Scenes from Guardians of the Galaxy

Back in 2014, the Guardians of the Galaxy were among Marvel Comics’ most obscure characters. The fact that a space opera about a wisecracking raccoon, a walking tree, and a grayscale badass was getting made at all was impressive enough, but the additional fact that it somehow tied into the same universe as The Avengers made things even curious-er.

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. So, here are The MCU’s 10 Best Guardians Of The Galaxy Scenes, Ranked.

Quill and Thor argue over who’s in charge

It would be fun to see Thor show up in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, or the Guardians show up in Thor: Love and Thunder, because the dynamic between those characters – especially since Taika Waititi made the God of Thunder a tragicomic figure – is incredible. And the closing moments of Avengers: Endgame seemed to set this up, as Thor hitched a ride into outer space with the Guardians on the Benatar. Thor instantly challenged Peter Quill’s leadership, and the two got into a faux-friendly argument about who was really in charge. A whole movie of that would be spectacular.

“Bunch of jackasses, standing in a circle.”

The scene where the characters plan their strategy for the final battle is usually the most boring part of a movie. It just establishes the rules of the action instead of simply getting to the action. (Admittedly, in some cases, this is used well.) But in Guardians of the Galaxy, that scene is one of the funniest and most integral in the movie, because the twist is that the characters have no interest in helping out in the final battle. Star-Lord has to galvanize them all with his “part of a plan,” eventually getting everyone to stand in a circle and pledge their allegiance to the Guardians.

Getting chased by the Sovereign

The opening scene of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 sees the titular team protecting some valuable batteries from an interdimensional beast for the Sovereign. They successfully kill the beast, thanks to Gamora’s badassery – although Drax took the credit – and return the batteries to the Sovereign. But before they leave, Rocket swipes a couple 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.

Breaking out of the Kyln

This was the scene that made the Guardians a team in the first place. They were caught trying to screw each other over on Xandar and got locked in the Kyln, and then realized 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 screwed it up 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

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.

Picking up Thor in outer space

“Who the hell are you guys?” 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. Everyone besides Quill – who tried to impersonate him – was instantly enamored with “the god-man.”

“You said it yourself, b***h! We’re the Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Peter Quill acted fast when Ronan made it to Xandar with the Power Stone. He could wipe out the planet in an instant, and Quill wasn’t going to let that happen, so he distracted Ronan with a dance-off long enough for the other Guardians to get into position. Then, he grabbed the Power Stone out of Ronan’s hands and his teammates joined hands with him to share the burden of the cosmic energy channeling through it. This gave Quill a chance to make up for not taking his dying mother’s hand when he was a kid on Earth. When Gamora reaches out to take his hand, he reaches back.

Yondu’s funeral

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 years of abuse or history of child trafficking. Yondu had a lot of regrets, and he wanted his final action to be something good, so he saved his adopted son’s life.

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.

Confronting Thanos on Knowhere

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 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 up the courage to do it, Thanos turns his blasts into bubbles.

“We are Groot.”

James Gunn has confirmed that the Groot we came to know and love in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film is dead. Baby Groot, who appeared in Vol. 2 and grew into a teenager throughout the next two Avengers movies, is his offspring. Groot really did make the ultimate sacrifice as Ronan’s ship was going down and he really did know that he was going to permanently die as a result of it. 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.

NEXT: 10 Reasons Guardians Of The Galaxy Is The MCU's Best Solo Franchise