Super Rant Rewatch: 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy Was A Major Turning Point for the MCU

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has had its fair share of defining moments, though one of its most pivotal has to be the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie.

Guardians of the Galaxy was a pretty significant gamble by Marvel Studios back in 2014. After all, there was once a time when general audiences had no idea that Marvel Comics had these more obscure characters, like a cosmic talking tree or a gun-toting talking raccoon. Because the Guardians were so outside the mainstream, it’s quite impressive to look back and see just how much James Gunn’s first MCU changed not only the trajectory for these characters, but for the entire MCU as a whole.

Ultimately, the film was a major success, surpassing several box office projections and kicking off a whole new franchise for Marvel Studios. However, the first Guardians movie feels even more notable as it truly expanded the MCU in ways audiences hadn’t seen before. As part of our Super Rant Rewatch series ahead of Avengers: Doomsday, here are some of my key thoughts on 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy.

Guardians of the Galaxy Was One Of The MCU’s First Major Risks

It’s easy to forget 12 years later, but the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie was a pretty large risk when it first hit theaters.

Before 2014, the MCU was largely grounded in way more recognizable heroes like Iron Man and Captain America. Even when the franchise expanded with more cosmic/supernatural characters like Thor, the God of Thunder spent the bulk of his time on Earth and/or Asgard (at least before 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok). Then, everything changed with director James Gunn and 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy.

Starring a whole team of lesser-known cosmic characters from the comics, the Guardians of the Galaxy were significantly re-imagined for their live-action MCU debuts. Remarkably, the portrayals envisioned by James Gunn were so well received that future depictions of the Guardians on the page quickly followed suit, banking on the movie’s success.

Additionally, the first Guardians of the Galaxy saw Marvel Studios fully embracing the space opera sub-genre for the first time, something they’d never done before. I’m still very impressed by how much the MCU went all in, featuring various worlds, multiple alien species, intergalactic treaties, and conquering cosmic warlords from the comics like Ronan the Accuser and Josh Brolin’s first appearance as Thanos (setting up the Infinity Saga’s culminating big bad).

The risks taken with the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie also included casting, primarily with Chris Pratt as the movie’s main lead, Peter Quill aka Star-Lord. At the time, Pratt was best known for his TV role on Parks and Recreation, and he undertook an impressive training regimen to get in shape for the role. Even then, the decision to cast Pratt was fairly unorthodox, though one that absolutely paid off. After all, Star-Lord has become a major fan-favorite Marvel hero, with Pratt himself becoming a household name in the years since.

Throw in Bradley Cooper voicing Rocket Raccoon and Vin Diesel voicing Groot (who only says three words), and it all sounds pretty ridiculous on paper back in 2014, especially without the foreknowledge that the property would become as successful as it did…and that’s exactly what made it so special.

Guardians of the Galaxy’s Unique Style & Heart Proved The MCU’s Limitless Potential

When it comes down to it, one of the reasons I love re-watching Guardians of the Galaxy is its genuine heart. The genuine emotion and connections between characters are really what sell everything else to the audience, no matter how crazy. The movie just has this inherently unique style and tone we now know could have only come from James Gunn, including the film’s now-iconic soundtrack, which is just as much a part of the movie’s identity as anything else.

At its core, Guardians is not really about spaceships, cosmic relics, talking trees, or irritable raccoons. It’s about loss, every person’s desire for connection, and found families. Quill is grappling with the death of his mother. Gamora is trying to escape a life shaped by trauma from her adoptive father. Rocket Raccoon carries massive emotional scars, who has these critical emotional beats during this first movie that are massively paid off by Guardians of the Galaxy’s third and final movie from Gunn.

Overall, 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy is such a big favorite of mine because it truly was a critical turning point for Marvel Studios, proving to audiences (and likely themselves) the limitless potential the MCU has to sustain wildly different tones and sub-genres, while still delivering meaningful character arcs. It absolutely opened the door for future Marvel projects to experiment even further. Imagine if the first Guardians had flopped. I have no doubt the MCU would have evolved very differently with a more reserved approach and fewer creative swings.

Will The Guardians of the Galaxy Be Featured In Avengers: Doomsday?

Looking ahead to the end of this year with Avengers: Doomsday and the beginning of the end for the Multiverse Saga, the Guardians of the Galaxy’s involvement seems pretty unlikely at this point. While there is a new iteration of the team in the aftermath of 2023’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, none of the actors have been confirmed for Doomsday’s cast thus far, nor have the characters been featured in any of the released teasers or promotions for the next Avengers movie. Perhaps they’re being saved for 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars?

The one glimmer of hope we do have is the tease at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which promised the return of “The Legendary Star-Lord.” Keeping that in mind, it’s possible that Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill could appear in Avengers: Doomsday. After all, the end of the third Guardians movie saw Quill leaving the cosmic team and finally returning to Earth to reconnect with his grandfather, meaning he might still be Earth-bound when multiversal crisis strikes in Doomsday.

At any rate, the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie will always be one of my favorite MCU marathon re-watches, even if it does run light on potential ties to Marvel Studios’ next big crossover movie on the horizon.

Let us know your thoughts on Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) in the comments, and be on the lookout next week for our Super Rant Rewatch of Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)! You can also check out our Super Rant: Doomsday Preppers podcast on Spotify and YouTube.

Release Date

August 1, 2014

Runtime

121 minutes