When ‘The Avengers’ hit theaters in 2012, it was the cinematic event of a generation. Watching Earth’s Mightiest Heroes come together to battle Loki and the Chitauri was a major event.
It marked the culmination of Marvel Studios’ carefully built Phase 1 and set the tone for the universe that followed. At the time, the battle for New York seemed epic, dangerous, and hard-won. But a surprising deleted scene from ‘Avengers: Endgame’ flips that narrative completely, and with just a few sarcastic lines from Rocket Raccoon.
Rocket Raccoon’s Comment In ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Makes ‘The Avengers’ First Battle Unimportant
Marvel in ‘Endgame’ quietly hinted that the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ would have wrapped up the Battle of New York before the Avengers even broke a sweat. But it also speaks volumes about how far the MCU evolved, and just how crucial the Guardians have been in protecting the galaxy from truly cosmic-level threats. In one of the film’s deleted scenes, Rocket Raccoon nonchalantly cuts through the legacy of the Avengers’ first major victory.
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While the team is planning their time heist to retrieve the Infinity Stones, Rocket learns it took the Avengers hours to beat the Chitauri during the Battle of New York. His response is pure Rocket: “Why didn’t you just blow up the mothership? Everyone knows that!” He follows up by labeling the Chitauri “the suckiest army in the galaxy,” leaving the room in awkward silence. It’s a moment played for laughs. However, there’s still a brutal truth in it.
As someone who’s spent years battling galactic threats, Rocket clearly has far more experience with alien armies than the Earth-based Avengers had back in 2012. For Rocket, defeating the Chitauri would have been child’s play. And it’s not hard to believe him. By the time Rocket made his MCU debut in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ (2014), he had already pulled off numerous heists, hacked into advanced weapon systems, and created explosive devices out of nothing. So, if anyone could spot the weak point of an alien army, it would be Rocket.
The Guardians Have Quietly Been Earth’s Greatest Line Of Defense
While the Avengers always got the spotlight on Earth, the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ were out in space doing just as much, if not more. Before Rocket ever teamed up with Iron Man and Thor, he and the rest of the Guardians had already saved countless civilizations. The team even delayed Thanos‘ grand plan and stopped galactic-level threats that the Avengers probably wouldn’t have known how to handle.
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Let’s not forget: the Guardians defeated Ronan the Accuser, who was wielding an Infinity Stone. They took down Ego the Living Planet, a Celestial who almost succeeded in assimilating Earth. They eventually helped stop the High Evolutionary and recruited Adam Warlock, someone with power on par with the likes of Thor or Captain Marvel. These aren’t minor accomplishments. They’re universe-shifting wins. And yet, the Guardians often worked without fanfare.
So, Rocket’s comment about the Chitauri isn’t just a jab at the Avengers, it’s a reminder that Earth was lucky to have the Guardians out there, whether we knew it or not. Without them, there’s a very real chance that villains like Ronan or Ego could have reached Earth and succeeded where Loki failed. Moreover, while the Avengers were fighting their first real battle, the Guardians were already veterans of war.
