5 Marvel Movies That Surpassed Expectations

When the MCU announced that their next series of films would include Guardians of the Galaxy, fans were a little underwhelmed and bewildered. Based on the small, niche series of comics, and centred around a bunch of heroes we’d never heard of before, this was definitely a bit of a risk for the franchise.

Then, on top of that, you had a lot of people involved that were yet to be big names - including lead actor, Chris Pratt (known only as the guy on Parks and Rec), and director James Gunn (known mainly as the writer of 2002-04 Scooby Doo movies). And then, the big names that were actually involved - Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper - were voicing a huge tree and a talking raccoon. It seemed the franchise had a Howard the Duck-level flop on the hands.

However, when the trailer dropped in 2013, fans were pleasantly surprised. Boasting a goofy sense of humour that MCU films had only flirted with before, and a fun, entertaining retro soundtrack that felt revolutionary at the time (before every blockbuster copied it), the film suddenly became a fan favourite. Not only that, but it continued the box office success and critical acclaim that had begun to typify the franchise.

Suddenly, everyone involved became household names, and all the fans were wondering what would be next up for this beloved superhero team, following up with an equally successful sequel in 2017.