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It is easy to assume that the central theme of Marvel Studio’s surprise hit Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) is the need for teamwork or the idea that your family is made of those who take care of you. However, that is a simplification interpretation of the complex psychological principles that inform the movie’s plot, which switches the cause with the effect. Instead, Guardians of the Galaxy a quest for power, both internal and external, represented by the struggle to obtain the Power Stone.

Not only does the film have incredible visuals and interesting characters, it has a deep and meaningful story. Each character is motivated by loss; some have lost family members, some have lost respect, and some have lost purpose. Everyone, including the film’s villain Ronan, is seeking some form of empowerment to overcome this loss. At first, the various characters manifest their quest for empowerment through violence, seeking to obtain power by reducing or eliminating the power of others.

The violent path is a mistaken path, and the film reveals that it is through self-sacrifice, the act of giving up a quest for personal power, that an individual can join with others to obtain true power. Looking deeper at this idea reveals just how complex the film is and why it works so well. This article will reveal key details that potentially spoil the plot, but an understanding of this theme enriches viewing and unlocks the motivation of the individuals involved.

The Quest for Power

The movie begins in 1988, and we witness Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) lose his mother and lose his planet. She died due to cancer, yet the true loss was his unwillingness to reach out to her in her final moments. He was scared, and rightfully so; a child has no ability to fully understand loss on that scale.

Peter has a mix tape of her favorite songs that serves as a talisman for a happier time, an ideal moment that he wishes to live in forever. She gives him a gift in her final moments, but he is afraid to open it because he is afraid to recognize that she is gone. After crying out “no” over and over, raging against a cruel universe in an impotent manner, he flees into the night only to be abducted by Yondu (Michael Rooker) and his Ravagers.

He is a victim, scared and alone and constantly fleeing. He is moving forward through time but always dwelling on the past. The tape has a limited number of songs, but he constantly plays them, wishing to live forever in their closed loop of reality.

Years later, Peter discovers the Power Stone, one of the all powerful Infinity Stones. Before he can sell it, he is attacked by Rocket Racoon (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel), who are seeking a bounty on him placed by Yondu, and by Gamora (Zoe Saldana), who is serving Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) and her father Thanos (Josh Brolin). Peter, Rocket, Groot, and Gamora are all arrested by the Nova Corps and placed in prison, where they meet Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista).

This opening scene establishes a state of victimhood that permeates throughout and affects each of the other characters: Rocket was experimented on and abused; Groot is the last of his kind; Gamora is the adopted daughter of Thanos who seeks to undo her crimes and oppose her father; and Drax seeks vengeance against Ronan for the death of his family.

Similarly, the villainous characters also see themselves as victims: Ronan feels the need to destroy the Xandarians for their crimes; Nebula (Karen Gillan), the other adopted daughter of Thanos, hates both him and Gamora; and even Thanos most likely follows his comic book counterpart in seeking the stones to obtain the power he feels necessary to become supreme over all (and possibly win the favor of Lady Death).

Overcoming the Need for Power

Although Peter, now known as Star-Lord, is the first to obtain the stone, he does not understand its true value, and he tries to get rid of it (for money). His attachment to the mix tape is more important, and he bonds with Gamora as he attempts to share the music. This bond is important, and it is less of a romantic attachment and more an attempt to overcome a hole in his life. He has realized that he has fled from the pain in his life, and he subconsciously understands that sharing the beauty of the past can help him move beyond the pain.

When the group’s attempt to sell the stone is lost due to Ronan’s arrival (caused by Drax’s need for vengeance), Peter cares more about rescuing Gamore at the risk of his own life than recovering the stone. Not only does Peter contact Yondu, who still wants to capture him, he also gives Gamora his only means to survive in the vacuum of space.

Once rescued by Yondu, his self-sacrificing character extends further, wanting to then recover the stone simply to prevent Ronan from using it to wipe out an entire planet. He appeals to each of the others, expressing that they have a greater duty and that they do what it takes to become the Guardians of the Galaxy. They build a family through mutual support and protection as the film progresses, and they are given a purpose for that new structure.

If the film was solely about teamwork or family, then there would be no need for them to become “guardians.” Their interest would be to preserve themselves and each other. They could stand by and allow innocents to die. Instead, they realize that they lack purpose, too busy perusing their own objectives instead of doing something that matters, something heroic.

Synergy and Heroism

The final moments of the film, when Ronan attempts to land on Xander and use the power stone to destroy the planet, express the idea that true power that comes from synergy. Although each of the forces, the Guardians, the Ravagers, and the Nova Corps, have their own purpose and objective, every single individual involved puts his or her life on the line to save others. In doing so, they give up their own gain to allow a more complete gain that can be shared by all.

This sacrifice is most evident by the attempt of the Nova Corps ships to link up and stop Ronan from reaching the planet. It is only through the use of the Power Stone that they are defeated, and their heroic loss inspires the roguish Ravagers to place themselves in harms way. From there, the sacrifices escalate. Ronan makes it to the surface as his ship crashes, and Groot expends his energy to protect his team so they can stop the destruction of the planet.

In the most powerful scene of the movie (literally and figuratively), the Power Stone is released, and both Ronan and Peter reach out to grab it. It is an ultimate and deadly force, and Peter’s attempt to hold onto it begins to deteriorate his body and the world around him. It is an intense and painful moment, and time slows and distorts to represent the reality altering power of the stone. Even Peter’s own molecules are obliterated as the force of the stone begins to poison him.

In a call back to the opening scene, Gamora reaches out for Peter, asking him to take her hand, and we flash to Peter’s mother asking the same. He has a chance to fix the past, to fix his mistakes, and he grabs a hold of her. It is not his mother, but Peter is able to move on with that action. He has already shown his willingness to give up everything for others, and now he is willing to face the painful reality of life that has haunted him throughout his life. His victory was due to his relinquishing power, not through wielding it.

All of the Guardians recognize the danger that the stone possesses, but each grabs a hold of Peter anyway. It is a risk, yet it is through their shared suffering that they are able to obtain a semblance of control over the stone. To this, Ronan cries out in disbelief: “You are mortal, how?” Peter responds, “You said it yourself, bitch, we are the Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Each of the Guardians have gained actual power by joining together. Each of the Guardians have overcome some of their suffering in defeating Ronan. But that is only incidental to what took place. They did not know that they would win. They only knew that they had to join with Peter in a desperate attempt to protect others. They truly became the guardians over others by risking everything.

Teamwork is necessary to obtaining true power, and it requires a sacrifice of individual power. It also requires giving up personal ambition to help others.

Ultimately, the team had the chance to keep the Power Stone, but they gave it to the Nova Corps for safe keeping. They know that the power is too dangerous for anyone to control, and they avoid its corrupting influence. Fear, ambition, and revenge are petty feelings, and the Power Stone uses them to destroy others. Self-sacrifice, heroism, and love for others is true power, and it cannot be found in any device. The film works so well because it is able to capture these ideas, adding depth to the characters and to the plot that is sorely missing in so many other super hero films.