Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 hit theaters last weekend to massive success, and while we expected our beloved group of misfits to have incredible adventures, we didn’t expect for Yondu to steal the show. Take a look at our Top Five Moments!
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
I have so much to say about my number one that I’ll lead into this with a countdown of my top five! This will cover all the major characters and contain so many of my feelings! Let’s get this started!
#5. Peter finally meets his space dad!
Of course, the gang finds themselves in serious trouble after Rocket steals batteries from the Sovereign, and as they’re running away, Peter’s dad makes his grand appearance by wiping out all their drone spaceships! He’s charming and really chill, and immediately, I knew he couldn’t be trusted.
All of my feelings are proven right because he completely lives up to his name, Ego. While he turned out to be a horrible person, his behavior does push Peter to realize who is his family and who has been his family all along. It’s definitely not this space tool Ego.
#4. Drax and Mantis
Riding this wave of family again, we come to Drax and Mantis. Mantis is new to our group and an empath. She’s actually working for Ego because she a can help him sleep. However, as she gets to know the Guardians, specifically Drax, her loyalites begin to shift.
One of the most emotional scenes in the film is when she and Drax are looking out of Ego’s planet, and he tells her that it reminds him of a place he used to take his daughter. Due to her empath abilities if she touches someone, Mantis reaches her hand out and touches Drax’s shoulder.
When she feels the severity of his pain over the loss of his wife and daughter, she begins crying. Drax continues to stare off into the distance with a look of utter longing on his face. He doesn’t cry, he doesn’t break into a frown. It’s the first time we’ve seen Drax’s true emotions and it’s because Mantis is releasing them.
Then there’s all that chemistry that’s happening between them. This is my new ship, by the way!
#3. Gamora and Nebula
These two have been at odds for years, and in this sequel we’re given a much deeper look into their pasts. According to Nebula, every time she would lose a fight to Gamora, their father would replace a part of her body with a mechanical part. This was supposed to make her as good as her sister, but still Gamora always won.
There’s a brief moment in the film when Nebula yells at her sister that she always had to win, but all Nebula wanted was a sister. This seems to shake Gamora as she really sees her sister for the first time. That’s not to say that they don’t have some serious issues and have a huge fight scene that’s incredible because THEY DO.
When Nebula decides to leave at the end of the film, they’ve managed to come to terms with their relationship. They’re sisters, but they won’t ever be really close. Gamora will stay with the Guardians and Nebula is going to kill their father for all the torture he put her through.
#2. Baby Groot
Let’s be real, he’s too freaking cute! Whether it’s dancing around while the rest of the Guardians battle, getting instructions from Yondu mixed up repeatedly, or falling asleep on Drax’s shoulder, his preciousness was a much needed light during the film.
And Taserface pretty much sums it up when he says that Groot is too adorable to kill.
#1. Yondu
I’ll admit, I’ve been a big fan of Michael Rooker since her played Merle Dixon on The Walking Dead. He has the ability to take a character that’s not a good guy but give them so many layers that you become conflicted about who they are and want to learn more.
I always thought it was odd that Yondu wouldn’t return Peter to his dad, and in the first movie, he had several opportunities to kill Peter, but instead, he let him go or helped him out. His threats about not eating him when he was a child always seemed to err on the side of a parent scolding their adult child by saying, “Do you know all the things I’ve done for you? And this is how you treat me?”
So, I never hated Yondu. I felt like there was a lot below the surface we weren’t seeing. That’s not to say that he’s a “good guy” because he’s done some bad stuff. He’s broken codes and killed a lot of people, but there’s a side of me that doesn’t necessarily think he’s a bad guy either.
While Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 2 is a solid movie, it’s Rooker’s Yondu that steals the show. When he comes on screen and we begin his character’s arc, I became more invested in him than any of the other characters. I wanted to see his redemption arc, and you can tell early on that’s what it’s going to be.
From his run in with the other Ravager clans to his startling confrontation with Rocket where he tells him that he knows exactly who he is because Rocket is him. They’re both closed off, they’re both other. This forces Rocket to think about his own behavior, especially given Yondu’s sacrifice at the end of the film.
Which brings us to Yondu and Peter. This man who raised him finally shows Peter his true feelings. He didn’t keep him because he was scrawny and could fit into little places so he was good for thieving. No, Yondu kept Peter because he knew what would happen if he gave him Ego.
We get several flashes when Peter begins to use his power from his heart, and one of those is a quick shot of Yondu teaching a young Peter how to fire a gun. So at the very end, when Yondu takes Peter and saves him one last time, it all comes slamming down on us emotionally. It finally clicks for Peter, and Yondu gives him one last piece of advise in case he feels like Ego has damaged him.
“He may be your father, but he ain’t your daddy.”
And that’s when the tears came and they didn’t stop until after the first of the after credit scenes because Yondu received the Ravager funeral he deserved and it was absolutely beautiful. Capped off with Peter’s speech, and I was completely done.
Rest in peace, Yondu…I mean Mary Poppins.
****
If you haven’t already, go see Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 2 now! If you’ve already seen it, you probably want to go again. I know I sure do!
