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When Guardians of the Galaxy debuted in 2014, it was a breath of fresh air for the MCU, but years later certain aspects have not stood the test of time. James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy depicted the eponymous team’s adventures in the MCU timeline. Its irreverent humor, stellar soundtrack, and colorful characters made it an instant fan favorite. However, as time has passed and audience expectations have evolved, certain elements of the Guardians trilogy haven’t aged as gracefully as others.

The first Guardians of the Galaxy movie is widely considered one of the MCU’s best movies to date. It took a group of obscure Marvel characters and turned them into household names. The combination of retro aesthetics, heartfelt storytelling, and ensemble cast dynamics propelled the films to massive critical and commercial success. It was promptly followed by two sequels. However, as with any cultural phenomenon,…

When Guardians of the Galaxy debuted in 2014, it was a breath of fresh air for the MCU, but years later certain aspects have not stood the test of time. James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy depicted the eponymous team’s adventures in the MCU timeline. Its irreverent humor, stellar soundtrack, and colorful characters made it an instant fan favorite. However, as time has passed and audience expectations have evolved, certain elements of the Guardians trilogy haven’t aged as gracefully as others.

The first Guardians of the Galaxy movie is widely considered one of the MCU’s best movies to date. It took a group of obscure Marvel characters and turned them into household names. The combination of retro aesthetics, heartfelt storytelling, and ensemble cast dynamics propelled the films to massive critical and commercial success. It was promptly followed by two sequels. However, as with any cultural phenomenon, time and scrutiny reveal flaws that were perhaps overlooked during the initial hype. While the movies excel in creating memorable moments and dynamic characters, some elements come across as tone-deaf or outdated upon reflection.

10

Drax Bullying Mantis In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

Mantis is introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as a naïve and trusting empath, a character with a tragic backstory of abuse and isolation. She’s raised by Ego, who takes her from her home planet to serve him as a loyal companion. Her entire life before meeting the Guardians revolves around fulfilling Ego’s needs, calling him “Master” and remaining cut off from any meaningful human connection.

Enter Drax. From the moment he meets Mantis, Drax subjects her to relentless verbal abuse, often calling her “ugly” and “disgusting.” He even makes gagging noises when looking at her, a recurring “joke” throughout the film. While Mantis’s obliviousness to Drax’s insults is meant to add humor, it becomes deeply uncomfortable upon closer examination. Mantis’s naivety and history of abuse make her an easy target, and the audience is expected to laugh at her expense. The humor ultimately feels mean-spirited and undermines the character’s potential.

9

Underwhelming Villains In Vol. 1 & 2

Guardians Of The Galaxy & Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

Both Guardians of the Galaxy and its sequel struggled with creating compelling villains. In the first film, Ronan the Accuser is a generic, one-note antagonist whose motivations and personality barely register. Despite Lee Pace’s commanding performance, Ronan’s lack of depth makes him forgettable compared to more nuanced MCU villains like Loki or Killmonger. His sole purpose seems to be to serve as an obstacle for the Guardians, rather than a fully realized character in his own right.

In Vol. 2, Ego the Living Planet fares slightly better thanks to Kurt Russell’s charisma and charm. However, Ego’s motivations feel abstract and poorly developed, centered on an impersonal desire for universal expansion. His grand plan lacks the emotional stakes needed to make him a truly engaging villain. For a series celebrated for its vibrant characters and innovative storytelling, the Guardians films’ inability to deliver memorable antagonists stands out as a glaring flaw that diminishes the overall impact of the stories.

8

Peter Quill’s “Dance-Off” Solution Was Anticlimactic

Guardians Of The Galaxy

The climax of Guardians of the Galaxy hinges on an unconventional resolution: Peter Quill challenging Ronan to a “dance-off” to distract him. While this moment captures the irreverent spirit of the film, it undermines the emotional and narrative stakes built up throughout the story. After an entire movie of dramatic tension and world-building, the payoff feels like a joke that prioritizes humor over meaningful resolution.

