Who would’ve thought a decade ago, back before the first film in the cosmic trilogy released in 2014, that the Guardians of the Galaxy would soon rank next to the Avengers as one of Marvel’s premier superhero teams. Who knows whether the MCU will be able to launch both the X-Men and the Fantastic Four back into the big leagues, but as things stand the Avengers and the Guardians occupy the top spots, as cemented by their legendary team-up in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.

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We got a brief tussle between some members of the Avengers and a few of the Guardians in Infinity War, but the MCU has yet to depict a full-on fight between the two teams, mostly because the brief fad for superhero-vs-superhero movies died out as soon as it rose after Captain America: Civil War and Batman v Superman in 2016. So it’s left up to the fandom’s imaginations to determine who would really win in a battle between the two. Alternatively, we could ask James Gunn.

The Guardians trilogy helmer gave his somewhat controversial answer to the question during an appearance on the Inside of You podcast in June 2023, one which naturally inspired a lot of spirited discussion among MCU followers. “Listen, I always thought that the Guardians would beat the s*** out of the Avengers easily,” Gunn declared. “Like, it’s just they’re from outer space. They have technology that is pretty advanced, so it would be hard to beat them.”

But does Gunn make a fair point or is he just letting his favoritism cloud his judgement? Let’s examine the facts to determine the truth of who would win in Avengers vs. Guardians: Cosmic War. And if you’re reading, Kevin Feige, consider that a free suggestion for the new Avengers 5 title.

Round 1: The Avengers vs. Guardians Vol. 1 teams

First of all, this question is tricky to answer simply due to the vast changes in the two teams’ rosters throughout the MCU so far. To start with, then, let’s pit the original six founding Avengers opposite the Guardians roster in their first film. So that’s Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye versus Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Groot, and Rocket. Now, Gunn’s point that the Guardians have access to better tech is noted, but honestly, Tony Stark’s tech is pretty much as advanced as anything you’ll find in space (especially by the end of the Infinity Saga), so that point is basically moot.

Nevertheless, let’s not overlook the fact that Gamora is the Deadliest Woman in the Galaxy and has been trained by Thanos himself. She could very possibly best Natasha and Clint. Drax, meanwhile, is incredibly strong, so he could probably give Cap a run for his money in terms of pure power and endurance. Likewise, Rocket’s ingenuity and resourcefulness is arguably up there with Tony’s. Nevertheless, the Avengers have a super-soldier, a Hulk, and a God on their side. There’s no doubt they would come out on top.

Round 2: Avengers: Age of Ultron vs. Guardians Vol. 2 teams

Here’s where things get a little more interesting, as both groups recruited some key new members during their second cinematic outings. Yondu might not be up there with the best hand-to-hand combatants in the MCU, but his mastery of his Yaka arrow makes him an extremely deadly foe. If the Avengers weren’t prepared, he could wipe them all out in seconds with a whistle. Similarly, Mantis isn’t one to fight with her fists but her empathic abilities are strong enough to force both Ego and Thanos to sleep, so she could end the battle quickly by sending all the Avengers to the land of nod. Meanwhile, Nebula is arguably even fiercer than her sister.

That said, despite those helpful new heroes on their team, the Guardians’ opposition gets even stronger in Age of Ultron. Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are nifty enough to run rings (literally, in Pietro’s case) around the Avengers before they switch sides, while Wanda’s visions make for a neat countermove to Mantis’ own emotional manipulation. And then we come to the synthezoid in the room. At his most powerful, the super-strong, vastly intelligent, intangible man of vibranium that is Vision could potentially handle each of the Guardians on his lonesome. Although the tussle between technology and nature that would be Vision vs. Groot would be epic to witness.

Round 3: Post-Endgame Avengers vs. Guardians Vol. 3 team

Now let’s pit the two teams as based on their most recent appearances. Technically, this battle should be fought by the New Guardians of Vol. 3‘s post-credits scene, but to give them more of a fighting chance let’s pair them up with the Old Guardians team as it stands for the bulk of the threequel. Swol Groot makes him more dangerous than he’s been since 2014 while Adam Warlock and Phyla are extremely useful new additions, as their energy manipulation abilities would no doubt prove handy against Captain Marvel.

Yes, let’s address the Carol Danvers of it all. While the Avengers have lost Iron Man, Steve Rogers’ Cap, and Vision by this point, they have gained Captain Marvel and Doctor Strange, generally agreed to be the two of the most powerful heroes on the MCU Avengers’ roster. What’s more, Scarlet Witch is now a being of multiversally destructive means. Then, if we’re adding in Phase Four and Five characters, there’s Shang-Chi, with his Ten Rings, twice the Hulk thanks to Jennifer Walters, and let us not forget Black Panther, either one of them. Due to the sheer number of heavyweights on their team, the Avengers must surely claim victory for a third time.

In short, I admire your loyalty, Mr. Gunn, but it’s hard to imagine the Guardians winning against any iteration of the Avengers, space tech or no space tech, although they would give Earth’s Mightiest Heroes a run for their money. As What If…? season 2, episode 2 showed, the only way they might stand a chance is if Peter Quill was in his Celestial state, in which he’s basically a god. A fully grown Star-Lord utilizing Ego’s power to face down the Avengers? OK, now that would be a different story.