Marvel Studios has basically confirmed that the Guardians of the Galaxy could have easily beaten the Chitauri and won the Avengers‘ first movie, but I thought that was common knowledge based on a few key factors of the Marvel Cinematic Universe team. The Avengers are the franchise’s most important team, with their two upcoming MCU movies, Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, set to bring the Multiverse Saga to a head. Over the course of the team’s MCU history, Marvel’s Avengers movies have put Earth’s Mightiest Heroes up against some powerful foes and a few armies.

In The Avengers, they had to defeat Loki and the Chitauri. In Avengers: Age of Ultron, the heroes managed to get the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver to flip sides and defeat Ultron and his sentries. Then came Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, where different versions of Thanos served as the main villain, with an army that included the Black Order and the Outriders. While Earth’s Mightiest Heroes have shown how they can handle whatever threat comes their way, with Avengers: Doomsday‘s story set to repeat that when Doctor Doom emerges, they are not the best equipped for handling every villain.

An Avengers: Endgame Deleted Scene Shows How The Guardians Of The Galaxy Could Have Stopped The Chitauri

Rocket Raccoon Told The Avengers An Important Piece Of Information

The Guardians of the Galaxy are a highly capable team. Besides growing to be a family, more even than the Avengers, they have plenty of intelligent and powerful members. That is why I was not surprised when a deleted Avengers: Endgame scene pretty much confirmed that had the Guardians of the Galaxy been in 2012’s The Avengers, the Battle of New York would have ended way sooner than it did. That is not to say that the Avengers did anything wrong, but they were simply not privy to the information Rocket Raccoon presented in the deleted scene.

Avengers: Endgame featured one of my favorite MCU stories. I thought the idea of the Time Heist was exciting, as it allowed Marvel Studios to send some of its most popular characters to take a victory lap around key movies and events in the Infinity Saga. Seeing the Battle of New York again was great, and the Avengers: Endgame deleted scene where Bradley Cooper’s Rocket Raccoon shows how the Guardians of the Galaxy could have easily won the Avengers’ first movie battle with the Chitauri adds some new details to one of the MCU’s best battles.

After Black Widow tells Rocket that the Avengers fought the Chitauri for two or three hours, the Guardian of the Galaxy is visibly shocked. Rocket then mocks the Avengers by calling the Chitauri “the suckiest army in the galaxy.” After doing so, he asks them why they simply did not blow up their mother ship, to which Captain America responds by saying the Avengers did not know that was a thing. As such, the Guardians of the Galaxy would have had the crucial piece of intel to defeat the Chitauri quickly if they ever needed to, which the Avengers didn’t.

I Always Thought Gamora’s Presence Meant The Chitauri Did Not Pose A Problem To The Team

The Guardians Of The Galaxy Had A Valuable Team Member

Even though we did not know that the Guardians of the Galaxy knew how to defeat the Chitauri by blowing up their mother ship, I always ᴀssumed that they had a few key advantages that made the team better suited for taking on the alien army than the Avengers. One of the biggest reasons why I always ᴀssumed the Guardians of the Galaxy would not have to struggle to fight the Chitauri was due to how Zoe Saldaña’s Gamora was in the team. Gamora is not only one of the galaxy’s ᴅᴇᴀᴅliest ᴀssᴀssins, but she is also Thanos’ daughter.

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While Nebula would only get to join the Guardians of the Galaxy later, Gamora has been with the team since it was created. As such, the Guardians of the Galaxy always had one of Thanos’ daughters as part of their roster, and it was his most loved one. Since the Chitauri were the army Thanos gave Loki so that he could get the Teserract for him, Gamora would know everything there is to know about them. Even if Rocket had not been aware that they had to explode the Chitauri’s mother ship, Gamora would have known how to defeat them.

The Guardians Of The Galaxy Are Made For Fighting Threats Like The Chitauri

The Team Is Marvel Studios’ Premiere Cosmic Superhero Squad

Even if Gamora, Rocket, and the rest of the team had no inside knowledge of how to take down the Chitauri easily, I always imagined that they would have won The Avengers‘ final battle due to a key factor. After all, the Guardians of the Galaxy, as the team’s name suggests, are the MCU’s first line of defense against cosmic threats. While the Chitauri came to Earth with Loki in his effort to dominate the planet, they are an alien race. As such, the Guardians of the Galaxy have extensive experience in dealing with that sort of threat.

2012’s The Avengers was the movie where Earth’s Mightiest Heroes came together for the first time. While the team had powerful players and master tacticians, they had the obstacles of working together for the first time and fighting an alien invasion on Earth. As such, I totally understand why they struggled to fight the Chitauri at first, and the fact that they still only took two or three hours to defeat them is impressive. However, the Guardians of the Galaxy deal with threats like the Chitauri on a regular basis, which makes them better equipped to handle the aliens.

How The Guardians Of The Galaxy May Still Fight The Chitauri In The MCU

A Major Character Return Has Been Teased For The Franchise

At the moment, Thanos is ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, with Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom set to be the main villain of the next two Avengers movies. However, the Mad тιтan might not remain ᴅᴇᴀᴅ for long. Not only is Thanos part of an iconic moment from the comics’ Secret Wars event, which the MCU could adapt, but Josh Brolin has teased Thanos’ MCU return. According to the actor, Thanos might be coming back to the MCU soon, as Brolin commented on what he had heard about it, saying, “I hear kind of like through the grapevine, that they’re gonna bring him back.”

If Thanos were to return, so could the Chitauri. The alien army could be lurking around somewhere in the Multiverse Saga, just waiting for its master to return and come calling. This would allow the Guardians of the Galaxy to prove how they can easily take care of the Chitauri, especially since Rocket has the necessary knowledge to defeat them and is the leader of the new version of the cosmic team. The Chitauri could also come from another universe during an incursion in one of the upcoming Avengers movies, allowing the Guardians of the Galaxy to face them.

All Announced Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Thunderbolts*

  Release Date

  
  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Release Date

  
  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday

  Release Date

  
  May 1, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Spider-Man: Brand New Day

  Release Date

  
  July 31, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date

  
  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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