Every Guardians Of The Galaxy Movie, Ranked

"The Guardians of the Galaxy" franchise took the Marvel Cinematic Universe by storm when its first film rolled out over a decade ago. James Gunn's signature cheeky yet charming style (which he's now bringing to the rebooted DC universe) immediately created a following as Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) and company met, fought, coalesced, and then turned into a superhero posse worthy of saving Xanadar, Earth, and everything in between. The films consistently rank among the most popular MCU movies to date.

At the time of this writing, the Guardians have shown up in seven other movies across the massive, ever-expanding comic book universe. That includes three "Guardians of the Galaxy" films, two "Avengers" flicks, an extended cameo in "Thor: Love and Thunder," and a short, stand-alone, made-for-TV holiday special. And, of course, at the end of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," the crew is reset, leaving the door open for even more shenanigans to come.

With the Benatar Crew out there soaking up so much limelight, we thought it would be fun to gather up all of their movie appearances and rank them, because who doesn't love a good ranking of a beloved IP? So, without further ado, here is the official /Film list of "Guardians of the Galaxy" movie appearances (not including serialized shows like "What if...?" and "I am Groot"). Let the debates begin.

The Guardians of the Galaxy are a quirky crew, and the MCU has used them for plenty of random, one-off moments. One of the most offbeat of all has to be their appearance in "Thor: Love and Thunder." We catch up with the gang early in the movie, as they're traipsing across the galaxy with the God of Thunder, responding to distress calls and helping the helpless.

This could have been a lot of fun, and there was a big hullabaloo about the Asgardians of the Galaxy team-up before the film came out. In the end, though, the Benatar Crew were only in Thor's fourth franchise film for a matter of minutes. They set up a few jokes, and there are some awkward moments between Thor and Star-Lord as the "who's in charge here?" tension carries over from the end of "Avengers: Endgame." In the end, though, the scene is really about Thor, and it's setting up the God of Thunder's own impending story — one that leaves the Guardians in the dust once the movie gets going in earnest. It doesn't help that the movie, as a whole, is consistently ranked among the MCU's lowest entries, too. If we're talking about the best Guardians of the Galaxy moments, this one drops right to the bottom of the list.

If there is one genuinely middling "Guardians of the Galaxy" movie, it has to be "Vol. 2." The sequel falls flat compared to the splashy intro story and is a genuine slump in the crew's timeline. That's not to say it doesn't have its moments. There are some great comic relief beats with Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and Drax (Dave Bautista), and we get some tough love growth between sisters Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) and Nebula (Karen Gillan).

Really, though, the ensemble story is about one man above all others: Star-Lord. Chris Pratt's character finally learns who his dad is in the form of Kurt Russell's maniacal Ego. We find out that Ego killed Peter Quill's mother, leading the latter to commit patricide as a way to save countless lives across the galaxy.

The movie is fun and has plenty of that Guardians swagger — but it just isn't cohesive or compelling enough to stand out. Hence, it comes in the bottom third.

When Kevin Bacon plays himself in the MCU, you know things are going to be uniquely entertaining. The "Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" is just that. It is a quirky one-off entry into a superhero canon already rife with the unusual and unexpected. While the holiday special doesn't accomplish much, it does reveal that Star-Lord and Mantis are siblings and sets the stage for "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3."

One of the most compelling things about the holiday special isn't the made-for-TV film itself, but the way it came into being. Director James Gunn and Marvel big boss Kevin Feige talked about making a holiday special for years. Gunn wanted to make it in the spirit of the "Star Wars Holiday Special," which he unironically loved in his own youth. Even better? They filmed the movie while they were making "Vol 3." The schedules were literally intermingled. In an interview with EW, Gunn explained the fun of breaking from the emotionally heavy full-length feature film to work on the holiday short, saying:

"To be able to take a day off and go shoot this goofy, low-stakes comedy show where nothing was really too serious, that was really a relief, and it was a lot of fun. I really would look forward to those holiday special days on my schedule. It's like, 'Oh, it's a holiday special day today. Let's party.'"

