The Marvel Cinematic Universe welcomed the Guardians of the Galaxy team back in 2014’s movie Guardians of the Galaxy, and that movie has since led to an entire trilogy of wacky outer-space MCU adventures. Plenty of lovable, exciting, or downright weird characters were introduced in the Guardians movies, though many of them haven’t gotten enough screen time yet.
Even if many Guardians of the Galaxy characters also appeared in Infinity War and Endgame, many MCU fans may agree that these characters still need more screen time so they can get further development and thrill audiences with all-new adventures across the universe. That includes characters who made their debut in 2023’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and have ample room to grow.
10 Star-Lord
Even if Star-Lord the hero has had the most screen time among the Guardians of the Galaxy, MCU fans are eager to see more of him. Guardians Vol. 3 promised the return of Star-Lord, which is good, because it feels like his character arc isn’t truly done just yet.
Born as Peter Quill, Star-Lord has grown up as a fighter and as a person, but now he’s trying to overcome his grief and figure out his relationship with Gamora all over gain. Star-Lord definitely deserves ample screen time in Phases 5 and 6 to complete his arc and find true happiness at last.
9 Rocket Raccoon
Rocket Raccoon also gets lots of screen time in the MCU, including his time as an Avenger in 2019’s The Avengers: Endgame. That said, Rocket’s journey as a hero isn’t over yet, and MCU fans can’t wait to see what he will do next with his new team.
The original Guardians team is no more, so the highly intelligent Rocket is now in charge of his own next-gen Guardians team, complete with new members. MCU fans simply must see more of Rocket in the future and see how he handles this new responsibility of his.
8 Gamora
The deadly assassin Gamora slowly warmed up to the other Guardians as a tense antihero in the first two Guardians movie, only to die at Thanos’ hands in Infinity War. Now Gamora has returned, but without any memory of her time with Star-Lord and the other Guardians.
The rebooted Gamora acted tough and scary in Guardians Vol. 3, but not for long. She learned all over again to trust and admire them as friends and found family, so Gamora needs more screen time in future MCU movies to continue this familiar personal arc of hers.
7 Kraglin Obfonteri
The Ravager Kraglin Obfonteri only played a minor role in the three Guardians movies as captain Yondu Udonta’s right-hand man. In Vol. 2, Kraglin helped Yondu escape Taserface’s wrath and even claimed the Yaka arrow as his own, then used that arrow to great effect in Vol. 3.
Kraglin felt underused in Vol. 3, so his meager character arc didn’t get much development. That leaves plenty of room for Kraglin’s growth as a hero and person in future MCU projects, such as the Avengers movies due to release in 2025 and 2026.
6 Nebula
Like Gamora, Nebula the cyborg warrior was introduced as an antagonistic foster daughter of Thanos, only to become a hero over time. Nebula switched sides in Vol. 2, then helped the Avengers pull off the time heist in Endgame and even introduced the rebooted Gamora to Star-Lord.
Nebula was even slower than Gamora to trust and accept the Guardians and Avengers as friends, but in Vol. 3, she had become a proper Guardian and was perfectly happy when the movie ended. Now MCU fans need to see more of this happy, optimistic Nebula to see a whole new side of her.
5 Adam Warlock
The caped Adam Warlock made his long-anticipated MCU debut in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as Ayesha’s ultimate creation. He was hostile to the Guardians at first, then teamed up with them to take on the High Evolutionary later in the movie.
Adam Warlock is an odd but cool character with formidable powers and a unique character arc. The MCU is only barely getting started with this fascinating character, and fans can hope to see more of him in the future Avengers movies and similar products.
4 Mantis
The alien empath Mantis first appeared in Guardians Vol. 2, and had a minor supporting role in Infinity War before returning again for Vol. 3. Mantis is a kind but ignorant person who is still figuring out the universe and her place in it, and admitted as much in Vol. 3.
Mantis’ true character arc is just getting started, and she still needs to take control of her destiny and decide what she stands for and why. While Mantis had fun working in the Guardians team, she needs to appear as an independent MCU character who’s not entirely defined by her relationships to other people.
3 Cosmo
Cosmo is clearly based on the real-life dog Laika, one of the first living things ever sent into space. Cosmo made a cameo earlier in the MCU as an item in the Collector’s personal collection, but now Cosmo is her own dog, and she wishes to be the very best dog ever.
Cosmo’s character arc may be minor, but it still needs more room to expand and deepen, at least a little. In Guardians Vol. 3, Cosmo was mostly concerned about being acknowledged as a good dog, and now MCU fans want to see what else Cosmo the Soviet hound is up to.
2 The Collector
The Collector, played by actor Benicio del Toro, made minor appearances in the Guardians movies and in Infinity War as a mysterious, somewhat unethical collector of rare items and specimens. He may not be sympathetic, but he is still an intriguing character who is ready for more development.
If the MCU finds room for the Collector, MCU fans may discover what really motivates him to collect so many items, and see more noteworthy items in his collection. That would also be a chance to either redeem the Collector, or double down on his villainy and thus make him more exciting and menacing.
1 Groot
Groot the tree-like alien only received minor development in the MCU, but if he appeared in later projects, he could experience growth and define himself by more than his jokes and brute strength. For example, he deserves a chance to have his backstory fleshed out, just like Rocket’s.
Groot is also a charming fan-favorite character, and on those grounds alone, he deserves more screen time in the MCU. Best of all, audiences recently learned how to understand Groot, hence his line “I love you guys” in Vol. 3, and fans would love to hear more of Groot’s dialogue directly in future movies.
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