Guardians of the Galaxy was a very unique Marvel movie at the time of its release. Unlike its predecessors, which had a very stern tone, this movie took itself less seriously. Even though it has the same stakes as The Avengers, it has a certain light-heartedness that makes it fun to watch. The humor was so successful, it started a new trend in superhero movies to have a more trivial tone.

Not only is it funnier, but the characters are better. The Guardians are a band of misfits, with their own insecurities and very prominent flaws. Unlike the Avengers, who are all either superhumans or super rich, it is easier for the audience to put themselves in the shoes of The Guardians. Peter Quill (in the first movie) is a perfect example of an average joe. Besides being raised in outer space, he has a lot of struggles that the average American can relate to. He has dealt with loss and trust issues due to his rough upbringing. Nobody likes him, which is something that everyone feels like sometimes.

Its depiction of female characters is also far more complex than in the Avengers. There is much more emphasis on Gamora’s backstory and development than Black Widow. She is not overshadowed by her male colleagues either, which is something that happens too often in other superhero movies.

“I prefer the humor in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies,” senior Ashleigh Lowery said. “I think it’s more relatable. It just makes it more approachable, and I love the characters. Especially Gamora.”

The Avengers, the saviors of the world, the better movie. The storyline of the first avengers movie was amazing, it introduced us to our favorite characters without making the movie too confusing. On the other hand Guardians of the Galaxy was all over the place and made it a bit too confusing. The Avengers introduced us to the main storyline of the whole marvel universe: Thanos. Without this movie, we never would have gotten all of the other great movies that came after. 

Along with having the better heroes such as Captain America, Black Widow and Thor, the first Avengers movie brought in Loki as a villain. Loki is one of the most loved villains throughout the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), considering his mischievous nature and various redemption arcs. Compared to Ego from Guardians of the Galaxy Loki is a much more interesting villain. All Ego wanted to do was steal power from his son.

Along with getting a glimpse into Loki’s trauma and background we also find out the backgrounds for many of our heroes. We see how they work together to defeat the Chitauri invasion. This movie is the first time we see the main six of the MCU together. Setting these characters up together sets up many amazing movies to happen. This movie also gave us one of the best post-credit scenes: the shawarma restaurant.

“I like The Avengers better because there are more characters and more stories intertwined within one movie,” sophomore Sophia Ely said.