How Much Guardians of the Galaxy Actors Got Paid For Their MCU Movies

By Updated Jun 7, 2026, 4:20 PM EDT Brad Curran is a Features Writer and Interviewer for Screen Rant. Brad first joined Screen Rant in 2019, and also contributes to Kung Fu Kingdom. Brad is enamored with epic storytelling in many different genres, and loves stories on both the smallest and the largest scales of filmmaking. follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Summary

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 marks the final adventure for the OG team, wrapping up their stories and paychecks in the MCU.
The movie delves into Rocket's origins, hinting at a potentially lucrative future for the star-faring raccoon.
While some cast members bid farewell to their roles, others may see a return - especially Star-Lord in his next adventure.

is the last adventure for the first version of the titular team, and most of the cast members have appeared outside of the three mainline films. The Guardians first crossed paths in 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy, with the disparate space adventurers uniting to form the MCU's most rag-tag team of heroes. In addition to continuing to headline their own series, the Guardians also united with Earth's Mightiest Heroes to defeat Thanos (Josh Brolin) and his vast army in Avengers: Infinity and Avengers: Endgame, with Thor (Chris Hemsworth) joining them for some adventures in Thor: Love and Thunder.

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the series finally takes a deep dive into the experiments that led to the creation of Rocket Racoon (Bradley Cooper), with his creator, , pursuing Rocket as a key part of his villain plot. , the team decides to go their separate ways, with the movie acting as the capstone of some of the biggest roles many of its principal cast have portrayed. Here is what the Guardians of the Galaxy cast have been paid throughout their tenure in the MCU.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will complete the MCU series centered on the team, and here is every installment ranked from least good to great.

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Chris Pratt - Star-Lord

$20 To $25 Million Estimated

, Chris Pratt made about $1.5 million for the first Guardians of the Galaxy and was said to have later earned $5 million for his role in Avengers: Infinity War. With Pratt making a total of to date, he likely still received some kind of raise over the course of his tenure in the role. This means that Pratt has likely earned roughly $20 to $25 million for his portrayals of Star-Lord from the first Guardians of the Galaxy to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, not counting any back-end deals.

However, Star-Lord seems poised to have a fruitful future in the MCU. While it's unclear what's next for characters like Rocket and Nebula, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 ended with a title card confirming that Given Quill ends the movie on Earth, it seems he may find his way to cross paths with the Avengers or other terrestrial heroes next.

Zoe Saldaña - Gamora

$10 To $15 Million Estimated

Zoe Saldana earned about $100,000 for the first Guardians of the Galaxy, . With subsequent raises in her later MCU appearances and potential back-end deals, Saldana's pay would likely have increased. With such pay increases throughout her MCU tenure, Zoe Saldana has probably earned around $10 to $15 million for her seven portrayals of Gamora in the MCU.

Zoe Saldaña may not be returning as Gamora in the MCU, but she has suggested that the Guardian of the Galaxy member could continue without her.

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Gamora's MCU future, and Saldaña's potential to earn more, is more complicated than most of the other Guardians. At the end of the third installment, Gamora, who is a variant that traveled to the present with Thanos in Endgame, finds her newfound family with a band of Ravagers. However, while she's still alive and active, . More interesting, though, is that she seems to hope the character returns anyway, saying it would be a "huge loss for Marvel" if she doesn't. Perhaps a recasting could continue her story in other projects.

Dave Bautista - Drax

$15 To $20 Million Estimated

, Dave Bautista earned $1.4 million for his first portrayal of Drax the Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy, and subsequently $3 million for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and $4 million for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame combined. With Bautista's three other MCU appearances, this likely adds up to around a $15 to $20 million total for his entire run as Drax in the MCU throughout Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Dave Bautista has made it clear that he has no intentions to return to the character of Drax - not because of any ill-will, but simply because he's ready to move on and challenge himself in new ways. Bautista is one of several professional-wresters-turned-actors, but few have been as publically committed to truly learning the craft and growing as Bautista. While he's starred in his fair share of action flicks, Bautista has also stretched into mystery stories, high-concept sci-fi, and more.

Karen Gillan - Nebula

$10 To $12 million Estimated

, Karen Gillan earned $140,000 for her first portrayal of Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy. With Nebula having appeared in every MCU project with the Guardians, she also probably received a pay raise with Nebula's continued MCU presence, especially with Nebula's beefed up role in Avengers: Endgame. This means that Gillan has likely earned somewhere between $10 and $12 million for her total run as Nebula in the MCU.

