The Guardians of the Galaxy is a secondary superhero team in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, almost like a scaled-down Avengers group that wanders from job to job rather than focusing on defending the Earth. This zany team formed in Phase 2, when Star-Lord, Gamora, Groot, Rocket Raccoon, and Drax the Destroyer teamed up to save Xander from Ronan the Accuser's Wrath.
The ten main Guardians vary greatly in their powers, abilities, weapons, and personalities, making the Guardians a flexible and creative team that can take on any challenge on the battlefield. Some Guardians are definitely more powerful than others in combat, though, based on factors such as physical strength, their weapons, their training, and more.
10 Mantis
Mantis is a humanoid alien with two feelers on her forehead, which fuel her abilities as an empath, or someone who can sense and influence the emotions of others. Mantis was introduced in Vol. 2 as Ego's timid and awkward assistant, with Ego often asking Mantis to help him sleep.
Mantis doesn't carry weapons and isn't much of a martial artist, but she can be helpful in other ways. With her empathic abilities, Mantis can put someone to sleep, even Ego himself, and sense the target's emotions to help her teammates figure out what to do next, as shown in Infinity War.
9 Kraglin Obfonteri
Kraglin Obfonteri is a Xandarian cyborg who was once Yondu's first mate among the Ravagers, and he turned on Taserface to help Yondu and Rocket escape in Vol. 2. Kragln did well, but compared to the other guardians, he's an unremarkable fighter, with Yondu and Rocket doing all the fighting during their escape.
Kraglin is a newer addition to the Avengers, being a skilled thief and marksman. For a time, he struggled to control the Yaka Arrow that Yondu once used, but over time, he has gotten better with it and may soon prove a deadly warrior with it in future MCU installments.
8 Rocket Raccoon
Rocket Raccoon loves to argue and steal things, and he often assumes command of the Guardians in battle, even though Star-Lord also considers himself the group's leader. Rocket may be small as a raccoon-like being, but he packs a mean punch and is never afraid of a fight.
Rocket relies mostly on heavy weapons and tricky traps to fight his enemies, such as that time he ambushed the Ravagers in Vol. 2 and flung them into the air. He also enjoys using laser rifles and machine guns, weapons he's proficient with even if they're large and heavy for him.
7 Star-Lord
The lovable rogue Peter Quill later started calling himself Star-Lord, though it took him years to become famous enough to really deserve such a lofty and fancy title. Star-Lord is a well-trained thief and infiltrator, and he has a creative, resourceful mind that allows him to outrun anyone he can't outfight.
Star-Lord has average strength and stamina for a human male, and his martial arts skills fall short of Gamora's and Nebula's. In return, Star-Lord's creative fighting style, rocket boosters, and excellent aim make him a much more effective fighter than his goofy personality would suggest.
6 Drax The Destroyer
Drax the Destroyer is like a scaled-down Incredible Hulk, a reckless, hot-headed melee fighter who charges right in to beat up his enemies. Drax often gets in over his head, but he can get away with it thanks to his extreme durability and his fellow Guardians backing him up.
Drax may be careless at times and doesn't always carry ranged weapons, but if he can fight up close, he can massacre the Guardians' enemies. Drax is incredibly strong and has two sharp knives for close-quarters combat, and he's even bolder than the gutsy Rocket Raccoon.
5 Nebula
Gamora's foster sister Nebula often clashes with her found family, including in the first Guardians movie, but they have since reconciled. Near the end of Guardians Vol. 2, Nebula joined her foster sister's team, and bravely fought alongside all the surviving Avengers in 2019's Endgame as well.
Nebula usually loses to Gamora in serious duels, but she can easily defeat almost anyone else with her deadly, well-honed skills and her strong cyborg body. She prefers a sword in battle, but Nebula can also use high-tech firearms and pilot small spacecraft as well.
4 Gamora
Gamora joined the Guardians team in prison, and she was a reliable and incredibly skilled ally for Star-Lord and the others until her tragic death in 2018's Infinity War. Gamora is one of Thanos' strongest minions of all, having been trained for years to be the ultimate assassin.
Gamora is agile, hits hard, and shows no mercy, making her a real powerhouse among the Guardians. She's not as tough as Groot and Drax, but her exceptional skill makes her harder to hit, and she can use blades and firearms with equal skill in any battle.
3 Groot
Groot is a tree-like alien who was Rocket's loyal friend even before the Guardians team formed. He and Rocket joined the Guardians of the Galaxy at the same time, with Rocket being the brains and root being the plant-based brawn of the duo.
Groot may be goofy and doesn't think things through, but in a fight, he is near-indestructible and can easily block enemy attacks with his plant-like growths. On offense, Groot can pummel or stab his enemies with impunity, rapidly growing his arms into branches or roots as natural weapons.
2 Yondu Udonta
Yondu Udonta was a Ravager ship captain and Peter Quill's antihero foster father for years. Yondu briefly joined the Guardians in Vol. 2 after he and Rocket escaped the ship, and Yondu helped fight Ego and even gave his life to secure Peter's safe escape from Ego's dying body.
Yondu is a devastating fighter for one main reason: his mastery of the Yaka Arrow. Unless it's damaged or lost, Yondu can merely whistle to make that deadly projectile race across the battlefield, piercing his enemies to death in rapid succession. Multiple times, Yondu used his quick-moving arrow to slaughter entire platoons of enemy forces before they had a chance to open fire on him.
1 Thor Odinson
Thor Odinson briefly joined the Guardians of the Galaxy in Phases 3 and 4, and he was stronger than the rest of that team put together. Thor is also one of the strongest Avengers thanks to his lightning powers, Asgardian strength, and his favorite weapons, Mjolnir and Stormbreaker.
Thor could have made most of the other Guardians obsolete, but he left the group to pursue his own interests in Thor: Love and Thunder. Now, the remaining Guardians must fight without him in Vol. 3, and no doubt Rocket and Groot will miss Thor's incredible power.