Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 marks the end of an era for many reasons. It is the finale of this trilogy which followed a ragtag cast of characters through multiple movies and not always their own. It began in 2014 with the first movie, which James Gunn also directed. Gunn has had a huge influence in the MCU and now he too is leaving Marvel to continue his work at DC.
So, as the finale, how does Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 stack up next to the main movies and spinoffs? There are three other spinoffs based on these characters on Disney+ including Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Shorts, and Rocket and Groot. They are not canonical to the MCU films, so they will not be counted in the roundup. Also, there will be spoilers for all MCU content up to this point in this fun ranking of the franchise.
5 I Am Groot
I Am Groot is a series of five shorts that feel heavily inspired by Pixar’s various shirts through the years: Groot’s First Steps, Groot Takes a Bath, Groot’s Pursuit, The Little Guy, and Magnum Opus. It takes place after the first movie wherein Groot is still a child. Vin Diesel reprises his role although Groot doesn’t say much in most of these.
They are cute little distractions for younger viewers. The best episode of I Am Groot is The Little Guy wherein Groot finds a tiny village of specimens under a rock. He tries to help them at first but things get chaotic quickly and they start fighting him like he is some sort of Colossi from Shadow of the Colossus. Magnum Opus is a good one as well as Rocket makes a cameo appearance.
4 The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is one of the best modern-day Christmas specials since A Charlie Brown Christmas first hit the waves in 1965. There have been plenty since then that are being skipped over right now, but it is truly a fun diversion for this space-fairing team of rebels. Peter is down in the dumps as it is Christmas on Earth but no one knows how to celebrate it in space. He’s also still sad about Gamora and how this new version of her is not the same.
So, Drax and Mantis hatch a plan to go to Earth to get Peter a gift. Their bright idea is to steal Kevin Bacon who has come up numerous times in the movies. It’s a fun caper to steal the famous star and ends with a pretty positive message too. It’s also just fun seeing Drax and Mantis interact with each other.
3 Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 had big shoes to fill. The first movie was celebrated as one of the best MCU movies due to its action, visuals, and comedy. It’s hard to outdo something that nailed everything so right the first time, but this sequel did a decent job. The band was now assembled although everything wasn’t solid.
The team still fought frequently but at least it was clear they cared for each other. The big plot revolves around Peter meeting his real father, Ego, who was played by Kurt Russell. It turns out Peter was part Celestial as Ego was basically a planet. It goes to some odd places including the end fight including a giant version of Pac-Man. The best scene of the movie has to be Yondu’s sacrifice followed by his tearful funeral.
2 Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was everything a third and final movie in a trilogy should be. It wrapped up the stories for all of its major characters and even left room for the series to continue in multiple ways. The ending confirmed Peter will return but not how he will show up again. Will he join The Avengers or perhaps have a solo movie?
Then there is Rocket who is the central focus of the movie. Fans finally get to see his origin story. The movie is going to make fans cry, guaranteed, but not in the way they may think. It’s full of surprises just as much as it is filled with jokes and action. It’s a bittersweet ending considering this was James Gunn’s swan song for his characters.
1 Guardians Of The Galaxy
There’s just no topping the magic that was the first movie. It was a nothing property that even diehard Marvel fans were not that familiar with in 2014. How could a movie sell such an odd cast of characters including a talking raccoon and a tree? Well, James Gunn figured it out and he is certainly one of the reasons why this trilogy worked out so well.
He’s not the sole reason Guardians of the Galaxy quickly became a beloved household name though. The cast was great too from the starring role of Chris Pratt as Peter Quill aka Star-Lord to supporting players like Benicio del Toro as The Collector. Everyone is giving a 100% in this movie and it is still a blast to watch almost a decade later.