Movies are full of mistakes. From micro-budget indie comedies to huge blockbuster extravaganzas, every film has at least one or two gaffs, goofs, or bloopers, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe is no exception. While not all MCU films are created equal, continuity mistakes are the one unifying element that all Marvel films — good or bad — share. Even a carefully thought-out franchise like Guardians of the Galaxy isn’t immune to the occasional screw-up. James Gunn may have deliberately crafted the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy and the Holliday Special as an overarching narrative about found family, but the series still features goofs like magic transforming shoes and vanishing rodents.
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Chances are you were too busy marveling over a CGI tree’s ability to make you cry the first time around to notice most of these mistakes, but we promise, after you finish reading this list, you’ll never watch Guardians of the Galaxy the same way again.
Peter’s Disappearing, Reappearing Rat in Guardians of the Galaxy
One of the highlights of the first Guardians of the Galaxy is Peter Quill rocking out to killer tunes while treasure hunting on the planet Morag. Not only is this scene the perfect introduction to the goofy adventurer, but also to the classic rock soundtrack that defines the franchise. The best part of an already awesome scene is easily when Quill grabs a nearby rodent and starts singing into it like a microphone.
Unfortunately, said rodent either has magic teleportation powers or one of the editors fell asleep on the job because not long after Peter picks the creature up, it mysteriously disappears from his hand … only to reappear a second later like nothing happened.
The Nova Corps Shouldn’t Know About Lylla in Guardians of the Galaxy
Guardians of the Galaxy introduced a lot of new concepts to the MCU, including a group of space cops known as the Nova Corps. Nova has a file on every one of the Guardians, as evidenced during a scene in which they take turns posing for mugshots while information about them appears on the screen. Most of this information is standard stuff like aliases and known accomplices, or in Rocket’s case, a major continuity mistake.
Nova’s file has one of Rocket’s former partners listed as Lylla. The problem? We know from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 that Lylla died before Rocket started bumming around the galaxy committing crimes. In other words, the Nova Corps shouldn’t know about her whatsoever.
Rocket Grooms Himself Lightning Fast
At one point in the original Guardians of the Galaxy, Rocket, Groot, Quill, and Gamora are sent to the high-security prison, The Kyln, where they meet Drax the Destroyer. The prison is full of criminals who are only there because of Gamora, and unfortunately for her, many of them want revenge. One such group of miscreants waits until everyone else is asleep and kidnaps Gamora, waking Quill in the process. Quill, in turn, wakes up Rocket, whose fur is comically flat on one side of his face.
The camera cuts away from Rocket momentarily, and when it cuts back, his fur is no longer matted down but is now perfectly groomed, as if he smuggled a brush into prison with him.
The Collector’s Body Guards Vanish
About an hour into Guardians of the Galaxy, the team arrives on a world known as Knowhere, seeking a being known as the Collector. Soon after landing, Quill and Gamora are introduced to the Collector by a pink-skinned alien named Carina. When Carina first brings the duo to meet her boss, the Collector is seen in the background flanked by two men — presumably bodyguards. As Gamora and Quill get closer, however, the men on each side of the Collector vanish and are never seen again.
An unfortunate detail when you realize how much help they could have been a few minutes later when Carina, attempting to wield an infinity stone, almost destroys Knowhere and the Collector with it.
Meredith Quill’s Voiceover Doesn’t Match Her Note at the End of Guardians of the Galaxy
Guardians of the Galaxy ends with Peter Quill reading a letter from his mother he’d been carrying around for 26 years unopened. It’s a bittersweet moment as Peter is finally forced to face his Mother’s death while also receiving a new mixtape in the process. The scene starts like most cinematic letter readings do, with a glimpse at the letter followed by a voiceover reciting its contents, in this case, the late Meredith Quill. Unlike similar scenes, however, this one features a mistake.
As Peter reads the letter, the camera zooms in close enough for viewers to notice that Meredith’s voiceover isn’t delivering every single word on the page. In fact, Peter’s mother skips a whole section of her letter.
Anachronistic Audio Technology in Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
The soundtracks to the first two Guardians movies are labeled Awesome Mix Vol. 1 and Awesome Mix Vol. 2, respectively. One interesting thing about the Awesome Mix Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 is that unlike most other soundtracks, they exist in both the real world and in the world of Guardians of the Galaxy as mixtapes made special for Peter Quill by his late mother. Another interesting thing about them is that they’re magical time-traveling cassettes .
OK, not really, but that would be one way to explain how Meredith Quill used Type II “CDing 2” TDK cassette tapes from 1993 to make her son’s mixtapes when she passed away in 1988.
Meredith Quill’s Boots Weren’t Made for Walkin’ in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 begins with a flashback of young Meredith Quill on a joyride with celestial-in-disguise Ego the Living Planet. After driving for a bit to the sweet sounds of “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass, Ego pulls over so he can show Meredith something in the woods. As the couple runs through the trees, for a split second, you can see Peter’s mother wearing a pair of Ugg-style boots before they inexplicably turn into heels.
Police are Light Sleepers in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
The delightful but often overlooked Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special takes place between Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. One of the special’s plots involves Drax and Mantis traveling to Earth in hopes of finding Kevin Bacon and bringing him back to Knowhere as a Christmas present for Quill. Not being the stealthiest kidnappers, Drax and Mantis eventually have a heated run-in with several police officers.
At one point in the scuffle, Mantis puts a female officer to sleep using her empathic abilities, only to have the same officer show up later in the fight. Once again, Mantis puts the officer to sleep despite having already done only moments earlier. While it could be a case of the officer waking up on her own, it’s much more likely that James Gunn accidentally had Mantis fight two versions of the same woman without realizing it.
Mantis Has the Right Franchise but the Wrong Slasher in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
During Drax and Mantis’s mission to kidnap Kevin Bacon, Mantis mentions that Bacon fought the infamous horror movie icon Jason Voorhees. While Mantis is correct that the actor was part of the Friday the 13th franchise, she’s wrong about him fighting the machete-wielding killer. Like many actors, Kevin Bacon got his start in horror movies, most famously starring in the original Friday the 13th, where he was given one of the most gruesome deaths in the entire series — an arrow through the Adam’s apple.
It wasn’t Jason Voorhees who shoved the arrow through Kevin Bacon’s throat, however, but his mother, Pamela Voorhees. Jason wouldn’t become a killer until Friday the 13th Part 2.
Rocket’s Disappearing Gear in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Rocket Raccoon is the Guardians’ resident tinkerer, so it only makes sense that he has any manner of doodads on him at any given moment. And like any good tinkerer Rocket has plenty of pockets in which to store his random odds and ends. But what if Rocket feels like going au naturel for a bit to let his fur air out? He puts his stuff on a side table or desk like the one in Rocket’s Knowhere bedroom. And what happens after he puts his stuff down? Well, it disappears, of course!
Right before the pivotal moment in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, when Adam Warlock bursts through the wall and tries to kill him, Rocket puts some random trinkets on a table next to his bed while he takes off his shirt. A second later, the table is empty, and Rocket’s things are gone, vanished into the ether, never to be seen again.
If you enjoyed these mistakes in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, or you want to let us know about one we missed, let us know in the comments!
