Where to watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in the US
Vol. 2 is on Disney Plus in the US, included with a regular subscription. The first film, the I Am Groot shorts and Vol. 3 live on the same service, so you can run the whole Guardians story without switching apps. Viewers in other countries should check the watch box on this page, because availability varies by region.
The film runs 137 minutes, roughly two and a quarter hours. Paired with the first movie as a double feature, plan on a little over four hours, plus time for the credit scenes, which are worth the wait here.
Where Vol. 2 sits in the watch order
Only one film is required first: Guardians of the Galaxy. Vol. 2 opens with the team already working together as guns for hire, and it assumes you know how they met and why they stick together.
It reached theaters in 2017 as the second film of Phase 3, but its story jumps back to 2014. That gap is why it sits far earlier in a chronological watch than in release order. Directly before it on our timeline are the I Am Groot shorts, which follow the toddler Groot during the same stretch. After Vol. 2 comes Avengers: Age of Ultron, so a strict story-order watch heads from deep space straight back to Earth.
| Watching by | Comes after | Comes before |
|---|
| Story order | I Am Groot | Avengers: Age of Ultron |
| Release order | Doctor Strange | Spider-Man: Homecoming |
Release-order fans can follow the full sequence in our Marvel Phase 3 in order guide.
The story, spoiler-free
A job for a proud golden alien race goes sideways when Rocket cannot resist stealing from them, and the Guardians end up fleeing an entire fleet. In the middle of the chase they are rescued by a stranger named Ego, who claims to be Peter Quill's long-lost father.
The team splits up soon after. Quill, Gamora and Drax follow Ego to his planet to learn the truth about Quill's past, while Rocket and Baby Groot stay behind and run into trouble with the Ravagers. Gamora and her sister Nebula also have unfinished business. The film is funnier and more emotional than the first one, and underneath the jokes it is a story about what makes a family, and which fathers deserve the title.
How Vol. 2 connects to the bigger MCU
We rate it recommended. Its links to the main Avengers storyline are lighter than the first film's, yet it shapes the team you meet in Avengers: Infinity War. Quill and Gamora's relationship deepens here, and the sisters' arc gives Nebula the turn that sets up her role in the later films.
For the trilogy itself, it is a must. Several characters and threads introduced here return in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, so if you plan to finish the Guardians story, do not skip it. Our Guardians of the Galaxy in order guide lists every appearance of the team, including the crossovers.
Cast and characters
James Gunn returns as writer and director. Chris Pratt plays Peter Quill, and Zoe Saldaña is Gamora. Dave Bautista's Drax gets many of the biggest laughs, often without meaning to. Bradley Cooper voices Rocket, whose prickly pride drives half the plot, and Vin Diesel voices Baby Groot, who steals the opening scene by dancing through a monster fight. Kurt Russell joins as Ego, a charming and mysterious figure who changes how Quill sees himself.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 post credit scene rundown
Stay through the credits. There are five extra scenes, the most of any Marvel film, and they come in two flavors. Some are pure jokes: a moody teenage Groot who will not clean his room, and a cameo with the Watchers on a distant moon. Others set things up, including a group of old Ravagers reuniting and a new creation from the golden Sovereign that pays off in Vol. 3.
None of them spoil the main story, and you can read them as small bonus episodes. Watch them all, then check our marathon plan to see how the rest of your Infinity Saga run fits into your schedule.
