Ranking Every MCU Film From Worst To Best

When Marvel announced that the next source material they would be adapting was Guardians Of The Galaxy, few could have predicted that the film would even work, let alone emerging at the top of the entire MCU pile. Those initial feelings of doubt were compounded rather magnificently by the casting of Vin Diesel as a talking tree and Dave Bautista, the wrestler. Cynicism spiralled, and it looked like Marvel were over-compensating too much after years of a lack of creative diversity with a gamble that could have left the future plans for broadening of the MCU in tatters.

But then, thanks to the power of some extremely good casting (Chris Pratt being a big part, but not the only one) and Gunn's commitment both to the source and his characters, Guardians fit together like the most gloriously unexpected jigsaw puzzle. 

Despite the presence of some odd characters - to say the least - Gunn never treated the material like it was as silly as it clearly was. And in Chris Pratt and Groot, he had the most surprisingly charismatic (and disarmingly devastating) pair to hang the brilliant script on.

It also obviously helped to have access to a soundtrack that would become a character in its own right, and which sets a precedent to build an extra level of anticipation for the sequel.