Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a 2017 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and the 15th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Written and directed by James Gunn, the film stars an ensemble cast featuring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Sylvester Stallone, and Kurt Russell. In the film, the Guardians travel throughout the cosmos as they help Peter Quill (Pratt) learn more about his mysterious parentage. The film was officially announced at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con before the theatrical release of the first film, along with Gunn's return as writer and director from the first film, with the title of the sequel revealed a year later in June 2015. Principal photography began in February 2016 at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Fayette County, Georgia, with many crew changes from the first film due to other commitments. Filming concluded in June 2016. Gunn chose to set the sequel shortly after the first film to explore the characters' new roles as the Guardians, and to follow the storyline of Quill's father established throughout that previous film. Russell was confirmed as Quill's father in July 2016, portraying Ego, a departure from Quill's comic father. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 premiered in Tokyo on April 10, 2017, and was released in the United States on May 5, 2017, as part of Phase Three of the MCU. It grossed more than $869 million worldwide, making it the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2017, while also outgrossing its predecessor. The film received praise for its visuals, direction, soundtrack, action sequences, humor, and performances, though some critics deemed it inferior to the original. It received a nomination for Best Visual Effects at the 90th Academy Awards. A sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, was released on May 5, 2023, preceded by the Disney+ special The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special in November 2022.
Plot In 2014, Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Baby Groot are renowned as the Guardians of the Galaxy. High Priestess Ayesha of the Sovereign race has the Guardians protect valuable Anulax batteries from an Abilisk, an inter-dimensional monster, in exchange for Nebula, Gamora's estranged sister, who was caught attempting to steal the batteries. After Rocket steals the batteries for himself, the Sovereign attacks the Guardians' ship with a fleet of drones. A mysterious figure destroys the drones and the Guardians crash-land on nearby planet Berhert. The figure reveals himself as Ego, Quill's father, and he introduces Mantis, his naïve empath servant. Ego invites Quill, Gamora, and Drax to his home planet, while Rocket and Groot remain behind to repair the ship and watch Nebula. Ayesha hires Yondu Udonta and his crew, who have been exiled from the greater Ravager community by Ravager leader Stakar Ogord for child trafficking, to recapture the Guardians. They capture Rocket, but when Yondu hesitates to turn over Quill, whom he raised, his lieutenant Kraglin Obfonteri questions his objectivity, and Taserface, another lieutenant, leads a mutiny, aided by Nebula, who shoots Yondu. Taserface executes Yondu's loyalists, and imprisons him and Rocket aboard Yondu's ship. Nebula leaves to find and kill Gamora, whom she blames for the torture inflicted on her by Thanos, their adoptive father. Kraglin, who is remorseful and never signed up for a mutiny, helps Groot free Rocket and Yondu, and while escaping, the group set the ship to self-destruct using Yondu's arrow. Taserface informs the Sovereign before being killed by the explosion. Ego, a god-like Celestial that manipulated the matter around his consciousness to form his "home" planet, explains that he projected a humanoid guise to travel the universe and discover a purpose, eventually falling in love with Quill's mother Meredith. Ego hired Yondu to collect the young Quill after Meredith's death, but the boy was never delivered, and Ego has been searching for him ever since. He teaches Quill to manipulate his inherited Celestial power, while Mantis grows close to Drax and tries to warn him of Ego's plans. Nebula arrives at Ego's planet and tries to kill Gamora, but the pair reconcile and reach an uneasy alliance, soon discovering a cavern filled with skeletal remains. Ego brainwashes Quill and reveals that in his travels, he planted seedlings on thousands of worlds that can xenoform them into new extensions of himself, but only the power of two Celestials can activate them. He adds that he impregnated countless women and hired Yondu to collect their offspring but killed them all when they failed to inherit his Celestial power. When Ego admits that he gave Meredith the brain tumor that killed her, an infuriated Quill breaks out of his brainwashing and violently attacks him. Ego then parasitically draws Quill's energy to activate the seedlings, which begin to consume the worlds on which they are planted. Rocket, Yondu, Groot, and Kraglin arrive, and together with Mantis, Drax, Nebula and Gamora, they rescue Quill. The reunited Guardians travel to Ego's brain at the planet's core, where Yondu reveals that he kept Quill to spare him from Ego. As the Sovereign's drones return and attack, Rocket makes a bomb using the stolen batteries, which Groot plants on Ego's brain. Quill uses his newfound Celestial powers to fight Ego, distracting him long enough for the other Guardians and Mantis to escape. The bomb explodes, killing Ego and disintegrating the planet, but also draining Quill of his Celestial powers. Yondu sacrifices himself to save Quill by letting himself die in the vacuum of space. Despite having reconciled with Gamora, Nebula chooses to leave and resume her quest to kill Thanos. The Guardians, with Mantis as a new member, hold a funeral for Yondu as dozens of Ravager ships arrive, having heard of Yondu's sacrifice and accept him as a Ravager again. In a series of mid-and post-credit scenes, Kraglin takes up Yondu's telekinetic arrow and control-fin; Stakar reunites with his ex-teammates and fellow Ravager captains; Ayesha creates Adam, a new artificial being with whom she plans to destroy the Guardians; and Groot grows into a teenager.
Cast
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