Everything You Need To Know About Marvel’s Phase Three Slate

Guardians of the Galaxy 2

Release Date: May 5th, 2017

Group Synopsis: The Guardians of the Galaxy were formed by the half-human, half-alien astronaut Star-Lord a.k.a. Peter Quill. With the help of Gamora, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Drax, Adam Warlock, Phyla-Vell, and Mantis, the group dedicates itself to guarding the galaxy and preventing any calamities that might befall.

In the films, of course, the latter three members have not made any obvious appearances, which leaves the big question of who will join the funky misfits in 2017. James Gunn will return to write and direct with Chris Pratt donning his maroon jacket once again as the infamous Star-Lord, and though the rest of the cast has yet to be confirmed, we can almost safely assume that Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, and Dave Bautista will be signing on as well.

Gunn has also stated that the ancient being that is Quill’s father will be explored, though it will not be the canon J’Sun of Spartax. Drax will also be further fleshed out along with Nebula, who was last seen amputating her own arm to escape the shame of being defeated by her sister Gamora. Yondu will return as well after being tricked by Quill in thinking he had one of the infinity stones.

Origins: The first iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy first appeared in 1969, with founding members Major Victory, Martinex T’Naga, Charlie-27, and Yondu Udonta – that’s right, the same blue-skinned Yondu. The current Earth-616 incarnation of the Guardians meet Major Victory and decide to adopt the name of the Guardians of the Galaxy themselves.

Peter Quill was raised by his mother until she was killed by an alien, never knowing who his father was. As a NASA trainee astronaut and through some trickery, he was granted the title of Star-Lord from the alien entity knows as the Master of the Sun.

Gamora, the last of her species, was adopted by Thanos, who raised her into becoming the “deadliest woman in the whole galaxy.” Her main mission: to assassinate Magus, the future version of one of the founding members of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Adam Warlock.

Rocket Raccoon is a genetically engineered animal given human intelligence in order to watch over the mentally ill inhabitants of the planet Halfworld. As random as it sounds, Rocket dates back to before the Guardians were even formed.

Groot is the last remaining member of his species, the Flora Colossi from Planet X. His speech is impossible to understand due to his stiffened larynx. After joining the Guardians, he and Rocket form an inseparable bond with Rocket having the ability to understand Groot.

Drax, originally Arthur Douglas, was killed along with is wife and daughter by Thanos. His spirit was championed by Kronos to ultimately defeat Thanos, the source of his anger. Interestingly enough, Drax’s daughter was not actually killed and would become Moondragon, a member of the Guardians as well.

Powers: In the movies, none of the members have inherent super powers other than Groot and perhaps Drax – who arguably has super strength. Quill, Gamora, and Rocket rely on their physical prowess, reflexes, and knowledge of weapons to defend themselves. In the comics, the same is true for the most part, except Drax has notable powers before his time as a Guardian. He could fire concussive blasts, fly, and detect the presence of Thanos. His current form in the comics is much more akin to his movie incarnation.

Gamora has heightened strength, speed, reflexes, and healing factory due to her time training under Thanos, which makes her an extremely deadly assassin capable of felling foes with far more strength than she has.

Due to his species, Groot has the ability to regenerate from even the smallest twig. He can control trees along with his own physicality and has extreme durability, even from fire.

Greatest Enemies: Other than Nebula, who Gunn has already basically stated will return, and Thanos, who won’t appear in the film unless completely necessary to the plot, there are quite a few other villains who could rise to the challenge. One such villain is the entire Badoon race, which are lizard-like humanoids, who were the original Guardians’ first enemy.

The villain who probably makes the most sense in terms of the overall structure of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is Magus. Magus is the future corrupt self of the one and only Adam Warlock. A being with a god complex who would fashion the entire galaxy under his pride, Magus tries to acquire the Infinity Gauntlet, but is stopped by Warlock. Magus could be an easy way to introduce Warlock into the films, which would be perfect since he has a deep connection with the Infinity Gauntlet.

Casting: As stated before, Chris Pratt is pretty much confirmed to return with the others probably stated to reprise their roles as well.

With his cocoon being visible – and confirmed by Gunn – in two Marvel Cinematic Universe movies now, Adam Warlock is highly speculated to finally make an introduction as the perfect being whose future self could wrap Guardians of the Galaxy 2 neatly into a finished product. Even so, Gunn isn’t the kind of director to rely on the obvious, so Warlock could perhaps be skipped over for Phyla-Vell or Mantis. Or, you know, all three could join.

History and Future: As the current roster of the Guardians only dates back to 2008, there isn’t the plethora of directions that the series can take that the other Marvel heroes have. Gunn himself has mentioned that he would deviate from the comics though, which will probably pay off seeing as how the original became a phenomenon when the ragtag group of heroes were virtually unknown.

– Andy Wong