego: Kurt Russell Brings An Unnerving Charisma To The Role
Kurt Russell has been one of the most charming actors in Hollywood for years, and he brought plenty of that charm to the role of Ego. Ego wins over Quill with his promises of superpowers, and he wins over the audience with effortless charisma.
That charisma takes an unnerving turn after Quill figures out his evil plan and he’s just as suave and confident when he’s talking about why he deemed it necessary to kill Quill’s mother.
Nebula: Her Sibling Rivalry With Gamora Is Relatable
Existing in the shadow of a much cooler and more revered sibling, Nebula is sort of the Jeanie Bueller of the MCU. Her sibling rivalry with Gamora is the most relatable aspect of her character.
When the two battle it out in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, their use of giant turrets and spaceship cannons plays like a big, grand, VFX-laden metaphor for a fight between any two siblings.
Ego: He Killed Quill’s Mom And Squished His Walkman
As if his plan to rewrite the universe to suit his personal brand didn’t have audiences hating Ego enough, the turn of the final act brings the double whammy of Ego revealing that he killed Quill’s mother and then crushing his Walkman in his hand.
This leads to one of the MCU’s most gloriously heroic moments as Quill tells Ego, “You shouldn’t have killed my mom and squished my Walkman,” before fighting him to the death set to Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain.”
Nebula: Karen Gillan Brings Plenty Of Pathos To The Role
For all intents and purposes, Karen Gillan didn’t have a lot to work with when she was given the role of a secondary villain whose life’s goal is to murder her sister. But Gillan took that material and ran with it.
She plays Nebula as a straightforward sadist, especially in the first Guardians movie, but she also brings plenty of pathos to humanize the role of a cybernetic killer alien.
Ego: He Made Quill Realize Who His Real Father Was
Thematically, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is all about fatherhood, and nature versus nurture. Quill spent his whole life rejecting Yondu and waiting to meet his biological father. Meeting his biological father and learning that he’s an unhinged genocidal maniac made Quill realize who his real father is.
In his heartfelt eulogy following Yondu’s sacrifice, Quill accepts that Yondu did his best to raise him as his own. In Yondu’s own words, Ego “may have been your father, boy, but he wasn’t your daddy.”
Nebula: She’s Conflicted
The worst MCU villains are the generically evil ones with no redeeming qualities. Throughout the first Guardians movie, Nebula shows that she’s conflicted over her vengeful pursuit of Gamora.
When she blows up Gamora’s ship and it seems for a brief moment that she might have succeeded in killing her, Nebula is shown to be filled with remorse. In the sequel, she was fully redeemed. She became a full member of the Guardians and finally embraced Gamora as her sister.