10 Opening Movie Scenes Which Immediately Stunned Audiences
5. Guardians Of The Galaxy - Star Lord Can't Say Goodbye
Marvel just love to deliver a gut-punch before the opening titles have even landed on our screens, don't they?
On top of the previously mentioned Avenger-stingers, the first ever MCU entry Iron Man (2008) got things started with a literal bang when Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) was blown to bits in Afghanistan.
However, all of these shocking openings don't hold a candle to the way Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) introduced us to the young boy (Wyatt Oleff) who would eventually become Star Lord (Chris Pratt).
We first meet Peter Quill in the late '80s, sat outside of a hospital room listening to I'm Not in Love by 10cc. It soon becomes apparent that his mother (Laura Haddock) is dying and he is struggling to come to terms with this life-changing event.
Overcome by emotion, Peter refuses to hold his mother's hand as she passes and flees the scene quickly after. He's then abruptly abducted by aliens and the Marvel logos begin to play.
No one knew what to think of Guardians from the moment it was announced back in 2012. But, this traumatic/spell-binding opening sequence perfectly set the scene for the outrageous yet deeply affecting story which was about to unfold. It also immediately gripped all those who questioned how a movie involving a talking raccoon and a tree could even work.