From Ravager deckhand to Guardian
Kraglin is a Ravager, one of the space pirates led by Yondu Udonta. In Guardians of the Galaxy he is mostly background: the loyal, slightly anxious second-in-command who carries out orders and grumbles when Yondu goes soft on Peter Quill. He gets laughs, but nobody would call him a main character yet.
What makes Kraglin interesting is how much the later films build on that small start. By the end of the trilogy, the guy who used to stand behind Yondu is standing on his own.
Every Kraglin appearance, in order
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014, film, essential)
- The sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017, film, recommended)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019, film, essential)
- What If...? (2021, series, optional): an alternate-universe animated appearance
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022, film, optional)
- The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022, special, optional)
- The finale, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023, film, recommended)
His parts in Endgame and Love and Thunder are small, closer to cameos than storylines, and What If...? is an alternate-universe extra. The Holiday Special is a short, comedic side story that sits between Love and Thunder and Vol. 3.
The moments that change him (spoiler-controlled)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is Kraglin's real turning point. A careless choice on his part feeds a mutiny among the Ravagers, and he spends the rest of the film trying to make it right. That guilt, and his loyalty to Yondu, are what move him toward the Guardians. The film also ends with him receiving something that belonged to Yondu, which becomes a running thread later.
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 he is a full member of the crew, living with the team on Knowhere. He is still struggling with what Yondu left him, and he has an odd-couple friendship with Cosmo, the telepathic space dog. Where the film leaves him is worth discovering yourself, but it is a warm payoff for a character who started as an extra.
The people around Kraglin
Yondu is the key relationship, even though he is not linked on this page. Through him, Kraglin is tied to Star-Lord (Peter Quill), the kid Yondu raised. He also spends a lot of time with Rocket, Groot and Nebula, especially in the later films, when the Guardians become the closest thing he has to family.
Sean Gunn, on screen and behind Rocket
Sean Gunn plays Kraglin, and he is the brother of writer-director James Gunn, who made all three Guardians films. Sean has a second, less visible job in the franchise: he performs Rocket on set, crouching beside the other actors as a physical reference so they have someone to act against. Bradley Cooper provides Rocket's voice, but much of the raccoon's body language starts with Sean.
Outside the MCU, many viewers know him as Kirk, the town's endlessly employed oddball in Gilmore Girls. He also plays Weasel in The Suicide Squad, another film directed by his brother.
Best order to watch Kraglin's titles
Watch the three Guardians films in order first: Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 and Vol. 3. They hold his whole arc, and Vol. 3 hits much harder if you remember what happened to him in Vol. 2.
Avengers: Endgame belongs in any full MCU watch, so you will see his brief appearance there anyway. Thor: Love and Thunder and the Holiday Special are optional extras. If you do watch the Special, put it right before Vol. 3, since it shows the team settling into Knowhere. Our MCU character directory lists the rest of the crew.