Guardians of the Galaxy

Earth, 1988:

Young Peter Quill (Wyatt Oleff) is seated in a hospital waiting for area while sporting headphones and playing "Awesome Mix Tape no. 1" on his Walkman. In order for him to say farewell to his mother, who is suffering from a brain tumor, his grandpa (Gregg Henry) comes out and takes him. His mother gives him a gift and tells him that Peter is much like his late father, who was an angel. He is too afraid to accept her hand when she asks for it. Then she passes away. Peter, who is upset, rushes outdoors and is taken aboard a spacecraft.

Morag, 2014:

Chris Pratt's adult Star-lord Peter Quill is on the planet Morag looking for a strange Orb while listening to Awesome Mix Tape no. 1. He locates the Orb and removes it from a laser-sealed container. He gets assaulted by Korath the Pursuer (Djimon Hounsou) and his goons almost immediately. Peter manages to reach his spacecraft, the Milano, following a shootout, and he flees.

Michael Rooker's Yondu Udonta, the leader of the Ravager unit who reared Peter, calls and orders Peter to hand the Orb to him. Yondu is Yondu's father figure. Peter makes the decision to conduct the sale on his own. After Peter hangs up, Yondu's soldiers reprimand him for consistently being forgiving of Peter despite his repeated betrayals, but Yondu blows them off since he's more curious to see who else is drawn to the Orb.

The homicidal tyrant Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace), who aims to destroy the planet of Xandar after its inhabitants murdered his father and grandfather, is in charge of the Kree battleship Dark Aster, which Korath returns to. According to Korath, he was unable to obtain the Orb, which is now in Peter's possession. Because he can give it to Thanos in exchange for him destroying Xandar, Ronan wants the Orb. Nebula (Karen Gillan), the daughter of Thanos, is to be sent after Peter by Ronan, but her sister Gamora (Zoe Saldana) offers to go instead. Ronan sends Gamora in spite of Nebula's concerns.

Because Ronan's thugs are also interested in the Orb, Peter takes it to a broker on the planet Xandar (Christopher Fairbank) and asks what it is. When the broker hears Ronan's name, he instantly withdraws, saying he doesn't want anything to do with the orb, and kicks Peter out of the store. Gamora leaps Peter outside and makes an effort to get the Orb on her own.

While they are engaged in combat, Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel) ambush them in an effort to collect a reward for Peter. (Stan Lee makes a brief appearance on Xandar as an elderly man who is chit-chatting with a young woman. Rocket refers to him as a pervert. Soon after being detained by the Nova Corps, Peter, Gamora, Rocket, and Groot are sent to the Kyln, a space prison in orbit.

Because Gamora is Thanos' daughter, nearly everyone in the prison wants to murder her. As a result of Ronan killing his wife and children, one of the prisoners, Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), has a grudge against her and plans to exact revenge by killing a member of Ronan's family. Gamora clarifies that she is not connected to Ronan and that she had intended to betray him. Peter makes a case for Gamora.

In the meantime, Thanos summons Ronan to his asteroid field home to speak with him. Ronan kills one of Thanos's lieutenants for disobeying him and informs Thanos (Josh Brolin) that Gamora is a traitor. Threatening to kill him if he doesn't, Thanos orders him to take care of her and obtain the Orb. Nebula gets upset when he says Gamora is his favorite daughter.

Gamora has the plan to sell the Orb to someone else back at the Kyln. Groot, Rocket, and Peter consent to assist and divide the reward. To get out of jail, Rocket has a strategy. He requires a battery from a tall jail column, one of the guards' wrist devices, and a prisoner's prosthetic leg.

Groot takes the batteries first as he stresses how crucial it is to take them last. Alarms sound and security robots arrive. While Peter haggles for the prisoner's leg, Gamora goes to obtain a wrist gadget. Realizing that Ronan will eventually pursue Gamora and that he may then murder Ronan himself, Drax resolves to take part in the escape.

They all manage to arrive at a guard post close to the top of the prison after receiving the thing they all agreed to collect. Rocket claims that he (Rocket) was merely kidding and that he didn't genuinely need the leg and expresses amazement that Peter actually obtained it. Rocket sets up the equipment to turn off the prison's gravity and utilise the security droids as jets to fly the guard station out of the facility just as it appears like they are running out of time. As they flee, Peter splits off from the others, saying Rocket he left something behind. It turns out that he is getting his Walkman back from a guard with the Awesome Mix Tape on it.

