Draft:Guardians of the Galaxy (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

The Guardians of the Galaxy are a fictional team of superheroes, mercenaries and the deuteragonists of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the Marvel Comics team of the same name created by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. The Guardians consist of intergalactic outlaws who reluctantly form a team together to protect the galaxy from planetary threats.

Concept and creation
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige first mentioned Guardians of the Galaxy as a potential film at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International, stating, "There are some obscure titles, too, like Guardians of the Galaxy. I think they've been revamped recently in a fun way in the [comic] book." Feige reiterated that sentiment in a September 2011 issue of Entertainment Weekly, saying, "There's an opportunity to do a big space epic, which Thor sort of hints at, in the cosmic side" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Feige added, should the film be made, it would feature an ensemble of characters, similar to X-Men and The Avengers.

Feige announced that the film was in active development at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con International during the Marvel Studios panel, with an intended release date of August 1, 2014. He said the film's titular team would consist of the characters Star-Lord, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Groot, and Rocket. Two pieces of concept art were also displayed, one of Rocket Raccoon, and one featuring the entire team.

Film appearances
The Guardians of the Galaxy play a central role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Infinity Saga, being the focus in multiple feature films, beginning with the eponymous 2014 live-action film, Guardians of the Galaxy, and followed by the sequel Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017). The Guardians were featured in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019) based loosely on the The Infinity Gauntlet storyline. They later appeared in Thor: Love and Thunder (2022). They will appear in the upcoming film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) as well as the television special, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022) which is set in between Vol. 2 and Vol. 3.

Infinity War
Four years later, the Guardians decided to respond to a distress call, the Guardians were greeted by the shocking aftermath of a massacre that had occurred. After discovering Thor to still be alive, the Guardians brought him onboard, discussing the Asgardian amongst themselves. When Mantis woke up Thor, he explained to the Guardians that Thanos had destroyed his ship and killed his people. Gamora then told the group about Thanos' mission to bring balance to the universe. When Thor attempted to take their space pod, he informed the Guardians that Thanos was heading to Knowhere to collect the Reality Stone, as he already obtained the Power and Space Stone. Thor stated that he was going to go to Nidavellir to create a weapon to kill Thanos. The Guardians decided to split up, with Rocket and Groot joining Thor as Quill, Gamora, Drax and Mantis raced to Knowhere to stop Thanos from retrieving the Reality Stone.

When the Quill, Gamora, Drax and Mantis arrived on Knowhere, and entered the Collector's Museum, they found Thanos interrogating the Collector, asking the whereabouts of the Reality Stone. Angered over the deaths of his wife and daughter, Drax went to attack, but was put to sleep by Mantis. However, the sound alerted Thanos of their presence, Gamora decided to act and ambushed her father, managing to kill him, much to the other Guardians' surprise. However, Thanos revealed that it was all just an illusion, having already obtained the Reality Stone, and decided to trick the Guardians. Thanos then captured Gamora and incapacitated Drax and Mantis with the Reality Stone. Quill then threatened Thanos to release Gamora, but she reminded him of the promise to kill her if Thanos was able to capture her. Although reluctant to do so, Quill shot at Gamora, but Thanos turned the blaster into bubbles. Having obtained the Reality Stone and Gamora, Thanos teleported away, leaving the Guardians defeated. While they sat in the Benatar, the Guardians received several messages from Nebula informing them to go to Titan, where Thanos would be going with Gamora.

Meanwhile, Rocket flew Groot and Thor to Nidavellir, as the Asgardian explained its history. After having a deep conversation with Thor and providing him with a prosthetic eye, the three arrived at Nidavellir. However, upon their arrival, they discovered that the star forge had gone out. As the three explored the place, they were suddenly attacked by Eitri until he recognized Thor. Eitri then explained how Thanos killed all the Dwarves and cut off his hands after forcing him to forge the Infinity Gauntlet. Thor was able to convince Eitri to help them forge the weapon, which was revealed to be Asgard's greatest weapon. However, to do so, they were required to restart the forge. Rocket piloted the space pod and flew Thor out to the mechanism, where they were able to reignite the star. After Thor held open the iris doors, in which he was nearly killed by the power, they were able to forge Stormbreaker. Unfortunately, the handle was misplaced, so Groot used his arm as a customized handle. With Stormbreaker completed, Thor was revived and they proceeded to go fight Thanos.

