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The film starts in 1988, this much we know.

When Yondu points out that he made sure his crew didn't eat Peter, Quill remarks that "For Twenty years you've been throwing that back in my face!"

If we're to take this literally, it means the film is set in 2008: the same time as the events of Iron Man are unfolding on Earth...

The Collector doesn't appear to be in possession of the Aether from Thor: the Dark World, so we're probably supposed to believe this film happened before the events of that...

...BUT, although uncredited, his assistant Carina is still alive in T:TDW, played by the same actress (Ophelia Lovibond). Does this mean the events of GotG happened after T:TDW? if this is the case, does the collector still possess the Aether?

None of the MCU timelines seem to include GotG, so I'm struggling to place it chronologically..

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  • 2
    Putting this as a comment rather than an answer because I can't find the link where I read this... But the Marvel movies (unless another year is specified) take place in real time relative to each other. So if marvel movie B comes out after marvel movie A, it is established that the events in A already took place when you're watching B
    – WizardKnight
    Commented Jan 13, 2015 at 15:23
  • I have corrected myself :). Really well done timeline placing all marvel events can be found here: tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/5395/…
    – WizardKnight
    Commented Jan 13, 2015 at 15:53
  • @WizardKnight, according to Fury's Big Week, the events of The Incredible Hulk (released 2008) occur within the same week as Iron Man 2 (released 2010), so they can't be relative to each other, exactly... also, the link you post is already embedded within the question...
    – John Smith Optional
    Commented Jan 13, 2015 at 23:38
  • I didn't see that it was embedded. I posted it to correct my incorrect comment :)
    – WizardKnight
    Commented Jan 13, 2015 at 23:46
  • By the looks of collectors he seems angry in T:DW like he lost once and won't lose again and his expression in GotG shows that he is seeing the stone for the first time so according to me GotG is before T:DW
    – Vishnu
    Commented Jan 27, 2017 at 4:41

2 Answers 2

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As you say, the film starts in 1988:

    1988

Then, right after the Marvel logo:

    26 years later

So, it takes place in 2014.

Marvel has also published a prequel comic, that establishes that GotG takes place after The Collector receives the Aether.

    Comic

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In this all-too-detailed layout, the events in GotG begin to happen on August 1, 2014. This is just a short time after the events of T:TDW and CA:TWS.

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  • yup, that site was linked in my question. That's just a Wiki, and someone has simply 'decided' it takes place at the same time as the film was released... it doesn't address the inconsistency in my question... we have two indicators that the film is set before T:TDW, and one stating it happens afterwards
    – John Smith Optional
    Commented Jan 12, 2015 at 19:15
  • Actually, it wasn't linked in your question, unless I'm missing something. Your question linked to tiki-toki.
    – Johnny Bones
    Commented Jan 12, 2015 at 19:20
  • @JohnnyBones There were two different links next to each other (which is why I usually let a non-linked word as separator in this case).
    – Napoleon Wilson
    Commented Jan 12, 2015 at 19:31
  • Ah HA! My bad. :o)
    – Johnny Bones
    Commented Jan 12, 2015 at 20:31

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