Yondu learns that Peter still has the Orb when he visits his broker. He gets the broker to tell where Peter might have travelled by threatening him with his arrow.

On Peter's ship, everyone becomes more familiar with one another. They don't get along at all. To meet with the Collector, they soon arrive to Knowhere (a space station constructed inside the severed head of a Celestial). Drax, Rocket, and Groot binge drink and gamble while they wait for their appointment. Peter and Gamora connect over music.

His mother gave him a mix tape of her favourite tunes, he explains. She hears it and enjoys it. She refuses to dance when he invites her to. He claims it makes him think of the old tale Footloose, which is about folks who didn't dance. She tells him she's not one of the doe-eyed females he's used to and that she won't fall for his pelvic magic when he makes a pass at her.

Drax, Rocket, and Groot, who are all intoxicated, engage into a heated argument before they can meet with the Collector. Drax believes Groot is stupid, while Rocket is sick of being referred to as a mouse. They are persuaded not to fight by Peter. They are all brought by the Collector's assistant, who they then meet. Drax calls Ronan before departing on his own.

Howard the Duck and Cosmo, the Soviet space dog, are only two of the many artefacts that The Collector (Benicio Del Toro) collects. The Collector inserts the orb into a machine that turns it into a sort of lathe, which separates the orb's two parts to reveal that it contains an Infinity Stone. The Infinity Stones, according to the Collector, are six singularities formed during the Big Bang. They can destroy planets and are more numerous.

In an attempt to kill the Collector, the assistant takes the stone out of nowhere. She is being poisoned by the Infinity Stone when she and the surrounding region explode. Cosmo and the majority of the population both survive. With the Orb containing the Infinity Stone, Peter and the others succeed in making their getaway. They determine that Nova Headquarters is the most secure location for the stone. It's too dangerous to be anywhere else.

Suddenly, Ronan and his team ambush the group in response to Drax's call. Additionally, Yondu's Ravager squad appears, having located Peter through the broker. Taking off in separate passenger ships, Gamora, Rocket, and Quill are pursued by Nebula and some of Ronan's thugs. Drax makes an attempt to attack Ronan, but is severely injured.

Above the atmosphere, Nebula pursues Gamora's ship and destroys it. Gamora is left to perish in space after Nebula takes the Infinity Stone. Peter phones Yondu to let him know where he is and then jumps out of the ship to float to Gamora, where he offers her his gas mask to keep her alive because he knows he can't let her die.

Just as they are about to freeze to death, Yondu shows up and uses a tractor beam to capture Peter and Gamora. We can now clearly see that Yondu's vessel is the one that kidnapped Peter when he was a young boy.

On the Dark Aster, Ronan informs Thanos that he may back out of the agreement now that he possesses the Infinity Stone. Instead, he will eliminate Xandar by himself before pursuing Thanos. The Infinity Stone is placed inside his hammer.

Yondu is about to execute Peter for betraying him back on Yondu's ship when Peter reveals he has the plan to retrieve the Orb back, but Yondu changes his mind. On Knowhere, Drax, Groot, and Rocket make the decision to band together to protect Peter and Gamora from Yondu. They fly the Milano to Yondu's ship and demand that Yondu release Peter and Gamora or they will blow it up using a unique weapon Rocket created. On Yondu's ship, Peter materializes out of the crowd and convinces Rocket that he doesn't require saving.

When Peter says he has a plan to get the Orb back, Yondu is going to execute him for betraying him back on Yondu's ship, but he changes his mind. Drax, Groot, and Rocket decide to work together to save Peter and Gamora from Yondu on Knowhere. They fly the Milano to Yondu's ship and threaten to blow it up with a special weapon Rocket made unless Yondu releases Peter and Gamora. Peter appears out of the crowd on Yondu's ship and persuades Rocket that he doesn't need saving.

Except for Groot, who claims (as interpreted by Rocket) that this is more than 11% of a plan, everyone else laughs. Rocket claims that if they attempt to stop Ronan, they will probably perish. Peter emphasizes how much they have already lost and how there is nothing more to lose. Each of them slowly gets to his feet and declares he will join the battle against Ronan.

