Guardians of the Galaxy Watch Order: Every MCU Appearance
Start with Guardians of the Galaxy and work down the list. All 9 titles below are in story order, and for now the list ends with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The Guardians have their own trilogy, and they also turn up in the Avengers crossovers.
Counting 6 films, 2 series seasons and 1 special or short, the whole list runs about 22h 30m, with releases from 2014 to 2023.
Just want the films? See Guardians of the Galaxy movies in order.
Who are the Guardians of the Galaxy?
The Guardians of the Galaxy started in Marvel Super-Heroes #18, cover dated January 1969, written by Arnold Drake and penciled by Gene Colan, with Roy Thomas also credited for the original idea. That team operated in the 31st century of an alternate timeline, Earth-691, fighting an alien race called the Badoon. Its founders were Vance Astro, Martinex T'Naga, Captain Charlie-27 and Yondu Udonta. The line-up the films use came much later. Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning rebuilt the team in Annihilation: Conquest #6, April 2008, with Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Adam Warlock and Phyla-Vell.
James Gunn wrote and directed all three films, beginning with Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014, which he co-wrote with Nicole Perlman. Chris Pratt plays Peter Quill, also known as Star-Lord. Zoe Saldaña plays Gamora, Dave Bautista plays Drax, Bradley Cooper voices Rocket and Vin Diesel voices Groot. Vol. 2 arrived in 2017 and added Pom Klementieff as Mantis, while Karen Gillan's Nebula shifted from antagonist to Guardian across the series. The team works on screen because none of them are natural heroes. They are thieves, assassins and runaways, and the comedy sits on top of a lot of loss.
Vol. 3, released in the United States on May 5, 2023, closes out Gunn's trilogy and changes the team for good. No fourth film has been announced, and no Guardians appear in the announced cast of Avengers: Doomsday, so nothing further is confirmed for the team right now.
Spoiler Spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy’s story: tap to reveal
- Between Vol. 2 and Vol. 3, Infinity War has Thanos sacrifice Gamora on Vormir, Endgame brings in an alternate 2014 version of her who does not know the team, and Thor joins the Guardians at the end of Endgame.
- Vol. 3 breaks the team up. Peter Quill steps away, names Rocket captain and returns to Earth to find his grandfather. Rocket now leads a new line-up alongside Groot, Kraglin, Cosmo, Adam Warlock, Phyla and Blurp.
- Drax and Nebula stay on Knowhere to raise the children rescued from the High Evolutionary, Mantis leaves on her own journey, and Gamora rejoins the Ravagers.
Guardians of the Galaxy in story order
- 1
Guardians of the Galaxy
Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax, Rocket and Groot come together over the Power Stone.
StreamDisney+
- 2
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Quill meets his father, Ego. Story-wise it takes place only months after the first film.
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- 3
I Am Groot: Season 1
Short animated pieces with Baby Groot. Pure bonus.
StreamDisney+
- 4
I Am Groot: Season 2
More of the same.
StreamDisney+
- 5
Avengers: Infinity War
The Guardians meet Thor and face Thanos.
StreamDisney+
- 6
Avengers: Endgame
Matters a lot for Gamora’s story in Vol. 3.
StreamDisney+
- 7
Thor: Love and Thunder
The Guardians appear briefly at the start.
StreamDisney+
- 8
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
A 44-minute Disney+ special. Short, silly, and it reveals one thing that matters for Vol. 3.
StreamDisney+
- 9
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Rocket’s origin and the end of this team.
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Guardians of the Galaxy FAQ
What order should I watch the Guardians of the Galaxy movies in?
Watch them in release order: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022) on Disney+, then Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). That is also the correct story order, since Vol. 2 is set only a few months after the first film and the Holiday Special sets up Knowhere, the ship and Cosmo for Vol. 3.
Do I need to watch the Avengers movies to follow the Guardians films?
You do not need them for the first two films, but Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) sit between Vol. 2 and Vol. 3 and change a lot for the team, so watch both before Vol. 3.
Who is in the Guardians of the Galaxy now?
The line-up changes at the end of Vol. 3, so the current roster is in the spoiler box on this page.
Will there be a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4?
Nothing is confirmed. No Vol. 4 or other follow-up has been announced, and no Guardians characters appear in the announced cast for Avengers: Doomsday, due in US cinemas on December 18, 2026. James Gunn, who wrote and directed the whole trilogy, has since moved to DC.
What order should I watch Guardians of the Galaxy in?
Follow the list above, which is in story order. It differs from release order in 2 places: I Am Groot: Season 1 and I Am Groot: Season 2 came out later than their story is set, so they sit earlier here. Release order works too, if you’d rather see things the way audiences did.
How many titles feature Guardians of the Galaxy?
9 so far (6 films, 2 series seasons and 1 special or short), released from 2014 to 2023, covering Phases 2 to 5 of the MCU. That’s about 22h 30m of viewing.
How long does it take to watch every Guardians of the Galaxy appearance?
About 22h 30m for all 9 released titles. At two hours an evening, that’s roughly 12 sittings.
Do I need to watch the whole MCU to follow Guardians of the Galaxy?
No. These 9 titles tell the team’s own story, and the 2 team-up films on the list cover where it meets the wider MCU. Of these, 3 are graded Essential, so start with those if you’re short on time.