10 Of The Coolest Cosmic Superheroes In Comic Books

Who could have predicted that Guardians of the Galaxy would become one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's biggest properties just a few years ago? Back before the 2014 instant classic arrived, experts - by which I mean random people on the internet - were predicting that its brand of overt comic book craziness would be too much for wider audiences to handle. Turns out they were woefully wrong, as people can't get enough of this blend of space opera and character-based comedy. Guardians might be the first successful cosmic comic book movie, but superheroes have been venturing into space for decades on the page. Ever since Superman, an alien from a far-off planet, kicked off the genre back in 1938, hardcore science fiction and superheroism have gone hand in hand. It's just taken a good long while for the movies to embrace this side of comic books. So, to celebrate the arrival of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in US cinemas this weekend, let's take a look at the best cosmic comic book heroes out there. As always, if you have a favourite that we haven't mentioned, let us know in the comments section down below. 10) Legion Of Super-Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes aren't particularly big players nowadays, but in the annals of comic book history, they're pretty significant. From the minds of Otto Binder and Al Plastino and first appearing in Adventure Comics #247 in 1958, the Legion are a group of teenage heroes from the 30th (later 31st) century. With the aid of their Legion rings, the Legionnaires are able to fly and, more impressively, travel through time. Originally, the Legion were created as one-off allies for Superboy - Clark Kent's adolescent alter ego during his teenage years in Smallville - but their popularity was such that they became icons of the Silver Age of Comics. Led by founding members Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad, the Legion of Super-Heroes consists of Legionnaires from across the universe - aliens, androids... all are welcome - and they've had an endless amount of colourful, cosmic adventures over the decades. 9) New Gods Created in 1971 by the King of Comics himself Jack Kirby (most known for his iconic work with Stan Lee over at Marvel), the New Gods are the inhabitants of the corner of the DC universe known as the Fourth World. The Fourth World consists of two connected but totally opposite worlds - the utopian realm of New Genesis and the hellish planet of Apokolips. While Apokolips is ruled over by the megalomaniacal tyrant Darkseid, New Genesis is home to a race of heroic super-beings. These include Mister Miracle, Lightray, Metron, Jezebelle and Big Barda. The most notable, though, is Orion. The son of Darkseid, he was raised by New Genesis' Highfather to defy his parentage and become a hero. Orion and his allies have gone on to work with the Justice League on many an occasion. The New Gods mythology has only got richer and more important to the DC comics world over the years and seeing as Darkseid will be the overarching villain for the DC Extended Universe, it looks likely that we're going to see it explored on the big screen soon enough. 8) Nova Created by Marv Wolfman in 1979, the Nova Corps are essentially Marvel's version of DC's Green Lantern Corps. An interplanetary military force that protects the cosmos with the aid of the powerful Nova Force, a few human heroes have been known to join their ranks. The most notable is Richard Rider. Originally a New York high school student, Rider grew into a worthy champion who eventually sacrifices himself to stop Thanos. Because this is comics we're talking about, though, he's since come back. In more recent years, Sam Alexander - another teen - has also joined the Corps. The Nova Corps did appear in Guardians of the Galaxy, though they were downgraded to just your usual intergalactic police force without any mention of the Nova Force. Still, James Gunn has been open about the fact that Richard Rider or Sam Alexander could appear in the MCU in future. 7) Flash Gordon Moving away from DC and Marvel for a moment, let's turn to one of the very first cosmic comic book heroes out there. You might know the character best from the kitsch classic 1980s movie, with its famous Queen theme song, but Flash Gordon is actually a hugely influential figure on the page and his adventures go back over 80 years. Inspired by the success of Buck Rogers (who didn't originate in comics, otherwise he would be on this list), Flash Gordon was created way back in 1934 by Alex Raymond. It follows the titular Flash, a square-jawed sports player, who ends up on the alien world of Mongo, where he comes into conflict with the planet's evil ruler Ming the Merciless. Flash Gordon might not be a cape-and-cowl-wearing superhero, as such, but he's absolutely an early model for the many space-based comic book heroes who followed in his wake. 6) Captain Marvel Both of the two major heroes to take on the mantle of Captain Marvel - the Marvel one this is, not the DC hero also known as Shazam - have connections to the cosmic side of the Marvel universe. The original, Mar-Vell, for example, was a Kree soldier turned Earth's protector. The one we're giving this place, too, though, is the most popular version of the character - Carol Danvers. Originally Ms. Marvel for decades, Carol finally got a promotion back in 2012. A talented Air Force pilot, Danvers is caught in a Kree explosion and comes out of the accident imbued with incredible powers. Notably, super-strength, flight and more recently, energy projection. Captain Marvel has protected the cosmos in various ways over the years. For instance, she served a stint on the Guardians of the Galaxy and is currently the leader of a new version of Alpha Flight, which protects Earth from extraterrestrial threats. The character's time in the limelight is about to come, as well, when Brie Larson plays her in the upcoming solo movie, due for release in 2019. 