What should have been an epic showdown is instead played for laughs, which wasn’t especially satisfying. While the humor worked for many upon the film’s release, subsequent viewings reveal the scene as an anticlimactic conclusion to a high-stakes conflict, reducing the tension in favor of a cheap gag. Moreover, this likewise wasted Ronan further, unable to fully flaunt his fearsome powers. The scene fails to deliver any of the emotional impact expected from a climactic moment, diminishing the film’s overall narrative weight.

7

The Sequels Completely Failed To Recapture The Original’s Magic

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 & Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3

The original Guardians of the Galaxy struck a perfect balance between humor, heart, and action, earning its place as one of the MCU’s standout entries. Its charm lay in its unexpectedness – a ragtag group of misfits coming together against all odds, supported by a killer soundtrack and heartfelt character moments. Unfortunately, Vol. 2 and Vol. 3 struggled to replicate this magic.

Vol. 2 leaned heavily on sentimentality and humor, often at the expense of cohesive storytelling. The plot meandered, with forced emotional beats that felt unearned. By the time Vol. 3 arrived, the novelty of the Guardians’ antics had worn thin. While both sequels had their highlights, they lacked the spark that made the first film so special. As a result, the trilogy’s later entries feel more like echoes of the original’s brilliance than worthy continuations of its legacy.

6

The Soundtracks Quickly Became Underwhelming

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 & Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3

The Guardians films are synonymous with their soundtracks, with the first movie’s mixtape playing a significant role in its charm and identity. Hits like “Come and Get Your Love” and “Hooked on a Feeling” perfectly complemented the story and characters. These tracks felt integral to the narrative, enhancing the film’s emotional resonance and quirky tone. Indeed, the music was an integral part to the movie’s success.

However, the subsequent soundtracks felt increasingly uninspired. While Vol. 2 and Vol. 3 included memorable tracks, the magic of the first mixtape was never fully recaptured. The latter films’ song choices often felt obvious and uninspired. The original brought a good mix of hits and obscure classics. The sequels largely picked random hits from the era rather than carefully curated soundscapes. As a result, the soundtracks, once a defining feature of the franchise, began to feel less like a narrative element and more like a marketing gimmick.

5

Drax Calls Gamora a “Green Whore”

Guardians Of The Galaxy

In the first Guardians film, Drax refers to Gamora as a “green whore” during an argument. While the line is explained in-universe as part of Drax misunderstanding a fellow inmate talking about Gamora, assuming that “Green Whore” was her name or race. However, this is glossed over quite quickly and isn’t made as obvious as it could be. As a result, the insult seems unnecessarily harsh, especially given that it’s aimed at one of the film’s few prominent female characters.

Gamora’s significance as a strong and capable warrior is undercut by this crude remark, which feels out of place even within the film’s irreverent tone. Even with its contextual justification, this line is an example of how some of the franchise’s humor hasn’t aged well. It clashes with contemporary sensitivities around derogatory language, making it a glaring misstep in an otherwise well-written film.

4

Rocket Raccoon Mocks an Amputee

Guardians Of The Galaxy

Rocket Raccoon’s irreverent humor is one of the defining aspects of his character, but some of his jokes land poorly in hindsight. In the first film, Rocket mocks an amputee, making fun of a fellow prisoner’s prosthetic leg and stealing it because he thought it was funny. While the scene’s humor is rooted in Rocket’s mischievous nature, it’s hard to ignore how mean-spirited it feels upon rewatch.

Indeed, Rocket is pretty mean-spirited throughout all the Guardians movies. This moment be interpreted as an example of Rocket’s internalized ableism, given his own history of physical modification and trauma explored in Vol. 3. However, the amputee joke leans too heavily on cruelty, and feels incongruous with such a sophisticated theme. While the films attempt to show Rocket’s emotional depth later on, moments like this undermine his arc by portraying him as unnecessarily cruel for the sake of a laugh.

3

Yondu’s Fatherhood Flip

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

Yondu’s character arc is one of the most emotional aspects of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, culminating in his heroic sacrifice to save Peter Quill. However, this resolution feels manipulative when contrasted with Yondu’s portrayal in the first film. Initially depicted as an abusive and morally dubious figure, Yondu’s sudden redemption in Vol. 2 feels unearned. His harsh treatment of Peter in the first film, including threats and emotional manipulation, are swept aside in favor of a touching father-son dynamic.

