A new group of heroes, some of whom we've seen in action before, others we haven't, may pack a
bigger collective punch than any team we've seen in the MCU yet. What makes them so formidable?
Warning: Spoilers for "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" ahead.
The Guardians of the Galaxy are gone. Long live the Guardians of the Galaxy? Though everyone in
the team somehow makes it to the end of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" alive,
their mission is far from easy, and pretty much everyone ends the movie as a changed person. As a
result, the original team effectively disbands and most of them wander off to do their own things.
However, the galaxy still needs its protectors, and as the freshly appointed leader of what
remains of the team, Rocket assembles a new squad that's a healthy combination of old hands
and fresh faces. Along with him and Groot, the new Guardians of the Galaxy are Kraglin,
Cosmo the Spacedog, Adam Warlock, Phyla, and possibly Warlock's adopted pet Blurp.
It's a strong team. When it comes to pure power,
Rocket's new Guardians of the Galaxy blows the old lineup out of the water with ease,
and could very well stand among the very strongest MCU superteams.
Rocket is now playing the Star-Lord role, but he's obviously much smarter and has access to
far superior gear. He's finally dealt with his trauma and emotional baggage,
and as he showed in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," he's also an astute tactical mind.
"I want to save Quill so I can prove I'm better than him!"
Groot is still Groot, but he's grown into a supersized form that's far bigger and more
powerful-looking than anything we've seen before. Kraglin is now in full command of Yondu's arrow,
giving him his former chief's power set to go with his vastly greater
interpersonal skills. Cosmo, of course, is a massively powerful telekinetic and very
good dog. The MCU version's telepathic abilities remain largely unexplored,
but if the Spacedog's comic book incarnation is anything to go by, she's no helpless pup.
And then there are the new recruits. Adam Warlock entered the Marvel Cinematic
Universe by beating multiple Guardians with ease. The fact that he's still
basically a toddler implies that his powers are still developing,
which seems likely, considering that the comics version of Warlock is a Thanos-level powerhouse.
"That, my child, is the next step in our evolution. More powerful, more beautiful."
As for young Phyla, the High Evolutionary rattles off a fairly impressive array of her physical and
mental powers during her introduction, and she seems to have acquired some energy beam gadgets
to go with her innate power set. If she's meant to be the MCU version of Phyla-Vell,
she might turn out to be the most powerful Guardian yet, too. After all, her comics
incarnation has operated as Captain Marvel, Quasar, and a living embodiment of Death itself.
The combination of this new team's powers and abilities is impressive,
and individually, they're no slouches, either. It's probably no coincidence that
their introductory scene features Kraglin — arguably the weakest member — casually noting
that he's fully capable of taking care of the approaching alien horde himself.
It's clear that individual members of other superhero teams would smoke
individual Guardians in a fight. But as a team, they're a powerful,
highly cooperative unit led by one of the greatest minds in the entire MCU. As such,
it's hard to come up with another superteam that could touch them at the moment.
Cosmo alone could float the original Avengers helplessly above ground while the rest of her
team points and laughs. The Eternals might seem to have a fighting chance,
but honestly? They barely manage to guard planets, while even the original Guardians
have vanquished far bigger threats than anything the Eternals have ever had to battle.
Really, only magical characters like Doctor Strange or Wanda Maximoff might
be able to score a moderately easy win over these new Guardians. But then,
that's an MCU-wide issue that affects just about every non-magical character.
So, are the new Guardians overpowered? Thanks to the team's historical penchant for falling apart
due to interpersonal bickering and the abundance of absurdly powerful threats in the galaxy,
probably not. They're almost certainly going to feature in the future of the MCU in some shape
or form, and with the whole multiverse becoming a bigger and more dangerous place by the second,
the Guardians of the Galaxy will probably need every ounce of their strength going forward.