Drax: To do what?
Peter: To give a shit.
Guardians of the Galaxy (retroactively referred to as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1) is a space opera/space western superhero comedy film, the 2014 movie adaptation of the Guardians of the Galaxy comic series and both the tenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the fourth installment of Phase 2. It was directed by James Gunn (Slither, Super).
Far off, in the depths of the Andromeda Galaxy, the expansionist Kree Empire has reluctantly made peace with the Nova Empire. But one of the most vicious and powerful Kree warlords, Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace), still has vengeance on his mind. He goes behind his government's back and strikes a pact with one of the most dreaded beings in the galaxy, Thanos the Mad Titan (Josh Brolin). In exchange for a certain ancient relic, the Mad Titan will grant Ronan's one wish: genocide on Xandar, the capital of the Nova Empire.
However, the relic has already been looted from its hiding place by Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), a.k.a. "Star-Lord", an outlaw and thief abducted from Earth as a child. This Earthling knows nothing of the relic's nature — he's been raised by a band of Ravagers led by Yondu Udonta (Michael Rooker) and simply wants to sell the artifact off. He goes behind the Ravagers' back and takes the relic to Xandar, where he's set upon by the bounty hunters Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel) and Thanos's pet assassin Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), who is sister to Ronan's soldier Nebula (Karen Gillan). After this Ragtag Band of Misfits ends up flung into a maximum security prison with Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), their mutual self-interest pits them against the Nova Corps, the Ravagers, and Ronan's relentless pursuit... and unexpectedly turns them into saviors.
In addition to the above, the movie stars Glenn Close as Nova Prime Rael, the head of the Nova Corps; John C. Reilly plays Nova officer Rhomann Dey; Benicio del Toro portrays The Collector; Djimon Hounsou plays Ronan's henchman Korath, and Ophelia Lovibond portrays the Collector's assistant, Carina.
The animated series Guardians of the Galaxy (2015) uses the characters, characterization, and visual style of the film, as well as continues some of the subplots, but it is not canon and the actual sequels continued those subplots in other ways. The first sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, was released in May 2017 set a few months after the events of the first movie. A third movie, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, released in 2023, following a holiday special on Disney+ in 2022. The Guardians of the Galaxy also appeared in Avengers: Infinity War in 2018, in Avengers: Endgame in 2019, and Thor: Love and Thunder in 2022.
