One deleted scene from Avengers: Endgame casually reveals how powerful the Guardians of the Galaxy were in comparison to the Avengers back in the The Avengers' first team-up marked the most important event in the MCU's Phase 1, and the Guardians of the Galaxy's first mission together was one of the most important events of Phase 2. Phase 3 brought both teams together in Avengers: Infinity War, where they lost their battle against Thanos, and once again in Avengers: Endgame, where they defeated the Mad Titan and his army on Earth.

A lot has changed since the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy created their respective teams. Both superhero teams have dissolved, and new versions of the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Avengers are assembling to protect the universe when a threat as big as Thanos arrives. Since Avengers: Infinity War, Rocket Raccoon has been a member of the Avengers, having served in both teams roughly the same amount of time. However, Avengers: Endgame left most of Rocket Raccoon's time with the Avengers off-screen.

A Deleted Avengers: Endgame Scene Reveals The Guardians Of The Galaxy Could Have Easily Defeated The Chitauri

Rocket Raccoon Reveals The Chitauri Are Hilariously Easy To Defeat

Steve Rogers looks at a smiling Rocket Raccoon in Avengers Endgame's plan scene
Custom image by Nicolas Ayala

In one of Avengers: Endgame's deleted scenes, the Avengers are discussing their plan to travel back in time and gather the Infinity Stones when Rocket Raccoon learns that it took the Avengers "about two or three hours" to defeat the Chitauri in the Battle of New York. Rocket asks the Avengers why they didn't blow up the mothership from the get-go, as the Chitauri are "the suckiest army in the galaxy." Rocket laughs when Steve Rogers its the Avengers "didn't know it was a thing" and reveals "everybody knows" the Chitauri can be defeated rather effortlessly. An annoyed Tony Stark then shaves a strip of Rocket Raccoon's hair.

Rocket Raccoon probably would have found a way to blow up the Chitauri mothership even without the help of the other Guardians

As Rocket Raccoon's deleted Avengers: Endgame scene suggests, the Guardians of the Galaxy would have stopped Loki's Chitauri army much sooner and with much less collateral damage had they been around in 2012. The Guardians hadn't teamed up for the first time back in Phase 1, but Rocket Raccoon probably would have found a way to blow up the Chitauri mothership even without the help of the other Guardians. The way Rocket talks about the Chitauri suggests he had come across them more than once by the time Thanos sent the alien army to Earth.

Rocket Raccoon’s Chitauri Comment Shows Why The MCU Needed The Guardians Of The Galaxy

The Guardians of the Galaxy Indirectly Saved Earth Multiple Times

Earth only got to know the Guardians of the Galaxy after Thanos' Snap made Rocket Raccoon an Avenger in Avengers: Infinity War, but the Guardians saved Earth a couple of times before that. After they first teamed up, the Guardians of the Galaxy defeated Ronan the Acc and his army, delayed Thanos, and stopped Ego the Living Planet. Years after ing forces with the Avengers, they recruited Adam Warlock, and captured the High Evolutionary. Ego even got close to assimilating an entire town on Earth before Star-Lord stopped him. Without the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Avengers would have struggled to defeat the Guardians' villains.

Split image of Steve Rogers captain america and peter quill star-lord looking determined off screen
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All things considered, the Guardians of the Galaxy made several cosmic threats seem like a piece of cake. The Guardians struggled against Ronan mostly because they were only getting to meet each other at the time; they struggled against Ego because Peter Quill was the only one who could use his Celestial powers against him, and struggled against the High Evolutionary because Adam Warlock caught them off guard and left Rocket Raccoon on the brink of death. If the Guardians didn't exist, even Ronan could have invaded Earth if Thanos sent his forces instead of the Chitauri.

Rocket Raccoon’s Chitauri Comment Further Confirms Thanos’ Biggest Mistake

Thanos Always Underestimated His Enemies

Split image of Thanos and Avengers- Endgame heroes

Thanos retired to a far-away planet after performing the Snap in Avengers: Infinity War, believing the Avengers would be unable to undo his actions after he reduced the Infinity Stones to atoms. The time-traveling 2014 Thanos variant from Avengers: Endgame allowed the Avengers to regroup and call for back-up after destroying the Avengers compound, believing himself to be more powerful than all of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Both times, Thanos' arrogance got the best of him, and the Avengers flipped the odds against him. But even before that, Thanos sent "the suckiest army in the galaxy" to complete a mission as important as retrieving an Infinity Stone for him.

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Thanos also trusted the God of Mischief himself to invade Earth, and he gave away the Mind Stone to achieve it. Rocket Raccoon's Chitauri reveal from Avengers: Endgame confirms Thanos made at least three major mistakes in The Avengers. With that in mind, the reason why Thanos didn't just attack Earth by himself only becomes more evident. A less arrogant Thanos would have retained the Mind Stone, stolen the Space Stone by force, and continued his quest to retrieve the remaining Infinity Stones across the galaxy.