Guardians of the Galaxy is a superhero team of misfits that first appeared in 2014’s film adaptation, which quickly gained popularity among fans worldwide. If you are planning to watch the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3, it’s crucial to know what happened in the previous installments to appreciate the story better.
Peter Finds A Family In Jail
In the first movie, we meet Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), a human from Earth, who was abducted by a group of space pirates called Ravagers. He later joins forces with Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) to stop Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) from using the Power Stone to destroy the galaxy.
Groot Is The Most Lovable Monster In The Family
One of the most beloved characters of Guardians of the Galaxy is Groot, a humanoid tree with a limited vocabulary of “I am Groot.” He sacrifices himself to save his friends from a crashing spaceship. He even managed to say “We are Groot” before his demise in the crash. However, he is reborn from a twig planted by Rocket by the end of the first film.
Peter Manages To Hold The Power Stone
Peter holds the Power Stone without disintegrating in the climax of the first film. It was thanks to the Nova Corps that Peter discovered that thanks to his half-alien heritage, he was able to survive holding the power stone for as long as he did. In the second movie, the team faces off against the Sovereign, a powerful race that hired them to protect their batteries. The Sovereign also make a point about Peter Quill having a mysterious alien heritage that makes him so mysterious to them.
Welcome Mantis!
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, we meet Mantis (Pom Klementieff), an empath who can feel others’ emotions and put them to sleep. She becomes a valuable addition to the team later on in the film. Her brutal honesty makes her a good pair with Drax and they are the first to become friends within the team.
Peter Is Revealed To Be A God… Of Sorts
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, we also learn that Peter’s father, Ego (Kurt Russell), is a Celestial and has been looking for his son for years. He had initially hired a group of Ravagers to kidnap his son and bring him to his planet. Once Peter and Ego finally meet, it is revealed that Ego is a living celestial which makes him a God (“Small G” when he’s feeling humble). Ego intends to take over the universe with his son’s help, but Peter teams up with his friends to defeat him.
Gamora And Nebula Patch Up With Each Other
In “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” we see a breakthrough in the strained relationship between Gamora and her adopted sister Nebula (Karen Gillan). The two sisters have been at each other’s throats in quite the literal sense due to their father continuously making them fight each other. The one who loses has body parts replaced with machinery in order to even the playing field. Due to Gamora constantly winning, Nebula’s hate toward her sister grew at an alarming rate. Where Gamora was just attempting to survive, Nebula was desperate for a sister. The two come to terms with their past and reconcile, forging a new bond that strengthens the team’s dynamic.
Ego Killed Peter’s Mom
In the first “Guardians of the Galaxy” movie, we learn that Peter Quill’s mother died of cancer. However, in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” it’s revealed that Ego, Peter’s father, was the one who put the tumor in her brain. This revelation creates tension between Peter and Ego and sets the stage for the film’s final battle.
Ego May Have Been The Father, But Yondu Was Peter’s Daddy
One of the most heartbreaking moments in the franchise is the death of Yondu (Michael Rooker), the Ravager who kidnapped Peter when he was a child. He was the one who raised Peter into the Star Lord he is today by teaching him how to fight and thieve nearly anything. He sacrifices himself to save Peter and reveals that he kept him because he couldn’t bear to deliver him to Ego, who killed all his other children just because they did not carry his celestial gene.
Yondu Got The Funeral Worthy Of A Ravager
In “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” we say goodbye to Yondu (Michael Rooker), the blue-skinned Ravager who took Peter under his wing when he was a child. Yondu’s death is a heartbreaking moment as he dies without being acknowledged as a true Ravager due to him breaking the code by dealing with the likes of children to attain his fortunes. His funeral is a touching tribute that honors his legacy as a hero and a father figure to Peter. The Ravagers give Yondu a send-off worthy of his status as one of their own after they learn about how he redeemed himself through his sacrifice to save Peter.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Find Thor In Outer Space
In the movie Avengers: Infinity War, we see the GOTG finding Thor (Chris Hemsworth) adrift in space after the destruction of Asgard. They board him onto their spaceship and bring him back to full health as he plans to exact his revenge on Thanos.
Thanos Brings Gamora For The Take-Your-Kid-To-Work Day
In “Avengers: Infinity War,” the team joins forces with the Avengers to stop Thanos (Josh Brolin) from collecting all six Infinity Stones. In a turn of events, we find out that Gamora knows the location of one of the stones. Unfortunately, Thanos obtains this knowledge and baits the Guardians of the Galaxy to come looking for him. Thanos quickly makes use of the opportunity and kidnaps Gamora so that she takes him to the exact location of the soul stone. In another twist of events, we find out that obtaining the soul stone requires sacrificing what the person loves the most, which in turn leads to Thanos sacrificing Gamora’s life for the stone.
Peter Punches Thanos Right Before He Was About To Lose
In the same movie, the GOTG manages to track Thanos down to his home planet. Peter lashes out at Thanos after learning of Gamora’s death, completely ruining the team’s chance to stop him. This in turn grants Thanos the time stone from Doctor Strange, leading to the imminent death of Vision after already dying in the attempts of stopping the Mad Titan.
Rocket And Nebula Are The Only Ones Left
In “Avengers: Infinity War,” Thanos snaps his fingers, wiping out half of all life in the universe after collecting all the infinity stones. The casualties included Groot, Drax, Mantis, and Star-Lord. Only Rocket Raccoon and Nebula survive the snap. This leads them to plan the time heist with the Avengers in Avengers: Endgame in order to bring everyone back.
Welcome Back Gamora! (Time Travel Shenanigans)
In “Avengers: Endgame,” the surviving Avengers travel back in time to collect the Infinity Stones before Thanos can get them. They succeed but bring back Thanos from the past, who fights the Avengers, including the Guardians of the Galaxy, in an epic final battle. During the fight, the “new” Gamora, who comes from the past, switches sides and fights alongside the heroes.
Gamora Goes Missing After Endgame
After the events of “Endgame,” Gamora goes missing, and her whereabouts are unknown. Her absence is likely to be a significant plot point in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3.
Honorary Mentions To The Timeline:
The Guardians Of The Galaxy Take Thor Out To Space
At the end of “Endgame,” Thor joins the Guardians on their spaceship, the Milano, leaving his kingdom of New Asgard in Valkyrie’s (Tessa Thompson) hands. This leads to Thor and the Guardians having small adventures as seen in Thor: Love and Thunder.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Family Kidnaps Kevin Bacon For Christmas
In the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Mantis and Drax tried to take Kevin Bacon hostage and deliver him to Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord, as a gift. The Holiday Special also made it known that Mantis is Star-Lord’s sister and one of Ego’s progeny.
The tale also revealed how the commander of the Guardians came into possession of his recognizable weapons: Yondu gave them to him as a Christmas present when Peter was still a young child.
It’s also important to note that Rocket received Bucky Barnes’ vibranium-clad robotic arm from Nebula for Christmas. And lastly, Gamora was nowhere to be found.
In conclusion, the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise has a lot of heart, humor, and action-packed moments that make it a fan favorite. Knowing the characters’ backstories and the events that happened in the previous movies will help you fully appreciate the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3. Now you know what you should know before jumping into the third installment!
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