While his sacrifice is an undeniably moving MCU moment, the decision to flip Yondu from antagonist to surrogate father figure seems like an overly convenient way to shoehorn an emotional climax into the narrarive. This transformation, though powerful at the moment, feels rushed, underdeveloped, and overly manipulated to prompt an emotive response from the audience.

2

Thin Female Character Arcs

Guardians Of The Galaxy, Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2, Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3

The Guardians are notable for underdeveloped female characters. Gamora, Mantis, and Nebula are all compelling in concept but frequently sidelined in favor of their male counterparts. Gamora’s most significant moments occur in the Avengers films, where her relationships and internal conflicts are explored in greater depth. Meanwhile, Nebula’s complexity isn’t fully realized until later MCU entries, leaving her early appearances feeling shallow.

Mantis, on the other hand, remains a comedic foil with little agency or growth throughout the series, and, if anything, propagates negative stereotypes about women being submissive. Her naivety and obsequiousness are played for laughs, but she’s rarely given the opportunity to evolve as a character. Compared to the depth and development afforded to Peter Quill, Rocket, and Drax, the lack of attention to the Guardians women stands out as a significant shortcoming that undermines the franchise’s otherwise strong ensemble cast.

1

Drax’s Comedy Became Too Over The Top

Guardians Of The Galaxy, Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2, Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3

Drax’s humor in the first Guardians of the Galaxy is a highlight, with his literal interpretations and deadpan delivery providing a unique comedic angle. However, by the third installment, Drax’s humor had become exaggerated and one-note. His once-subtle comedic timing is replaced by shouting, slapstick, and exaggerated antics that overshadow his character’s original depth.

This shift diminishes the complexity of Drax as a character. In the first film, his humor was contrasted against his tragic backstory and serious demeanor, making it both effective and endearing. By Vol. 3, he’s largely reduced to comic relief, with his more serious traits sidelined. This evolution, or lack thereof, highlights a broader issue with the trilogy’s handling of certain characters, where humor is often prioritized at the expense of narrative and emotional depth. Years later, this aspect of Guardians of the Galaxy has aged particularly badly.

• 

  Egotistic loner and “legendary” space pirate Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) falls foul of bounty hunters and his former allies after he steals an orb containing the Power Stone. Chased by Ronan the Accuser, a powerful Kree villain and thrown into an uneasy alliance with a group of similar misfits, he must adapt to his new dynamic or risk everything. He’s joined by gun-toting Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), treelike-alien Groot (Vin Diesel), Thanos’ daughter Gamora (Zoe Saldana), and the vengeful Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista). Can the galaxy’s most infamous a-holes really save the day?

  Release Date

  
  July 30, 2014
  

  Runtime

  122 Minutes

  Cast

  Zoe Saldana
  , Karen Gillan
  , Vin Diesel
  , Michael Rooker
  , Djimon Hounsou
  , Lee Pace
  , Benicio Del Toro
  , Glenn Close
  , Dave Bautista
  , ​Chris Pratt2
  , Bradley Cooper
  , John C. Reilly

  Writers

  James Gunn
  , Nicole Perlman
  , Dan Abnett
  , Andy Lanning

• 

  Set to the sonic backdrop of Awesome Mix 2, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the adventures of Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Baby Groot as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics reappear.

  Release Date

  
  May 5, 2017
  

  Runtime

  137 minutes

  Cast

  Dave Bautista
  , Chris Pratt
  , Chris Sullivan
  , Vin Diesel
  , Kurt Russell
  , Zoe Saldana
  , Karen Gillan
  , Elizabeth Debicki
  , Sylvester Stallone
  , Glenn Close
  , Sean Gunn
  , Nathan Fillion
  , Tommy Flanagan
  , Michael Rooker
  , Pom Klementieff
  , Bradley Cooper

  Expand

• 

  The conclusion to the trilogy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, will see the Guardians on one final adventure together as they face off with the powerful Adam Warlock – one of the most significant threats the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever seen. To protect a friend and their world as they know it, Peter Quill and his allies will band together to save one of their own and the galaxy from certain doom.

  Release Date

  
  May 5, 2023
  

  Runtime

  116 Minutes

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