Guardians Of The Galaxy: Exploring Their Past, Present And Future

Guardians Of The Galaxy is a prime example of how an organization such as Marvel Studios can take a relatively obscure set of literary characters, and turn them into beloved film fan favourites overnight. By virtue of excellent casting, phenomenal direction, and screenwriting that strikes the perfect balance between action, drama, and humour, Marvel successfully expanded the scope of their cinematic universe, and guaranteed its continued longevity. Now, we're gearing up to celebrate Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2, which is one of the most highly anticipated releases of 2017, and with good reason. But, the Guardians’ corner of the Marvel universe is a densely packed arena – filled with history and potential threads for future exploration. There are a lot of different directions that the studio can take these characters in next and fans of the comic books will know that so far, only the surface has been scratched. With that in mind, here's a whistlestop guide to where the Guardians Of The Galaxy have been and where they might be headed as the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand. The Source Material While the Guardians Of The Galaxy first appeared in the Marvel comic books in 1969, created by Arnold Drake and Gene Colan, it's the 2008 reboot of the team upon which the MCU feature films are loosely based. Little unites the 1969 and 2008 comic book versions, beyond the fact that the teams are space-based superheroes working to proactively protect the galaxy, rather than react to crises as and when they occur. In the 2008 version, the team cross paths with a man experiencing some amnesia, who reveals himself to be Vance Astro, also known as Major Victory – the team leader of the original, 1969 Guardians Of The Galaxy. It's this encounter that encourages the 2008 group to adopt the team name. The rebooted Guardians team was created by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, using existing characters, and first appeared in Annihilation: Conquest #6. The team actually comprised seven members in the source material – including Quasar and Adam Warlock, alongside Star-Lord, Rocket, Gamora, Drax, and Groot. They also shared much the same set of values as the original, and met a number of nemeses – including King Blastaar and Maelstrom, in addition to Thanos and the Kree. The team has undergone a number of changes to its roster over the years and has even included Iron Man at times. Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014) The first film adaptation of Guardians Of The Galaxy was initially perceived by some to be a risky endeavour – being the first entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to be a real science fiction movie, set almost entirely outside of Earth. The MCU had certainly taken in other planets in the past – most notably in the Thor films – but Guardians Of The Galaxy was to be, on a fundamental level, untethered from the usual Earth-bound framing of Marvel movies. That shift in context came at exactly the right time, in exactly the right way, though – breathing new life into a then six-year-old franchise, with eye-popping action and good dose of attitude. Like its source material, it centres on Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) – who later becomes known as Star-Lord. As a young boy, he endures the loss of his beloved mother to illness, and is then abducted by space pirates known as Ravagers – led by Yondu Udonta (Michael Rooker). Years later, as a grown man on the planet Morag, Quill finds and steals a mysterious orb, and unwittingly sets in motion a series of events that leads him to form the Guardians Of The Galaxy. The team is ultimately comprised of an assassin named Gamora (Zoe Saldana), a convict named Drax (Dave Bautista), and a pair of bounty hunters named Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel). Rocket is a genetically modified raccoon, while Groot is a humanoid tree with extremely limited vocabulary. The group is united by the orb that Quill has stolen. Gamora is the adoptive, but rebellious daughter of the evil Thanos, who's determined to possess the orb for its awesome power. Rocket and Groot are drawn into the situation because Ravager Yondu Udonta issues a bounty for Quill, as a result of him stealing the orb. Drax becomes involved because he tries to kill Gamora as revenge for the loss of family, who were murdered by Ronan – Thanos’ enforcer. Begrudgingly working together, the group uncover the truth about the orb and the motivations of those seeking to possess it – and fight to ensure it stays out of the wrong hands. Guardians Of The Galaxy was a giant hit at the box office, generating $773 million worldwide against an estimated production budget of $170 million. But, to attribute that success to Marvel brand recognition and loyalty is to do a great disservice to what's objectively a near-perfect film. It's important to note that Guardians Of The Galaxy is largely a standalone movie, with only the presence of the mysterious Thanos, and detail of the Infinity Stones tying it to the ongoing MCU. There's no real mention of any of the already established MCU characters, so this film truly does succeed on its own merits. That being said, it's certainly not ground-breaking in terms of its construction. The movie uses the triple plot devices of a pop soundtrack, a MacGuffin (the orb), and a group of heroes with complex family histories, to build an epic chase story that just happens to take place among the stars. In the hands of lesser filmmakers, this could have been too formulaic – but writer-director James Gunn, earlier screenwriter Nicole Perlman, and the production team as a whole managed to craft a set of characters that grab the audience by the heart, and refuse to let go. As we've seen, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is built on well-crafted characters, and as such, Guardians Of The Galaxy remains among the best of these franchise entries. