Guardians Of The Galaxyshouldn’t have worked. Back when Marvel announced their first feature for Star Lord et al, it was met with a collective shrug from audiences: Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and Cap were established names, but hardly anyone had heard of this outlaw gang made up of a sentient tree, a talking racoon, alien assassins and a retro-pop-loving gunslinger.
The Guardians brace for an assault by a squadron of social-media commenters.
DISNEY/MARVEL, WARNER BROS
Of course, by the end of 2014 everyone had heard of them. Reinvigorating Phase 2 with its irreverent tone, the original Guardians still tops many people’s lists of fave MCU films. But could it be the case that 2017’s Vol. 2 is even better?