One of the biggest and most anticipated threequels in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was undoubtedly James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and the ending involved a painful plot twist for the conclusion of their story.
The original Guardians we’ve come to know and love have gone their separate paths. While we do have a new set of members for the acclaimed cosmic group, who’s to say we won’t see the originals back together again in future Marvel movies or series?
For now, here’s a complete list of all Guardians of the Galaxy characters ranked from weakest to strongest!
WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, so READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!
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Phyla
Despite being one of the most recent test subjects of the High Evolutionary, Phyla was added to the new roster of the Guardians of the Galaxy in the end credits scene.
While her powers in the MCU remain unknown, in the Marvel comics, she’s supposedly the fourth Captain Marvel.
Her cosmic-based powers were shown for a brief second in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, where her hands and one eye glowed upon preparing to counter-attack with Rocket and the rest.
Seeing as she debuted at a young age and the threequel has yet to unleash her full set of powers and abilities, we know little to nothing about her strength yet.
That is unless we get to see more in the upcoming Marvel movies or series. She could easily become a part of the MCU’s youngest heroes.
Kraglin
As the successor of Yondu's trademark arrow, Kraglin is much more beyond being his second-in-command. As seen in Vol. 3, Kraglin is also the ace pilot who helped the Guardians escape the High Evolutionary in the ending.
As for how much he has mastered Yondu's arrow, he has much more to learn (and showcase), since the threequel is just the beginning of his journey in being one of the main Guardians.
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Yondu
His fatherly love in raising Peter Quill is what turned him into the Star-Lord we have come to know and love in today's time.
Considering that he was Star-Lord’s trainer, Yondu boasts beyond being a good father figure to the human member of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
So much so that with what’s left of his ability to control the arrow, he sacrifices himself to save Peter and pass on the mantle to Kraglin.
Cosmo
After making her first major appearance in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Cosmo the SpaceDog showcased more of what she's capable of in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Thanks to her powerful telekinetic abilities, she was able to save Kraglin despite being called a 'bad dog'.
Cosmo was also the reason behind why the new creations of the High Evolutionary were rescued off the ship as she held her powers long enough to get everyone off the exploding vessel.
Adam Warlock
As one of the High Evolutionary's greatest creations, Adam Warlock is supposed to be an indestructible and formidable opponent to any threat he is ordered to come up against.
Given his superhuman abilities and immortality, he's practically unstoppable. However, mentally, he's a kid who has yet to unleash his full potential and know what role he truly wants to serve in the MCU.
For now, he's a part of the new Guardians team being led by Rocket.
READ MORE: Are Mutants Canon in the MCU?Drax the Destroyer
Drax the Destroyer has proven himself worthy and capable of things beyond what his physical attributes say about him and his character.
The threequel showed a softer approach to how his character's street smartness applies when confronted with a distressing situation.
The most prominent scene was when he was the only Guardian who could communicate with the children, it was then revealed he knew and understood their language quite well, compared to Gamora and Mantis.
Sure, this might have taken a turn since Dave Bautista is leaving Marvel, but at the same time, it left a good mark on MCU fans on why Drax continues to be one of the most lovable heroes in the franchise.
Mantis
What makes Mantis a formidable opponent is not based on her physical form, but rather on her strength in mind control.
As an empath, she can easily control, read, and manipulate someone else's feelings and use it to her advantage. Whenever the situation calls for it, all she has to do is touch their head and let her power do the thing.
She was even able to hold off the likes of someone as ruthless as the Mad Titan, Thanos, to an extent.
Gamora
Gamora is one of the deadliest and toughest fighters in the MCU. Her blade and her fists are all she needs, yet what makes her even more cunning of an opponent is her words that strike through the heart.
As a part of the Guardians, she's also usually the one keeping the members in line, especially when Quill fails to do so.
Unfortunately, as her death in Avengers: Endgame marked her end in the MCU journey, her variant doesn't seem any different, aside from losing her fondness and bond with the Guardians.
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Gamora's sister who has stayed longer in the group, Nebula, had a traumatic past (similar to Rocket's) which she had always faced head-on. She initially never found a family she truly belonged to and the Guardians changed exactly that.
Apart from her cybernetic build and enhancements, Nebula doesn't stick to one type of fighting style, which makes her the most versatile fighter among the Guardians.
Groot
Groot's skills and abilities expand past the cutesy image of being the only member who has a different language for communication.
He can stretch out his limbs, destroy his enemies from the inside out using his branches, and provide physical shield and assistance given his numerous limbs to gun down opponents.
Let's not forget he was also the one behind Thor's newest weapon, Stormbreaker's handle.
Rocket the Raccoon
As the smartest of the bunch, Rocket was sought out by his own creator, the High Evolutionary, for being the only subject who surpassed their expectations.
Needless to say, although we had Rocket fighting for his life, his near-death experience in Volume 3 proves just how powerful and crucial he is to the Guardians, especially when it comes to planning offenses and defenses in battle.
With the new Guardians of the Galaxy formed, Peter passed his mantle down to the raccoon as the new leader.
Star-Lord / Peter Quill
Many would probably disagree with Star-Lord being hailed as the strongest of the team for being the only human member without possessing any supernatural powers.
Instead, his strength comes from his wit in coming up with tactics using his charms and distracting any opponent that comes their way.
Thanks to his vulnerable exterior for being ‘average-looking’, this sets the enemies off guard at even thinking he could pull off anything right under their noses.
But if you think about it, when he first met three of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, aka Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Doctor Strange, he was able to take them down based on his weapons and even held Peter Parker as hostage in exchange for Gamora.
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