5) Thor Stan Lee and Jack Kirby hit on another of their genius ideas when Thor made his debut in the Marvel universe in Journey into Mystery #83 in 1962. Reimagining the gods of Norse mythology as a powerful alien race allowed the pair to carve out a new corner of the MU that was as grand and mythical as it was bustling with brilliant sci-fi ideas. Originally, Thor was stripped of his powers and became the mortal Donald Blake. As the character developed, however, the God of Thunder was used more and more to explore the wider reaches to the MU. And Thor's adventures have gotten truly trippy over the years. He's faced alien nasties like Mangog, fire demons like Surtur and even living planets like, er, Ego the Living Planet. After the first two Thor movies held back on the cosmic aspect in favour of Thor's Midgard-bound romance with Natalie Portman's Jane Foster, the third film in the trilogy, Thor: Ragnarok looks set to deliver the colourful, entertaining sci-fi adventure movie we have been waiting for. 4) Superman Superman might be Earth's greatest protector, but the Man of Steel has saved the cosmos many a time over the decades. He's a strange visitor from another planet, after all. In his quest for peace, Superman has travelled to every corner of the universe, fighting wrongs wherever he finds them. Many of his greatest battles have been fought on other worlds. For instance, his duels with the alien warlord Mongul on Battleworld or the many fateful fights with Darkseid, perhaps his most formidable opponent of all, on Apokolips. Not to mention Brainiac, with his penchant for shrinking cities (most famously, the Kryptonian city of Kandor). Despite his iconic status, we can't put Supes any higher up this list due to his usual Earthbound nature. However, his long history has been a perfect blend of full-on space adventures and stories closer to home, so he thoroughly deserves a place here. 3) Guardians Of The Galaxy A few years ago, the Guardians of the Galaxy would not have found themselves in the top three cosmic superheroes of all-time. Originally created in 1969 by Arnold Drake and Gene Colan, the Guardians were an obscure, mostly forgotten group in Marvel history for decades. In 2008, however, Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning rebooted the team. Out went the original line-up and in came the likes of Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket Racoon and Groot. Kicking off with the "Annihilation" story arc, the Guardians have enjoyed an increased role in the Marvel universe and have crossed over with the Avengers many times over the past decade, as the heroes of Earth and the wider cosmos have come together to save the universe. Their roster has changed a lot, too, and has included heroes as diverse as Iron Man, the Thing, Venom and Kitty Pryde (who took up Peter Quill's mantle of Star-Lord for a time). Obviously, the Guardians have truly been blasted into the stratosphere in recent years thanks to 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy. They might not have been at the forefront of comics for most of their history, then, but the Guardians are now the poster boys and girls of the cosmic side of comic books. 2) Green Lantern The original Green Lantern, Alan Scott, was basically just a guy with a magic glowing ring. In 1960, however, when the new age of comic books was dawning, DC reimagined the character as part of a legendary intergalactic league of heroes. Each Lantern wore a Power Ring, allowing the wearer to form any shape with the ring's energy through the force of their will. Traditionally, Earthlings were never part of the Green Lantern Corps but, nevertheless, many human beings have wielded a Power Ring over the years. There's John Stewart, Guy Gardner, Kyle Rayner and most recently, Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz. The most famous Green Lantern of all, though, is of course Hal Jordan. The first Earthling Lantern, Jordan has helped save the universe from the direst threats on numerous occasions (and even been the threat himself once, too, when he was possessed by Parallax). Few comic book heroes are as rooted in such a big, bold, brilliant sci-fi concept as Green Lantern and, due to his perennial place as one of the founding members of the Justice League, the character is always right at the forefront of DC comics. 1) Silver Surfer Silver Surfer over Green Lantern? Really? Yes, really. While Green Lantern is probably the most iconic of the cosmic comic book heroes out there, the likes of Hal Jordan and John Stewart are often tied to Earth. Silver Surfer, on the other hand, is a pure, unadulterated sci-fi superhero. Originally an alien astronomer named Norrin Radd, the Surfer was chosen by Galactus to act as one of his Heralds. Wielding a tiny portion of the Power Cosmic, Radd gained his new body and a super-speeding surfboard with which to travel around the universe, picking out the tastiest planets for Galactus to feed on. Eventually, thanks to the Fantastic Four, Surfer turned against Galactus and became a hero. Yet another creation of Jack Kirby, Silver Surfer is a terrific character whatever way you look at him. Visually, he's amazing, as his unique design made him instantly iconic. More than that, though, Surfer is a lone, tragic soul, always attempting to do enough good to atone for his terrible actions under Galactus' massive thumb. It's for these reasons that he has to be crowned the greatest cosmic hero.