10. Groot
“…and Groot, a sentient tree” went the punchline to the description of The Guardians prior to the release of James Gunn‘s film and Marvel’s then-riskiest proposition. What a difference a year makes —Groot, voiced by a Vin Diesel tasked with delivering various inflections of the line “I am Groot,” is the most lovable of the Guardians, not an easy task for a CGI character. He also comes across as a creature without malice, a cross between an Ent from the ‘Lord of the Rings’ films and Hodor from “Game Of Thrones,” and yields a highly desirable merchandising opportunity in his dancing-in-a-plant-pot incarnation.
9. Thor
After four Marvel movie appearances, including two of his own solo movies, Thor is gradually coming into focus, even if, aside from some nice humor evinced in ‘Ultron,’ he feels more marginalized this time out. Marvel haven’t quite nailed their quasi-fantasy universe yet, flipping between the, sci-fi ‘Lord Of The Rings’ vibe of the first film, while the second went for “Games Of Thrones”-esque intrigue. But Chris Hemsworth‘s Thor anchors the films like a really heavy hammer: a reluctant king, a god among men and a giant beefcake to boot. Arrogant and brash, it’s his family issues that are the most interesting thing about him: his treacherous devil of a brother and a father constantly disappointed in him. We can’t say we’re agog for ‘Thor 3,’ but Hemsworth is genuinely charismatic in the role.
8. Clint Barton/Hawkeye
If Hawkeye seems high on this list, it’s very possible you haven’t seen ‘Age Of Ultron’ yet. While even Jeremy Renner complained about Hawkeye’s non-character in the original ‘Avengers,’ more of a plot pawn than anything else, he gets his due in ‘Ultron.’ Without spoiling too much, Hawkeye is revealed to be in many ways the heart and soul of the Avengers team; the most physically vulnerable of them all, but also the most human. His back story and motivations are revealed, he shows off strong leadership skills, and he’s a big part of the examination of heroism theme in the movie —even non-super-gods are vital to this team. Hawkeye also gets some great lines, good comebacks and definitely comes out the other end a bit more three dimensional.
7. Rocket
“The tree and raccoon movie” was the brief shorthand for “Guardians Of The Galaxy” in advance. It was also the shorthand as such afterwards, but only because the tree and raccoon were so completely loveable. Brought to life by some phenomenal FX and a vocal performance by Bradley Cooper that never quite gets the credit it deserves, Rocket was a pint-sized, wisecracking badass, but also, as we see when he gets drunk, a scared animal with an inferiority complex who doesn’t quite understand why he is the way he is. He might have been a raccoon, but he’s also one of the most complex heroes in the MCU, as well as one of the most iconic.
6. Peter Quill/Star-Lord
After a lengthy casting search that included everyone from Eddie Redmayne to Jim Sturgess (*shudder*), “Guardians Of The Galaxy” ended up being led by the somewhat unlikely figure of Chris Pratt, best known for playing essentially a Golden Retriever trapped in a pudgy human being’s body in “Parks & Recreation.” It turned out to be something of a stroke of genius: Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, is Han Solo by way of John Belushi, a charming rogue walking a very fine line between being hyper-competent and sort of bumbling, and Pratt was heroic, funny, deeply likeable and even brought in a little pathos. The film needed a very human centre amidst the trees and raccoons to work, and found it with Pratt, and a star (lord) was very much born.