The MCU takes a wild left turn into the cosmos with Guardians of the Galaxy—the movie that proved Marvel could get weird, funny, and heartfelt all at once. We talk about the unlikely breakout of a talking raccoon and a tree with a three-word vocabulary, Chris Pratt’s star-making turn as Star-Lord, and how James Gunn turned a ragtag bunch of misfits into one of Marvel’s most beloved teams. From killer needle drops to space dance-offs, we explore how this gamble paid off and why the MCU was never the same after.