The Decimation
On Titan, Quill, Drax and Mantis arrive to rescue Gamora from Thanos, where they infiltrated the Q-Ship that had just landed. Believing Iron Man, Doctor Strange and Spider-Man to be working with Thanos, they ambushed them, resulted in a heated fight. Quill demanded to know where Gamora was, but they discovered that the other party was also enemies of Thanos and they decided to work together. Exiting the ship, Iron Man began to create a plan but Mantis alerted them of Doctor Strange, who was using the Time Stone, which he revealed that he looked into fourteen million, six hundred and five possible timelines, only seeing one in which they win. After they formulated a plan, they all got into position and waited for Thanos to ambush him. When Thanos arrived, after talking to Strange, the Guardians and the Avengers attacked the Mad Titan. An intense battle then proceeded, where Thanos proved himself too strong for the heroes, as he easily overwhelmed them with the Infinity Stones he had already obtained. Nebula soon joined the battle, and with their combined efforts, they were able to restrain Thanos, trying to steal the Infinity Gauntlet. Although seeming victorious, with the gauntlet almost removed, Mantis' hold on Thanos was disrupted when Quill learned that he had killed Gamora, attacking the Mad Titan. Now free, Thanos fought back, throwing Mantis and using the Soul Stone to remove the other Guardians' souls from their bodies. Thanos then threw a moon at the heroes, while Spider-Man saved the unconscious Guardians as they fell. When the Guardians attempted to rejoin the battle, Thanos had received what he came for and teleported to Earth to obtain the Mind Stone. The Guardians and the Avengers were then left on Titan, defeated.

Wanting to face down Thanos, Thor summoned the Bifrost Bridge to transport him, Rocket and Groot to Wakanda, joining the ongoing battle. Rocket and Groot helped fight off hordes of Outriders, until Thanos arrived seeking the Mind Stone, and effortlessly defeated them. In the aftermath of the Battle of Wakanda, Thanos completed the Infinity Gauntlet and snapped his fingers, initiating his genocide. As a result of the Snap, Mantis, Drax, Quill and Groot were killed, leaving Rocket and Nebula. Three weeks later, Rocket was reunited with Nebula, and the two mourned over the loss of the other Guardians. When the two located Thanos, they, along with the Avengers and Captain Marvel, decided to ambush Thanos, using the Benatar to travel to the Garden. However, when they confronted Thanos, they discovered that he had destroyed the Infinity Stones, forcing them to accept the devastating loss brought on by the Mad Titan. With everyone they loved gone, Rocket and Nebula decided to join the Avengers, led by Natasha Romanoff, although still operating in space.

Battle of Earth and teaming up with Thor
Five years later, the Avengers were able to steal the Infinity Stones from the past and used them to bring back the half of the universe that perished in the Snap. The resurrected Guardians found themselves on Titan, where Doctor Strange used an Inter-Dimensional Portal to transport them to Earth to help fight Thanos and his army. The Guardians were all reunited on the battlefield as they joined the epic lineup of heroes led by Captain America, and proceeded to charge at Thanos' entire army. During the battle, Quill encountered Gamora, who had traveled from 2014. Confused by her presence, Quill went to reunite with her, only to be kicked to the ground by Gamora, having never met him before. Nebula joined them, informing her sister that Quill was with who she had a romantic relationship. Thanos' army was eventually defeated when Iron Man used the Infinity Stones to snap them out of existence, sacrificing his own life.

After the Battle of Earth and the victory over Thanos and his army, the Guardians mourned and attended Tony Stark's funeral. After the service, the Guardians decided to depart from Earth to continue their lives, also letting Nebula and Thor join them as he searched for a path. The Guardians flew to New Asgard and began their search for 2014 Gamora while waiting to pick up Thor. When Thor boarded the Benatar, he dubbed them the "Asgardians of the Galaxy" and asked about their next destination. Quill and Thor then began to argue about who was the leader, with Thor subtly challenging Quill's role. The other Guardians suggested that they fight for the role.

Team roster

 * Characters listed in bold are members of the team as of the present