Despite being the worst-reviewed movie of its trilogy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has succeeded where Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania failed and brought the MCU out of its perceived qualitative slump. Leaning heavily on the dynamics between the Guardians, the film is now making fans reconsider their feelings toward the smash hit that was Avengers: Endgame.
In retrospect, Endgame‘s treatment of some beloved and complex characters seems lacking to viewers. Each member of the Guardians team has their own backstories and history with one another, they have depth that has been explored over the course of their trilogy; however, in the Infinity War sequel, that doesn’t come across in fans’ opinions.
Moments involving the Guardians that should have been portrayed with the empathy they deserve were instead passed off as jokes. At the time, no one batted an eye, but as viewers look back on it fresh off watching Vol.3, they can’t help but point out how poorly these characters were treated.
That scene in particular where Rocket slaps Thor does NOT age well. This is a guy who has experienced an immeasurable amount of pain and regret and standing right in front of him is someone he can truly empathize with and he just slaps him.😭 pic.twitter.com/eP75pR3Yyi
— Arachno-red🥀 (@Mr_Red18k) May 17, 2023
Some fans are particularly disappointed by how most of the Guardians were relegated to comic relief characters in Endgame, lacking the depth they have earned as if their past experiences and feelings mean less than other superheroes in the movie.
it’s not how the character treats one another, is how the movie itself presents the crew as a whole. They are a joke, a laughing stock making them seem lesser
— LuccaAi (@LuscaLucca) May 18, 2023
Meanwhile, others argue that in a movie with such a huge cast, and in which the Guardians were given little screen time, it’s only natural for them not to get proper development. And it makes sense, except that, for a large portion of frustrated fans, this argument doesn’t completely erase Endgame‘s shortcomings.
Honestly considering how little there is of them in this movie it feels kind of like a nitpick to me. 🤷🏻♂️
— All Fandoms (@all_apocalypse) May 17, 2023
I mean, given that they’re dead for most of the film and come back in time for the final battle, it didn’t leave much room for them to get any huge development besides Rocket or Nebula. But they serve their roles and Guardians 3 made up for any shortcomings they had in Endgame
— AshMan (@Lil_AshMan) May 17, 2023
Despite being the hit it was, over time Endgame has gathered its share of criticism, so it’s actually surprising it took this long for the Guardians to be brought into the mix. Here’s to hoping Marvel uses the characters (at least the ones set to return after Vol. 3) better in future ensemble movies.
