In late October, Marvel released a 90-second "sneak peek" for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. It had a few cool moments, but it was just an appetizer compared to the first official teaser trailer that was posted online earlier today. It's been almost two and a half years since we've seen the Guardians in action, and while there's still five months to go until the sequel actually hits theaters, this new preview made it clear that these heroes will be thrown into an adventure just as thrilling as the one from 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy, if not more so.
While (thankfully) light on plot details, the new Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 trailer was packed with plenty of excitement. Here are the five most amazing moments this trailer showed. Before kicking things off, let's give an honorary shoutout to "Fox on the Run" by Sweet playing through almost 75% of the teaser. Surely that will be one of the songs included on Awesome Mix Vol. 2, right?
Mantis
Let's get the biggest reveal from the trailer out of the way: Mantis' official MCU introduction. She will be one of the newest Guardians in the movie, joining the team alongside Nebula and Yondu. At the end of the preview, we see Mantis using her ability to sense someone's feelings just by touching them. Unfortunately for Peter Quill, he's her test subject, and the minute she touches him, she realizes he has "sexual love" for Gamora. Drax finds this hilarious and can't resist making Quill more embarrassed for having his deepest darkest secret revealed. Still, never let it be said that Drax isn't an equal opportunist, as he soon asks her to "do him" next. Even though Mantis only appeared for a few seconds, we can't wait to see more of her special talents and social ineptness. Side note, I know they're among her features retained from the comics, but Mantis' antennae and buggy eyes are so cool!
The Abilisk
At some point during Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the team will face off against a multidimensional being called an Abilisk. All we know about their battle against this ugly creature is that the Guardians have been hired to fight it, presumably so they can pay their space bills. Whether this will take place near the beginning of the movie or towards the end at some kind of "boss battle," it's clear from the trailer that the Abilisk will be a formidable opponent. Even with Gamora stabbing it and Drax appearing to jump straight into its mouth with his own blades, this thing will not be easy to take down. We're also curious about exactly where exactly this battle is taking place. It appears to be some kind of space station, but what's the deal with those energy orbs? Are they somehow giving the Abilisk power or do they perform another function? So many questions!
Baby Groot's Adorable Stupidity
One of the biggest questions fans have had about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is what Baby Groot will be like. Fortunately, he's still just as adorable as when he was dancing to "I Want You Back" in his plant pot at the end of the first movie. Actually, throw in that squeaky voice, and the cute factor is even higher. Unfortunately, it looks like he's dropped a few IQ points in this new form, as evidenced by him not understanding that he shouldn't press the "death button" on Rocket's new bomb. We'll give the little guy props for his enthusiasm, but Rocket's instructions are just not getting through to him, to the point that later in the trailer, Baby Groot straight up runs away with the bomb. It's safe to assume that Marvel wouldn't traumatize moviegoers by making them watch Baby Groot go on a kamikaze run, but I suspect that bomb is going off one way or another. Regardless, even though he's not that bright, we can't wait to see more of Baby Groot's shenanigans.
Drax's Fury
There's a reason Drax is nicknamed the Destroyer. As funny as he can be when he fails to understand metaphors or makes a particularly blunt comment, he's at his best when he's filled with anger and in the heat of battle. In the new Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 trailer, this is exemplified perfectly with that quick shot of Drax repeatedly stabbing some glowing yellow organic matter. There's no context about what the hell's going on here, but taking into account the earlier shot of him jumping at the Abilisk, maybe he's now within the beast and trying to vanquish it from within. That'd be gross, but oh so badass. Also, shortly before that moment, there's a quick scene where Drax is on that mystery planet and shouts up to the sky, "Screw you, spaceship!" What happened there? Was he left behind by accident? Did a vessel destroy his supplies? Did the spaceship rob him of his money? Whatever happened, that spaceship better hope it doesn't cross paths with Drax again.
Baby Groot In Action
Remember how we gushed about how cute Baby Groot is earlier? Well, that still stands, but he can also be ferocious when necessary. Just look at him running after that bald man (who looks like one of the Ravagers), screaming with anger and grabbing him with his extended tendrils to toss him off that bridge. Despite being much smaller and a little less smart than he was in Guardians of the Galaxy, Groot is still a valued member of the team. He obviously still has the raw power to take out anyone threatening him or one of his friends. Plus, the footage showed at San Diego Comic-Con showed that he'll help Rocket and Yondu escape imprisonment (though not without some trouble at first). So even though Baby Groot is a bundle of adorableness, don't underestimate him. That said, part of me still wonders if he'll stay small for the entire movie or if something will happen that restores him to his large size.
Now that you've read about our favorite moments, head to the next page to re-watch the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 trailer again!
