Warning: SPOILERS for Guardians of the Galaxy (vol. 7) #1Marvel Comics’ new Guardians of the Galaxy series debut by bringing the team back to its classic lineup. Sadly, this means that, to capitalize on the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 movie, the comics have gotten rid of the best members of the team, who were the highlight of the previous, critically-acclaimed, Guardians book.
In Guardians of the Galaxy (vol. 7) #1 by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, Kev Walker, and Matt Hollingsworth, Marvel’s most famous team of space adventurers returns after a long break, as vol. 6 of the series ended back in 2021. The new series acknowledges this gap by presenting the Guardians working together to stop the “Grootfall” after a traumatic event broke them up in the recent past. This means a new lineup, but the faces will be very familiar to the fans of the MCU: Peter Quill, aka Starlord, leads a team made by Gamora, Nebula, Drax the Destroyer, and Mantis.
The Guardians Of The Galaxy Now Have The Same Lineup In The Comics And The MCU
It’s not a coincidence that this lineup (with the exception of Groot, who is apparently now a villain, and his best friend Rocket Racoon) is exactly the same as the one in the last movie of James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, which is about to hit theaters in May 2023, barely a month after the debut of this new Guardians comic book. While Marvel Comics’ desire to capitalize on one of the most successful franchises in the MCU is perfectly understandable, it’s a shame that the new Guardians lineup leaves out all the characters that made Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 6 one of the best runs in the team’s history.
Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 6 was written by Al Ewing and drawn by several artists including Juan Cabal and Juan Frigeri. Ewing’s take on the team was successful because it introduced new members, such as Hercules, Marvel Boy, and even Doctor Doom, who had never been in the Guardians but perfectly fit the idea of bizarre, misfit characters that made the team so famous. Ewing also created new characters for his version of the Guardians, including the hilarious He-Man parody Prince of Power. The conflict between the old and the new members of the team was also an interesting element of the story. Overall, Ewing’s innovations allowed to develop the “classic” Guardians in a new direction, and it went beyond the team’s lineup. The Guardians went from misfits to bona fide galactic superheroes, which was a much-needed element of novelty for the group.
Marvel’s New Guardians Have Cut Their Most Interesting Recent Members
However, once again Marvel has bent one of its comic products to adapt it to its MCU equivalent, a practice that was rarely successful in the past. Luckily, the creative team behind the new Guardians of the Galaxy series is exceptional, and Lanzig and Kelly have more than proven their worth by rejuvenating Steve Rogers in Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty. However, it’s still a shame to not see the return of characters who finally got their much-deserved spotlight, such as Marvel Boy, Quasar, Nova, Phyla-Vell and Moondragon. As Marvel’s new Guardians of the Galaxy adopt a new lineup to adapt to their MCU counterparts, it’s undeniable that the team has cut its best members loose.
Guardians of the Galaxy (vol. 7) #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.