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2. (2017) As is always the case with film projects of this size, scope, and popularity, there's much secrecy surrounding the plot of the upcoming sequel. It's clear, however, that the driving force behind the story will be the revelation about the true parentage of Star-Lord that occurred at the end of Guardians Of The Galaxy. The only information that has been confirmed by Marvel is that the action takes place between two and three months after the end of the first film, and sees the team travelling through space - helping Star-Lord learn more about his real father. This does, in some way, reflect storylines from the source material, too. In addition to the team members established in the first film, Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2. will see the return of Nebula, played by Karen Gillan. Nebula is the adoptive sister of Gamora, with whom she was in conflict in the previous franchise instalment. Yondu Udonta played by Michael Rooker also returns. New to the proceedings are Ayesha, played by Elizabeth Debicki, Mantis, played by Pom Klementieff, and Ego, played by Kurt Russell. Ayesha is the High Priestess and leader of the Sovereign people. In the source material, she's a powerful, genetically engineered being that is capable of harnessing, storing, and using cosmic energy. She's almost immortal, and can regenerate tissue – which means that she can reanimate the dead, although cannot restore the soul. Ego, meanwhile, is an ancient, cosmic being, and the real father of Star-Lord. In the source material, he's a planet that's able to appear in human form – and in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2., it's his human form that we'll apparently see. He has a vast intellect, and a vast sense of self-importance to go with it. In addition to being the real father of Star-Lord, in the film, he apparently also raised Mantis. Speaking of which, Mantis is a being in possession of great psychic abilities. In the source material, she's adopted by the Kree as a human child, but in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2., she seems to be – in a sense – related to Star-Lord through his father, Ego. It's her vast empathy that shapes her role within the Guardians, as she's able to act as a bridge, or conduit, between the eclectic mix of personalities that make up the group. While Thanos remains an ever-present threat, there's speculation that it will be Ayesha that presents the imminent danger within the plot of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2. The film – written and directed by James Gunn – is scheduled for release on May 5th, 2017. The Future Of Guardians Of The Galaxy Within The MCU Having firmly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with on their own terms within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's inevitable that the Guardians Of The Galaxy will be called upon to join in with the escapades of the Avengers – not least because other Marvel characters, such as Spider-Man and Ant-Man have also begun to do so. So, it came as no surprise when we learned that the team will be popping up in Avengers: Infinity War. The third Avengers feature film is an important moment for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as it represents an early point in the culmination of the previous 18 instalments in the franchise. Thanos – who has appeared in Avengers films, as well as having played a larger role in the Guardians Of The Galaxy movies – will have a significant role in the plot here, and the title indicates that the action will revolve around his quest to possess the Infinity Stones. It's clear, then, that the Guardians will play a vital role in the battle against this specific threat – which opens the door to some great storytelling possibilities. As the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to grow, a criticism often levelled at the ‘team-up’ films is that there are far too many characters needing time and space within the plot – making it feel too densely packed, and sometimes, character-filled simply for sake of box office draw. In including the Guardians Of The Galaxy within an Avengers movie about Thanos, however, we have an entirely natural development that gives rise to all the potential conflict we've come to expect from a superhero group that includes large personalities, like Iron Man and Captain America. Just as Iron Man clashed with Steve Rogers and Thor in previous instalments, we can expect the same irritation with Star-Lord and Drax, in particular, as these space-bound superheroes arrive with far more experience of battling Thanos than the egotistical Tony Stark could possibly have. We can expect them to ultimately find common ground, however, as the pro-active values of the Guardians Of The Galaxy are strongly aligned with those of Tony Stark – which he demonstrated in Avengers: Age Of Ultron. All of these future prospects provide ample opportunity for further development of the Guardians characters within the MCU – and we can surely expect further sequels of their own, in addition to appearances in the films of other characters. Indeed, if Guardians Of The Galaxy was a popular first album, and Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2. involves some deeper cuts and experimentation with the band, then Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 3. should prove to be endlessly intriguing – when it inevitably arrives.