Guardians of the Galaxy (fictional team)
The Guardians of the Galaxy is a fictional superhero team within the Marvel Comics Universe, first introduced in 1969 in "Marvel Super-Heroes #18". Initially set in the thirty-first century of an alternate timeline known as Earth-691, the original members included Vance Astro (Major Victory), Captain Charlie-27, Yondu Udonta, and Martinex T'Naga. Over the years, the team's roster has evolved, incorporating popular modern characters like Star-Lord, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot.
The Guardians are known for their unique abilities and diverse backgrounds, often facing formidable adversaries such as Thanos and various alien foes. After limited success in comics, the team's popularity surged with the release of the "Guardians of the Galaxy" film in 2014, which significantly contributed to their cultural impact. The film, along with its sequel and other Marvel cinematic appearances, has solidified the Guardians' status in mainstream media. Additionally, the franchise has expanded into various merchandise, video games, and even a holiday special, making it a prominent part of contemporary pop culture.
Guardians of the Galaxy (fictional team)
The Guardians of the Galaxy is a fictional team of superheroes inhabiting the Marvel Comics Universe. The team made its debut in Marvel Super-Heroes #18, which was published in January 1969 by writer Arnold Drake and artist Gene Colan. In the original Guardians’ backstory, the group of heroes are inhabitants of the thirty-first century in an alternate timeline in the Marvel Universe called Earth-691. The lineup for the Guardians of the Galaxy has changed over the years, but the original members of the group were Vance Astro (also known as Major Victory), Captain Charlie-27, Yondu Udonta, and Martinex T’Naga. Other members and incarnations of the team included Stakar, Aleta Ogord (Starhawk), Nikki, Replica, Yellowjacket, and Talon. The modern-day members of the team are Star-Lord, Drax the Destroyer, Groot, Rocket Raccoon, Geena Drake, and Gamora, among others.
Background
Marvel Comics began in 1939 as Timely Comics, introducing such characters as the Human Torch, Namor the Sub-Mariner, and Captain America. By the 1960s, Marvel had created a host of now-iconic characters including Iron Man, Spider-Man, and the Fantastic Four. Among the company’s many comic series was Marvel Super-Heroes, a special tie-in series that began in 1966 and featured a mix of reprinted material and new content.
In 1969’s Marvel Super-Heroes #18, writer Arnold Drake and artist Gene Colan introduced the Guardians of the Galaxy, a group featuring Vance Astro, Captain Charlie-27, Yondu Udonta, and Martinex T’Naga. The team’s original story arc called upon the group to come together as a cohesive unit while facing the threat of the Badoon, a hostile, lizard-like alien lifeform. The team travels back in time from the thirty-first century where they encounter comic book mainstays Captain America and the Thing of the Fantastic Four. They also cross paths with Thor and together they take on the villain Korvac, partially created by the Badoon. The Guardians follow Korvac to twentieth-century Earth where they join forces with the Avengers in a climactic battle.
Though the Guardians of the Galaxy made their debut in 1969, they would not be seen again until about five years later in June 1974’s Marvel Two-In-One #5. In 1976, the Guardians were included in Marvel Presents, an anthology series of comic books that ran until 1977 when it canceled due to low sales. Over the years, the team made occasional appearances, appearing with Thor, the Avengers, and Ms. Marvel. The Guardians’ first self-titled comic was released in 1990 and saw a sixty-two-issue story arc play out. The series would run, under various writers, until 1995. The team was resurrected in 2008 in a series written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. Another incarnation of the team was published in 2014, also written by Dan Abnett, with the title of Guardians 3000. From there, Gerry Duggan began the All-New Guardians of the Galaxy series in 2017 while Donny Cates took over writing for the next series in 2019. After a relaunch of the team under writer Al Ewing in 2020, the year 2023 saw the beginning of a new series written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly.
Overview
Each of the individual Guardians has various powers. For instance, in the modern incarnation of the franchise, Star-Lord possesses increased stamina and strength, along with flight capabilities and the ability to endure the harsh environment of outer space through the use of his mask. Groot is a tree-like alien who possesses the abilities of superhuman strength and senses, super elasticity, plant manipulation, and a healing factor. Gamora is a member of the Zenn-Whoberis, a green-skinned humanoid alien race that possesses super strength, agility, and speed. She is also an expert assassin and hand-to-hand combatant. Drax the Destroyer is a mutated human with super strength, stamina, and reflexes, along with regenerative and cosmic powers. Rocket Raccoon is an anthropomorphic raccoon with a genius-level IQ, a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, and an ace space pilot. The team’s most common enemies consisted of such Marvel villains as aliens Annihilus and Bubonicus, the demon-like Dormammu, and the mad Titan, Thanos, among various others.
Each of the modern guardians had their origins in various Marvel comics over the years. Groot actually debuted in Tales to Astonish #13 in 1960, Drax and Gamora were created in the mid-1970s as part of a multi-series Thanos storyline, and Star-Lord and Rocket Racoon were part of a separate project, Marvel Preview, in 1976. The characters made occasional comic appearances over the years until some of them were brought together in 2007 for Marvel’s crossover series Annihilation: Conquest. A year later, the group teamed up again in their first comic under the Guardians of the Galaxy name. Although the series did not sell well and was canceled after twenty-five editions, it had garnered an enthusiastic fan base. In 2012, the Guardian team was brought back for an appearance in the Avengers Assemble series before relaunching under their own name in 2013.
The popularity of the Guardians of the Galaxy comic skyrocketed after the theatrical release of 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy film. That popularity continued to grow with the film’s sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, in 2017, along with their appearances in both The Avengers: Infinity War, and The Avengers: Endgame, released in 2018 and 2019, respectively. The original Guardians of the Galaxy film brought in more than $333 million at the domestic box office. The sequel did even better, accumulating more than $361 million domestically. The team has become so popular, one of the Guardians, Groot, has taken a place in the pop culture lexicon with his one-line response, “I am Groot.” The slogan can be found on items ranging from T-shirts to coffee mugs and pajamas. Star power may have played a large role in the success of the Guardians’ films, with actors such as Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, and former professional wrestler Dave Bautista playing the lead roles in the films. A third film, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3, released in 2023 and earned approximately $290 million worldwide on just its opening weekend.
The Guardians’ line of products has also extended to various toys, video games, clothing, and much more. It even spawned a Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special on Disney+ in 2022.
Bibliography
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“Guardians of the Galaxy.” Box Office Mojo, www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl3177416193/. Accessed 23 Nov. 2022.
“Guardians of the Galaxy.” Comic Vine, comicvine.gamespot.com/guardians-of-the-galaxy/4050-21550/characters/. Accessed 23 Nov. 2022.
“Guardians of the Galaxy.” Marvel, 2023, www.marvel.com/teams-and-groups/guardians-of-the-galaxy/in-comics. Accessed 8 June 2023.
“Guardians of the Galaxy: A History of the Comics.” GamesRadar+, 14 Nov. 2014, www.gamesradar.com/guardians-galaxy-comics-history/. Accessed 23 Nov. 2022.
"'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' Rockets to a Heroic $289.3 Million Opening Weekend." The Walt Disney Company, 8 May 2023, thewaltdisneycompany.com/guardians-of-the-galaxy-vol-3-rockets-to-a-heroic-289-3-million-opening-weekend/. Accessed 8 June 2023.
McMillan, Graeme. “‘Guardians of the Galaxy’: The Characters’ Comic Book Origins Explained.” The Hollywood Reporter, 30 July 2014, www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/guardians-galaxy-characters-comic-book-722425/. Accessed 23 Nov. 2022.