All 13 Guardians Of The Galaxy In The MCU Ranked Least To Most Powerful

Published Sep 23, 2023, 3:01 PM EDT

Since 2019, Kevin Erdmann has been one of Screen Rant's Senior Staff Writers, covering all kinds of Superhero and Star Wars media with Easter egg breakdowns, theory pieces, breaking news, and more. A huge Star Wars & MCU fan, Kevin also loves Batman (because he's Batman), but could talk for hours about why Nightwing is DC's greatest hero.

With 8 years of total experience covering entertainment and pop culture, Kevin has gotten the chance to interview top creatives and talent, and has also attended major media events like Disney's D23 convention.

Majoring in Cinema Studies with a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife, adorable dog, and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise.

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There are now 13Guardians of the Galaxy in theMCU, each of them with different abilities and power levels. FollowingGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, a new team comprised of both original and newly recruited Guardians has been formed, while some founding members decided to embark on new journeys. To that end, it's fun to look at how each Guardian both past and present measures up in terms of strength and ability with their powers as they fight to protect the cosmos of the MCU.

Originally, the Guardians of the Galaxy was led by Peter Quill's Star-Lord who joined forces with Gamora, Drax, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot. They then added Yondu and Mantis following the events ofGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as well as Nebula afterAvengers: Endgame. Finally, Kraglin, Cosmo, Adam Warlock, and the Star Child named Phyla joined Groot II and Rocket as anew team of Guardians in the MCU. Here's how all 13 Guardians of the Galaxy rank from least to most powerful in the MCU.

13 Star-Lord

In his first MCU appearance,Guardians of the Galaxy ended with Peter Quill holding the Power Stone in his hand before sharing its power with his fellow Guardians, allowing the team to survive the stone's massively destructive energies. Despite being born on Earth, it was later confirmed that Peter Quill wasn't fully human thanks to his Celestial father Ego. However, the dark nature of Ego resulted in Quill giving up the majority of his Celestial power to defeat him. This means that Quill is essentially just a space-faring human in the current MCU, making him one of the weakest members of the Guardians in terms of inherent power.

12 Rocket

Rocket Raccoon leading the new Guardians team in the MCU

Hyper-evolved from a normal raccoon and modified with cybernetic enhancements, Rocket Raccoon is one of the team's smartest and most deadly Guardians. Rocket has strong proficiencies in a variety weapons and explosives, those he's built himself as well as acquired. He's also a brilliant pilot. Beyond the power he creates for himself through technology and weapons, the bulk of Rocket's power comes from his enhancements as one of theHigh Evolutionary's former biological experiments. His intelligence, strength, durability, speed, and agility have all been massively increased from the simple creature he once was.

11 Kraglin

Sean Gunn as Kraglin looking concerned after dramatic developments in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3

Initially, Kraglin was Yondo Udonta's first mate with the Ravagers in the MCU. Having no inherent powers or special abilities beyond those he accrued as a thief and pirate, Kraglin eventually inherited the Yaka Arrow following Yondu's passing inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Through this incredible weapon alone, Kraglin's power was massively increased, though it took him quite a bit of time to skillfully master the skills needed to control the arrow via whistling as Yondu did.

10 Yondu

Yondu (Michael Rooker) looking upset in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Naturally, Yondu had years of experience with the Yaka arrow, making him incredibly deadly and powerful so long as he had it, including the controller fin attached to his head. Without it, both Yondu and Kraglin are simple pirates with no major powers or abilities like some of the other Guardians of the Galaxy. Nevertheless, seeing Yondu in action as an honorary Guardian in the second movie is as exciting as it was heartbreaking after he gave his life to save Peter Quill, his adopted son.

9 Drax

In terms of pure physicality,Drax the Destroyer is one of the strongest members of the Guardians of the Galaxy. He's also extremely durable with impact resistant skin and an accelerated healing factor, allowing him to rapidly recover in the aftermath of major conflicts. This was best proven when Adam Warlock came for Rocket Raccoon at the beginning ofGuardians of the GalaxyVol. 3 and Drax withstood Warlock's devastating blows and also survived being shot in the back during the Guardians' infiltration of Orgocorp.

8 Mantis

The paternal sister to Star-Lord, Mantis is an empath with the ability to sense and manipulate others' emotions. This is quite the impressive power which Mantis employs on multiple occasions in the MCU, most notably to subdue Thanos himself in the Avengers' effort to remove his Infinity Gauntlet during their battle on Titan. She also has increased levels of strength and durability beyond average. Thanks to her powers as an empath, Mantis recently bonded with a trio of large Abelisks following her decision to find her own path in the MCU apart from the Guardians.

7 Nebula

An adopted Daughter of Thanos, Nebula was tortured and experimented by the Mad Titan, receiving several cybernetic implants that allow her to reshape her body no matter how badly it may be mangled or battered. Likewise, she also possesses increased strength and stamina and can form any weapon she requires thanks toNebula's bionic arm made for her by Rocket Raccoon. However, all of her previous cyetic upgrades from Thanos were given in an effort to put Nebula on an equal footing with her sister Gamora.

6 Gamora

The favored Daughter of Thanos, Gamora was indeed given some bionic augmentations though not nearly as many as her adopted sister due to her greater levels of success in the eyes of their "father". Gamora possess high levels of superhuman strength while also having augmented reflexes and a regenerative healing factor. While she may be slightly more powerful than Nebula, the two sisters are quite comparable in power level as was proven during their showdown inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

5 Phyla

Kai Zen as Phyla in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 mid-credits scene

A newcomer to both the MCU and the Guardians of the Galaxy roster,Phyla is a Star Child, one of the High Evolutionary's final experiments in his mission to create the perfect society. Named after Phyla-Vell who was one of the original Guardians in Marvel Comics, the full extent of Pyla's powers in the MCU are currently unknown. However, she was shown having both impressive stamina and intelligence while also demonstrating cosmic energy manipulation at the film's end, not unlike the Quantum Bands used by the Phyla from the comics.

4 Cosmo

Cosmo the Space Dog looking ahead in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special — Cosmo the Space Dog as seen in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

A protector of Knowhere and one of the Guardians' newest members, Cosmo is a very powerful Labrador experimented on and sent into space by the Soviet Union. Not only is she incredibly durable after surviving an explosion from the Power Stone, but she also has increased longevity having lived far longer than the average dog with greater levels of intelligence. That being said, Cosmo's greatest powers are her use of telepathy and telekinesis. Not only can she mentally communicate with others through her collar, but she can also move things with her mind, including a structure as massive as Knowhere (the severed head of a Celestial).