Peter tells the Nova Corps to believe him because he's not entirely a dick, warning them that Ronan is coming to destroy them and they should prepare.

In order for Peter, Groot, Drax, and Gamora to board Ronan's ship, Rocket's plan is to blow a hole in it. They're going to blast Ronan up with a cannon that Rocket created once Gamora cuts the power for his guards.

They begin the strategy. Rocket destroys the Dark Aster before assisting Yondu and his men in defending Xandar from Ronan's fighter ships. Yondu gets shot to death. He is ordered to surrender while on the ground, but instead he shoots an arrow that kills an entire platoon of thugs.

While Drax, Peter, and Groot head to the ship's bridge, Gamora and Nebula have a heated argument on the Dark Aster.

Dozens of Nova ships connect to form a massive net that slows the Dark Aster's descent. After ultimately defeating Nebula, who collapses, Gamora commandeers a Ravager ship, throws the pilot out the window, and takes off. Xandar will be struck by kamikaze by Ronan's ships. As many of the ships as they can are brought down by Rocket and Yondu's soldiers.

Nearing the bridge, Drax murders Korath. Using a long, thin branch that he creates, Groot thrashes a sizable number of Ronan's troops. Everyone eventually arrives at the bridge where Ronan will be confronted. Peter manages to shoot Ronan with Rocket's super cannon, but it is ineffective because he is once more too strong for them. Ronan appears to have been destroyed as Rocket crashes the Milano into the bridge. As the entire ship is falling into Xandar, Groot gathers them all together in a massive nest to protect them. Because Rocket is aware that what Groot is doing will ultimately result in his death, he is upset. Groot replies, "We are Groot," after previously only saying "I Am Groot."

The ship goes down. Except for Groot, everyone is fine. A scattering of twigs makes up Groot. However, because Ronan is still alive and well, the fight is far from over. The Guardians of the Galaxy, he mockingly refers to Peter and his team as. Quill gets up and starts dancing to the song "Ooh-ooh Child," challenging Ronan to a dance-off as he raises his hammer for the fatal blow. Ronan is perplexed until Peter explains that everything was just a distraction, while Drax and Rocket fire Ronan's hammer at him, causing the Infinity Stone to be released.

Before Ronan can take the stone, Peter does. Peter begins to experience similar effects as the Collector's aide. He will die if he continues to hold the stone, but Gamora commands him to take her hand. He remembers the time when he lacked the confidence to grasp his mother's hand, and he now takes Gamora's. The power from the Infinity Stone is distributed among the four of them when Drax and Rocket join hands with the others, resulting in a flash of energy that vaporises Ronan. One of the sticks that used to be Groot is collected by Rocket.

As per his initial agreement with Peter, Yondu shows up and demands the Stone. Peter hands the Orb to him. One of Yondu's men remarks that he loves Peter and is relieved that they didn't take him back to his father as they were supposed to all those years ago as Yondu and his men depart.

Gamora feels betrayed by Peter for giving up the stone. Peter admits that he switched the Orbs and that the one with the stone is still in his possession.

When the Infinity Stone's orb is revealed at Nova HQ, Peter discovers he is only half human and half an unknown, ancient being. They hypothesize that he was able to grasp the Infinity Stone without passing away thanks to inhuman genes.

On Yondu's ship, a celebration is going on. While Yondu's gang is having fun, he decides to open the Orb after giving it a skeptical glance. It has a troll doll inside. He beams.

The gift that Peter's mother gave him before she passed away is eventually opened. It's a "Awesome Mix Tape no. 2" cassette. He inquires about the Guardians' preferred route. "You lead, Star-lord," says Gamora. He queries if they desire good or evil. Then, he makes the decision that they should take both actions. Rocket is holding a pot that he has placed the stick he recovered following Groot's sacrifice inside of. On the stick, we can make out the face of a small Groot.

FINAL CREDIT

During the credits, a significantly bigger baby Groot than in the previous scene dances in his pot while Drax watches in the distance to Quill's 1980s music. When Drax looks at the baby Groot, he stops, but when Drax turns away, he resumes.

Following the credits, Cosmo the Soviet space dog approaches The Collector while he is drinking and sitting on the debris, licking his face. That's gross, a voice can be heard saying. Howard the Duck may be seen sitting atop a shattered cage and drinking when the camera turns.