Guardians of the Galaxy was seen by many as one of the riskiest MCU projects since it had some of the lesser-known characters in Marvel's comic book catalog. Thankfully, it ended up being a risk worth taking since it is now seen by many as one of the most fun sci-fi films out there, giving fans a nice mix of Star Wars and Mass Effect. It also helped cement director James Gunn as a superstar, though many still prefer his grittier projects like Super.
James Gunn has been in the MCU since, directing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and helping out with some of the big crossover films like Avengers: Infinity War. However, it hasn't always been smooth sailing in Marvel Studios as the director recently confirmed that Marvel wanted him to add Thanos to his movie, which made things more difficult for Gunn's story.
"He was an extra complication that made the story a lot more difficult to tell. The relationships between the bad guys was too complex for audiences and was by far the most difficult thing to deal with in editing."
Though it seemed to be troublesome, Gunn was able to come through and make Thanos' involvement in the story sensible, while not being too distracting. Plus, most of the movie was able to succeed thanks to the likability of characters like Star-Lord, Rocket, and Gamora. The sequel would also improve on all of this, making characters like Drax and Nebula more interesting.
Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 are now available on digital platforms, along with Disney+.
Read: James Gunn Teases a Big Role for Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3