While it doesn't have the weight or iconic cult following of other "Guardians" films, the production story and the light-hearted frivolity of the special itself give this one enough oomph to land solidly in the middle of our ranking.

"Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3" is a special installment in the Guardians story — if only because it doubles as an ending for the original gang and an origin story for Rocket (Bradley Cooper). The team also recovers some of the swagger they had in the original "Guardians," and they're able to at least satisfactorily address the whole multiple Gamoras situation.

Another thing that the third "Guardians" flick has going for it is its place in the larger MCU timeline. The movie rides the energy of "Avengers: Endgame" really well (more on that one in a minute). It also lives in the middle of the hot mess that is the sprawling, confusing, and disconnected fourth and fifth phases of the MCU. The fact that "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3" is loaded with familiar faces gives it a welcoming sense of nostalgia and a sense of returning to the MCU classics. It was able to resonate with audiences who were buried under a smorgasbord of new characters and multiversal storylines and were looking for a familiar grounding point.

"Avengers: Endgame" is consistently ranked as one of the best movies of the MCU. Heck, it's one of the best movies of all time, and it took the Marvel experience to a box office-shattering peak. That's a pretty good start all on its own. When you factor in how heavily the Guardians of the Galaxy are involved in the movie's plot, it becomes a no-brainer for it to rank high on this list. Let's break down why.

For starters, the entire team is integral to the plot. Sure, the movie is named after the Avengers, but in reality, it gets everyone involved. Nebula helps Tony Stark survive in space. She is also important in locating Thanos, revealing his plan, and bringing the 2014 version of the Mad Titan into the 2023 timeline. Rocket helps with identifying and retrieving some of the Infinity Stones and designing the Stark Infinity Gauntlet, too. And, of course, the entire group is present for the final showdown. Add it all up, and the group is front and center throughout what is arguably the biggest film in the entire MCU. Why isn't this one the top option, then? Talk to its predecessor, "Infinity War."

If the Guardians of the Galaxy are important in Endgame, they're indispensable to the plot of "Infinity War." After introducing the Power Stone (via the Orb) and key connections to Thanos in their own franchise, the group enters "Infinity War" riding high — just in time to run right into the buzz saw that is the Mad Titan as he goes all in on his Infinity Stone quest.

By the end of the movie, Star Lord and company have failed to stop Thanos more than once. They're defeated at the Collector's museum on Knowhere and then again in the climactic showdown on Titan. In between those events, Thanos sacrifices Gamora to get the Soul Stone, officially breaking the Guardians' OG team for the first time. From the desperate stakes to the emotional heft and the final failure, "Infinity War" collectively holds some of the Guardians of the Galaxy's best and worst moments, making it a top option to see them on the screen. The experience is so good it nearly tops the rankings — but there's one film that outshines all the others.

When "Guardians of the Galaxy" came out, the MCU was on a roll. Phase 1 was wrapped up, the Avengers had assembled, Tony Stark had three movies, and Steve Rogers and Thor had two apiece. Avengers: Age of Ultron was on the horizon, and then, out of nowhere, a Marvel film dropped featuring an irreverent tale about a group of unlikely off-Earth heroes.

The first "Guardians of the Galaxy" film was a seminal moment in cinematic superhero sagas. It showed it was possible to go beyond an Earth-centric storytelling model (even the Asgardian Thor inevitably ended up Earth-bound in his stories up to that point). It also showed that antiheroes had their place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe model.

And then there's the actual story. "Guardians of the Galaxy" was loaded with retro callbacks couched in a "galaxy far, far away" context. It integrated classic music with all-new alien lifeforms. It featured heartwarming friendships forged in the midst of violence and subpar ethical decision-making. It also featured the synergy of the star-studded Guardians cast for the first time, drawing audiences in and promising a bright, expansive future for a new silver screen superhero experience that, at the time, was still just getting off the ground. Since then, "Guardians" has become an icon of the MCU and a classic with infinite rewatch value. It's an easy top choice for the list and an entry that won't be easily surpassed any time soon.