Kurt Russell’s casting as Ego the Living Planet was a stroke of meta-genius. He radiates the charisma of a 80s action hero, fitting perfectly into Peter Quill’s nostalgia

Ultimately, the Guardians of the Galaxy films are held together by music. Peter’s mixtapes, given to him by his mother, are the sonic representation of love. They are the artifact of the family he lost, and they become the foundation of the family he builds. In Vol. 2 , the final track is not "Father and Son" by Cat Stevens (the song that scores Yondu’s funeral), but a return to the pop energy of the first film. The message is clear: grief is real, loss is permanent, but joy is a choice.

(Chris Pratt): The half-human leader abducted from Earth as a child.