James Gunn made several major changes to the Guardians of the Galaxy when he translated them from the comics to the MCU. Despite the impressive degree of comic accuracy the Marvel Cinematic Universe has displayed throughout the years, changes in superhero live-action adaptations are unavoidable. Sometimes these tweaks are temporary, like Spider-Man’s organic web fluid in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy; but sometimes these changes are so well-received that they end up influencing the source material.
Such is the case with the Guardians of the Galaxy. While they were a well-known superhero team among Marvel fans before the MCU, it was only until James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy that they became an A-list property. Various aspects of the team and of each individual member have survived the team’s evolution, but other characteristics make the current Guardians seem like a completely different group than they were prior to their jump to the big screen. From their members to their characterization and their role in Marvel history, there are plenty of differences between the Guardians of the Galaxy from the comics and the ones from the movies.
15 The Guardians Of The Galaxy’s Origins Are Different In Marvel Comics
The MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy are a ragtag group of space criminals who banded together after being sent to the Kyln, a space prison full of dangerous creatures just like them. With a shared vendetta against Ronan and Thanos, the members of the MCU’s Guardians stuck together after their first battle and became close friends. In the source material, the first Guardians of the Galaxy were a team of heroes from the future who defended the Solar System. Years later, this team was retconned into hailing from a different universe, with Peter Quill a.k.a. Star-Lord recruiting the current Guardians to protect the galaxy after the Phalanx invasion of the Kree.
14 The Guardians Of The Galaxy’s Roster Has Changed A Lot
The original Guardians of the Galaxy, which were retconned to come from Earth-691, were composed of the human Vance Astro, the Pluvian Martinex, the Jupiterian Charlie-27, the Arcturian Starhawk, the Mercurian Nikki, and the Centaurian Yondu. Besides the comic book counterparts of Star-Lord’s MCU team, other heroes who have joined the modern Guardians of the Galaxy include Drax’s daughter Moondragon, Bug, Jack Flag, Yellowjacket, Beta Ray Bill, Agent Venom, and even Iron Man, The Thing, and a Spirit of Vengeance-possessed Punisher. At some point, the X-Men mainstay Kitty Pryde briefly replaced Peter Quill as the Guardians of the Galaxy’s leader.
13 Groot Used To Speak Normally Before The MCU Movies
Vin Diesel’s Groot is one of the Guardians of the Galaxy who has changed the most in comparison to the original Marvel character. The original Groot debuted in 1960 as a villain who traveled to Earth with the goal to abduct humans. The “Monster From Planet X” used to have an extensive and rather formal vocabulary, even after leaving his villainous past behind and joining the Guardians of the Galaxy. After the 2007 storyline Annihilation: Conquest, however, Groot’s vocabulary was limited to “I Am Groot,” and the Guardians of the Galaxy movies adopted this feature for the kind-hearted hero.
12 Drax And Mantis Have Human Origins In Marvel Comics
Drax the Destroyer and Mantis are other members of the Guardians of the Galaxy whose origins changed drastically in their translation from the comics to the movies. In Marvel Comics, the original Drax is a human real estate agent named Arthur Douglas, who dies alongside his wife when Thanos arrives on Earth. Thanos’ father Mentor creates a new body for Douglas’ consciousness and only leaves his thirst for revenge against Thanos in his memory, creating the space warrior Drax The Destroyer. Mantis’ original comic book version is a half-Vietnamese, half-German martial artist who’s raised by a Kree sect that worship her as a Celestial Madonna, who’s fated to give birth to an intergalactic messiah.
11 The High Evolutionary’s Role In Rocket Raccoon’s Origin Story Is New
1982’s The Incredible Hulk #271 established that Rocket is a talking animal from Halfworld, a planet in the Keystone Quadrant star system that’s inhabited by sentient automata who gave animals increased intelligence. In the MCU, it’s Chukwudi Iwuji’s High Evolutionary who gives Rocket Raccoon and his animal friends their abilities, but the process seems to be much more painful physically and psychologically. The High Evolutionary does experiment with super-intelligent animals in the source material, including the cow woman Bova, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch’s adoptive mother. However, he doesn’t have any direct relationship with Rocket Raccoon.
10 The Ravagers Didn’t Exist In Marvel Comics Before The MCU
The MCU’s Ravagers are a group of space pirates divided into dozens of different factions, but connected to each other by certain codes of honor. One of these factions is led by Sylvester Stallone’s Starhawk and another is led by Yondu Udonta. Curiously, the Ravagers are an original invention by James Gunn for the MCU, as they didn’t exist in Marvel Comics prior to the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. In the source material, Starhawk’s team is the original version of the Guardians, and the most popular space pirates who explore the galaxy are the Starjammers, led by Christopher Summers a.k.a. Corsair, Cyclops’ father.
