3 Things That Still Don’t Make Sense About Guardians of the Galaxy

James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 was an instant hit with Marvel fans, bringing this galactic group to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) with a splash. This began a new trilogy set for Marvel, introducing the likes of Peter Quill, Gamora, Groot, Rocket Raccoon, and Drax the Destroyer together for a chaotic adventure. Frankly, there’s a lot to love about this movie, from the brilliant and fun soundtrack to the quippy and lovable characters. However, there are still some details that don’t make sense about the first movie, all these years later. When looking back, it’s impossible to ignore, hard as we try.

The first Guardians of the Galaxy had a lot of groundwork to cover. It needed to introduce five fleshed-out comic heroes, not to mention dozens of secondary characters and a few villains, all while making an entertaining plot. So, it’s understandable that a few details slipped through the cracks. Naturally, die-hard comic fans will notice countless more discrepancies, as the MCU has been known to play around with comic plots and particulars.

Yondu Picking Up Peter Didn’t Raise Any Alarms?

Peter Quill is the first hero introduced in this hit film, and yet there are a few details of his backstory that fans would like to learn more about. For example, viewers know that Peter Quill was pretty young when he was picked up by Yondu’s crew. The whole scene plays out on the screen, starting with a tragedy and ending with a space adventure. However, it’s hard to ignore that Yondu’s crew didn’t bother to be stealthy when they picked up young Peter Quill. We’re talking about a decently sized spaceship that flew up, nabbed a kid-with the lights on, and left. Did this seriously not raise any local or planetary alarms?

Other movies from the MCU can add some context here, but not enough to explain it all away. We know that there were likely not many active superheroes during the time Peter Quill got snatched up. However, it seems unlikely that nobody detected a low-flying ship in North America. Sure, there weren’t superheroes to send after it, but surely somebody would still have investigated, right?

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The Nova Corps (Delayed) Response & Plan of Attack

Truthfully, we have so many questions about the Nova Corps. First, while they are based on Xandar, they don’t seem to have much else in common with the comic book version… yet (there’s still hope). There’s no WorldMind, and seemingly there’s no Nova Force (the energy that powers the Nova Corps). However, we can overlook that under the assumption that this full version of the Nova Corps has yet to come.

The bigger problem is the Nova Corps’ response to Ronan the Accuser’s attack. Obviously, they didn’t have advanced warning of the attack, but it seems strange that they waited until Ronan’s ship was right above the city before they deployed defenses. We can’t even pretend that the Corps members were busy evacuating civilians, as the movie portrays dozens of people fleeing the wreckage during the battle. So, why the delayed response? Have they not perfected that part of their training yet? If so, this says a lot about how young the Nova Corps must be.

Then there’s the plan of attack. The way the Nova Corps ships linked up to create a massive net looked amazing, especially on the big screen. However, this method of restraining probably works better in zero gravity. Translation: This method of defense would have been better utilized had the Nova Corps responded before The Dark Aster breached the atmosphere. While this certainly wasn’t the only part working against them, it definitely compounded the problem – and the threat to the populace below.

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Peter Quill’s Translator Doesn’t Work on Groot

At one point in the film, the Guardians of the Galaxy are arrested, which ironically opens the door to several minor plot discrepancies. For example, Peter Quill’s bio scan shows that he has a Translator Implant in his neck. This actually explains a lot about how Quill was able to keep up with the various languages of space. However, we’re simultaneously supposed to believe that the Translator Implant couldn’t understand Groot.

Realistically, this was an intentional choice for the sake of humor. The crew’s inability to understand Groot is a repeating joke, even as they gradually begin to understand his mannerisms and phrases. One could argue that Groot’s language is uncommon enough for the Implant not to have it installed. It’s just one of many oddities that come up when one looks closely at the film.

What other inconsistencies have you noticed while rewatching Guardians of the Galaxy?

Guardians of the Galaxy is available to stream on Disney+.