Eight years after being introduced to the MCU in the trilogy, I still think the most powerful member of the team is being overlooked. Given that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4 is yet to be announced by Marvel Studios, many are taking the team's MCU absence as an opportunity to look back on prior stories. After all, the Guardians of the Galaxy have a lengthy MCU timeline, stretching back to Phase Two of the Infinity Saga.

Although the new Guardians of the Galaxy team is exciting, the original team was a fan-favorite for a reason. Not only are all three movies regarded as one of the MCU's best trilogies, but the lovable characters, their strong familial bonds, and their equally strong powers made them easy to invest in for almost a decade between Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. When concerning their powers specifically, I am convinced that one member of the team gets overlooked as one of the MCU's most powerful beings.

Over the course of the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, some incredibly powerful heroes have been part of the team. Star-Lord is competent in many ways after being raised by the Ravagers, and that is without mentioning his immense Celestial powers that were introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Groot is another powerful member of the team, with his abilities enabling him to protect his team from a massive spaceship crash in the first movie, reincarnate as a sapling, and grow up to create the godly weapon known as Stormbreaker.

The likes of Gamora, Nebula, and Drax are some of the most skilled assassins and warriors in the MCU, though their power levels do not necessarily match those mentioned. Rocket is similar, often getting by on his high intellect and weapons knowledge rather than outright physical power. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, though, introduced Adam Warlock as a member of the team who, in both the MCU and Marvel Comics, is one of the strongest heroes in the entire universe. Evidently, the Guardians have never been lacking in outright strength.

Despite all of these powerful heroes being part of the Guardians throughout the MCU, I believe Mantis may be the most powerful. Despite this, Mantis is often overlooked as a powerful member of the team, with her aforementioned allies getting a lot more credit than her. However, Mantis has displayed moments of immense power in the MCU, not only in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy but also in other appearances like Avengers: Infinity War.

Some of these feats include putting a Celestial being like Ego to sleep in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and doing the same to Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. Ego and Thanos are two of the MCU's strongest villains and, without Mantis, they may not have been subdued as easily. The Guardians' initial plan to defeat Ego relied entirely on Mantis' ability to keep him asleep. It was only once Peter Quill unlocked his Celestial abilities that this changed.

Where Thanos is concerned, some of the MCU's strongest heroes like Doctor Strange, Iron Man, Hulk, Captain Marvel, and Thor, failed to incapacitate the Mad Titan during his conquest. In Avengers: Infinity War, however, Mantis was able to subdue Thanos long enough for the other heroes to remove the Infinity Gauntlet. Were it not for Star-Lord's emotional outburst, .

Despite Mantis' powerful feats in the MCU, she is often overlooked as the franchise's most powerful hero, with the likes of Scarlet Witch, Thor, Captain Marvel, and Doctor Strange instead vying for this title. That said, the MCU has a reason for this. After all, Mantis' powers could be used on most villains and render them unconscious, making a lot of battles and movies end quicker than they need to. From a purely storytelling standpoint, Mantis' powers needed to be nerfed.

To avoid Mantis being a deus ex machina of sorts, the MCU gave the character a set of morals and beliefs not to use her powers on people too often. In cases, like with Ego and Thanos, it was necessary, but these rules allowed Mantis to be part of the Guardians without easily manipulating their enemies and providing an easy win every time. Therefore, where the movies and wider MCU installments are concerned, Mantis' incredible powers are overlooked, for story reasons as much as anything.