Within the magnitude of the MCU, there are certain groups of characters that work particularly well together. There's the mentor/apprentice relationship between Tony Stark and Spider-Man. There's even the wonderful bond between Captain America and The Falcon where Cap passing the torch (or the shield) to Sam made the most sense and felt rightfully earned. One group in particular that is simply irreplaceable, however, is the Guardians of the Galaxy cast and their respective characters.
The characters from Guardians of the Galaxy fit perfectly together, and perhaps that's because they were written to do so. But their relationship with each other just wouldn't have the same pop and heart if it weren't for the chemistry reciprocated between the cast that made up the space-venturing crew.
The Original Guardians of the Galaxy Cast
The first members of the Guardians really solidified the foundation of what it meant to be a part of the team. After being detained by Nova Corp officers on Xandar and being sent to a high-security prison called the Kyln, the future Guardians built a bond that would eventually lead to their escape from the jail.
The original Guardians of the Galaxy cast -- before they were even appointed as such -- was made up of Peter "Star-Lord" Quill (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax The Destroyer (WWE legend Dave Bautista), Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper), and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel). Of the original five, Drax was the only one who wouldn't meet the others until they were imprisoned.
The Guardians, ironically, were out to get each other when they first met. Gamora was after Quill because he unknowingly was in the possession of the Soul Stone, while Rocket and Groot -- who were bounty hunting partners -- were trying to capture Quill for the hefty bounty on his head. Once in the prison, Drax recognized Gamora as someone who worked for Ronan, the tyrant warlord who destroyed Drax's home planet and murdered his family. None of them would've guessed they'd eventually be saving the galaxy together as a team as close as family.
Later Additions to the Guardians of the Galaxy Cast
Many of whom would eventually join the Guardians team -- or at least work alongside them -- actually appeared in the first film, with a few exceptions. The most notable additions to the Guardians were Gamora's sister Nebula (Karen Gillan), Mantis (Pom Klementieff) who served under Quill's father Ego in the sequel film before joining the Guardians, and for a brief time Thor (Chris Hemsworth). Then there was Yondu (Michael Rooker) and Kraglin (Sean Gunn) who were part of the Ravagers and not necessarily a member of the Guardians, but would eventually fight as their allies.
Both Nebula and Mantis wouldn't be a part of the group until the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, both adding their own unique, yet opposite dynamic to the team. Nebula was the emotionless cyborg dead set on carrying out her father's mission, while Mantis quite literally was the embodiment of emotion as part of her power is to observe and alter one's neurological condition, or feelings.
Thor was only a Guardian from the end of Avengers: Endgame through the beginning of Thor: Love and Thunder, but his shared screen time with them was awesome and hilarious. Mainly, he was there to rediscover his purpose and, in the process, constantly battled against Quill for the unofficial position of Captain of the Guardians.
Why the Guardians of the Galaxy Cast Worked So Well
The GOTG characters had every part of an entertaining, but effective crew that makes any great teamwork. There's Quill, the sometimes egotistical leader whose bravery and loyalty gave the Guardians someone to look up to and follow anywhere; then Gamora, the pragmatic fighting specialist who wouldn't hesitate against any enemy; Drax, the powerhouse machine of a man who isn't the brightest of the bunch; Nebula, the stoic engineer and skilled fighter; Mantis, the ditsy, yet empathetic utility character who always sees the deeper meaning; Rocket, the wildcard mechanical whiz who is ready to fight at the drop of a dime; and Groot, the pure soul who just so happens to also be the strongest fighter.
With these characters established, it was up to the Guardians of the Galaxy cast to make them come to life, something they did so well individually and as a unit. An essential trait that each character at one point or another brought was their unique humor. Pratt and Cooper were so clever with their jokes and how and when they delivered them were perfectly on cue. Saldana and Gillan were more cynical, using sarcasm very often which meshed perfectly with their more oftentimes serious characters. Bautista and Klementieff were the classic duo of the characters who weren't entirely sure of what was going on most of the time. And Diesel, whose main lines throughout the trilogy were either "I am Groot" or "We are Groot", was still able to showcase his love and care for his team.
What worked so well, too, with the humor especially, was their ability to bounce off each other in quick exchanges in a sort of improvisational method. They all were extremely convincing in making it seem like their conversations were totally natural and not at all scripted, which is not an easy achievement. Viewers could so easily take a step back from recognizing that these were real people playing fictional characters. Their chemistry on the screen just made it seem so realistic to the point that you could really get to know and understand each character, thus their words and actions were unconditionally accepted as true.
There's a reason the Guardians of the Galaxy movies rank so high on many MCU fans tier list. From how the characters were written to how the cast embodied them to the core and painted them as real, the lovable, and hilariously dysfunctional team are some of the greatest characters the MCU has, and might ever see.