9 Star-Lord’s Father And Celestial Origins Are Different
Star-Lord’s absent father is a key part of his character in both the comics and the MCU, but this mysterious figure’s identity is different. In the comics, Peter Quill’s father is J’son, heir to the Spartax throne, who fell in love with Meredith Quill before returning to defend his empire, only to put a bounty on Star-Lord under the pseudonym “Mister Knife”. In the MCU, Star-Lord’s father is the Celestial Ego, who impregnated Meredith Quill only to spread his genes across the universe, and invited Star-Lord to join him.
8 Star-Lord And Gamora’s MCU Romance Is A Recent Addition
Star-Lord and Gamora’s romance is central to the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy, but it was also an original addition without a comic book precedent. In Marvel Comics, Gamora was romantically involved with Nova and Adam Warlock, while Star-Lord had romantic relationships with Mantis and Kitty Pryde. The only time Star-Lord and Gamora have been able to develop feelings for each other in the comics was interrupted when Star-Lord was sent into a different reality, after which they didn’t continue their romantic relationship. Although for different reasons, it seems Star-Lord and Gamora’s romance is destined to fail in most universes.
7 Drax And The Guardians Have Beaten Thanos In Marvel Comics
Thanos has been one of the toughest MCU villains, but he has died multiple times in the comics. In one of these occasions, Drax the Destroyer finally accomplishes his lifelong goal to kill the Mad Titan during Marvel’s Annihilation storyline, where Thanos and Annihilus team up to use Galactus as a universal bomb. After Drax’s daughter Moondragon is taken prisoner, Drax rips out Thanos’ heart with his bare hand. But as is usual with the Mad Titan, Thanos eventually resurrects. Later on, the Guardians attempt to use Thanos as a weapon to destroy the Cancerverse, where Drax and Thanos kill each other, only to be brought to life soon afterward.
6 Nebula Made Star-Lord’s Infinity War Mistake In The Comics
Star-Lord’s infamous Avengers: Infinity War mistake was a crucial moment in the MCU’s Infinity Saga, as it allowed Thanos to continue his plan to wipe half of all life in the universe. Star-Lord doesn’t play a role in Marvel’s Infinity Gauntlet storyline and its aftermath, but Nebula takes his place as a supporting character who lets her rage get the best of her in the middle of the conflict, as she seizes the Infinity Gauntlet, causing Thanos and Adam Warlock to join forces to stop her. It’s only until Nebula is gravely injured during these events that she requires cybernetic enhancements in the comics.
5 Adam Warlock Is A Central Figure In The Guardians Of The Galaxy’s Comic Book History
Will Poulter’s Adam Warlock makes his debut in Phase 5’s Guardians of the Galaxy, right by the time the MCU’s original Guardians are disbanding. In the comics, Adam Warlock is one of the cosmic characters who supports the creation of the Guardians due to the looming threat of another event like the Annihilation Wave, and his already established relationship with Gamora and Drax makes these two Guardians proper candidates for Star-Lord’s team. Afterward, Adam Warlock both helped and received help from the Guardians of the Galaxy on multiple occasions, fighting villains such as Thanos together.
4 Yondu Udonta Was Originally A Founding Member Of The Guardians
Prior to the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies, Yondu Udonta was a founding member of the original Guardians team. Yondu didn’t know Star-Lord, and he was more of a pure-hearted hero than a cynical space pirate. After James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 and 2 established a bittersweet adoptive father-son relationship between the two, however, the comics have adapted Star-Lord and Yondu’s MCU backstory into Marvel Comics canon, where Yondu also plays a key role in Peter Quill’s superhero origin story.
3 Star-Lord’s Childhood Is Different In Marvel Comics
Besides the identity of Peter Quill’s father, Star-Lord’s origin story is also quite different in the source material. Instead of being abducted by aliens while running away after seeing his mother die of cancer, the comic book version of Peter Quill is particularly interested in space long before leaving Earth. And instead of music, Peter’s biggest passion is space travel. After he witnesses two aliens murder his mother, he joins NASA and steals a spaceship, which he uses to leave Earth for good.
2 Cosmo Made Knowhere The Guardians’ Base In The Comics
Like Adam Warlock, Cosmo the Space Dog is a close ally to the Guardians of the Galaxy who’s only now receiving a major role in the MCU’s Phase 5. In the source material, Cosmo (who’s a male labrador in the comics) serves as Knowhere’s head of security, as he makes the Celestial’s head his home long before the Guardians first assemble. With Nova’s support, Cosmo allows the Guardians to establish their base in Knowhere, and he even helps them find themselves a name before they settle on their now famous moniker.
1 The Guardians Of The Galaxy Have A Different Relationship With Ronan And The Nova Corps
The MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy owe their origins to the Nova Corps, who captured them and sent them together to the Kyln due to their criminal record, but after defeating Ronan the Accuser and defending Xandar, the Nova Corps forgave the Guardians. In the comics, the Nova Corps don’t hesitate to help the Guardians of the Galaxy from the start, and even though they’re often at odds, the Nova Corps never consider the Guardians criminals worthy of capture. Ronan, on the other hand, has been a villain in the comics multiple times, but he has redeemed himself and even became a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy for a brief time.