But is Nebula's story over? It's unclear. In 2026, Gillan explained on Instagram that, "I don’t know if Nebula will return beyond this, it’s possible that this is her final chapter." Given how much Nebula's popularity has grown due to Gillan's portrayal, there's little doubt Marvel Studios would be open to another appearance - or that it wouldn't be accompanied by a significant payday.

Pom Klementieff - Mantis

$5 To $10 Million Estimated

Pom Klementieff came into the Guardians's adventures with Mantis's debut in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and her salary for her first MCU appearance is not clear. With Mantis beginning as a supporting character before properly joining the Guardians, it seems likely Klementieff probably started out at a similar pay range as Saldana of $100,000 or so. With Klementieff playing Mantis six times in the MCU and some likely pay raises along the way, Klementieff has probably earned between $5 and $10 million for her tenure as Mantis.

Will Klementieff have the opportunity to earn another Marvel payday? The character's future is unclear. At the end of Vol. 3, Mantis sets out to finally live life for herself instead of others. That doesn't mean she couldn't come back, though. Klementieff seems as unsure as audiences, telling , "We don’t know what’s going to happen with the characters, if there’s going to be more movies, if we’re going to come back. We have no clue."

While most of these MCU characters are still powerful, their Marvel Comic counterparts' powers make them look pretty weak by comparison.

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Vin Diesel - Groot

$13 - $15 Million Estimated

Vin Diesel's salary for voicing Groot is also not fully clear, though Guardians writer-director that Diesel earned $13 million for each portrayal of the talking tree. However, being that Groot has been a member of the Guardians from beginning to end, he likely earned a fair amount between up-front pay and back-end deals, especially with Diesel being well-established through the Fast & Furious movies (). With that in mind, it is probably safe to peg $13 to $15 million as a good estimate for his pay for his total run as Groot.

While it may come as a surprise that Diesel earned such a significant amount for his total of three unique lines over the course of several movies, there's no denying that his unique timbre elevated the character significantly. Thanks to a combination of Diesel, Gunn's scripts, and the animation team that brought Groot to life, the last of the Flora Colossi seems as real and tangible as any of the Guar

Bradley Cooper - Rocket

$20 - $30 Million Estimated

, Bradley Cooper was able to "command about 1% of the back end" on Avengers: Endgame, which would net him about $7 million for his portrayal of Rocket Raccoon in the film. This gives some indication of earnings from all of Rocket's appearances, which was likely much lower when Cooper first began as Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy. With Rocket being a voice role for Cooper in the MCU, back-end deals likely translate to bigger pay-outs than his up-front earnings. That means that for his seven total appearances in the MCU, Cooper likely has earned about $20 to $30 million.

That number is likely to go up, too. Given Rocket is the new leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy, chances are high that he's back in at least a cameo capacity. The heroes of the MCU will likely need all hands on deck fro Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, including the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Sean Gunn - Kraglin

$5 Million Estimated

Sean Gunn has a unique role in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, portraying both Yondu's right-hand man Kraglin and acting as the on-set performance capture actor for Rocket Raccoon (with neither being among , either). Gunn's pay for both roles is unclear, while Gunn's portrayal of Rocket is shared with Bradley Cooper. In all, it seems like a good estimate that Gunn started out Guardians of the Galaxy between $100,000 to $500,000. With pay raises, it can be estimated that Sean Gunn has earned within the $5 million range for his work leading up to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 might be the official end of the series with most of the cast retiring from their roles, that does not mean that some individual Guardians will never be seen again. show the new status quos Rocket, Groot, and Star-Lord, with the movie's final caption outright stating Star-Lord will return. When and where that return will happen next in the MCU is anyone's guess, but after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Chris Pratt will likely be up for a pay raise in Star-Lord's next adventure.

79 8.5/10 8/10 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed PG-13 Release Date August 1, 2014 Runtime 121 minutes Director Writers Nicole Perlman, Producers , Louis D'Esposito, Nik Korda, , Victoria Alonso, Jeremy Latcham
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46 8.1/10 7/10 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed PG-13 Release Date May 5, 2017 Runtime 137 minutes Director Writers Producers , Louis D'Esposito, Nik Korda, , Victoria Alonso Prequel(s) Sequel(s)
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109 8.8/10 9/10 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed PG-13 Release Date May 3, 2026 Runtime 150 minutes Director Writers Producers , Louis D'Esposito, Nik Korda, Victoria Alonso, Simon Hatt Prequel(s) , Franchise(s) ,
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