With the upcoming feature film to introduce the team as part of Marvel Studios’ Phase 2, film slate, what better way to introduce the team then by giving a brief history? The original team was created in 1969, but the new team which will debut on the silver screen in 2014 first appeared in 2008 with Starlord leading the team. The Guardians of the Galaxy are a group of heroes who opposed the Phalanx conquest of the Kree system banding together afterward, in an attempt to prevent any further catastrophe from occurring. Many of its members have also opposed Annihilus during his incursion into the Earth-616 universe. On the recommendation of their ally Nova, the group established a base of operations at the space station Knowhere, which possesses a teleportation system with near-universal range. An intelligent super-powered dog called Cosmo acts as the chief of security for the space station, working closely with the team and after an initial clash with the Universal Church of Truth, the team’s investigation of a mass of Limbo Ice reveals a semi-amnesiac man identifying himself as Vance Astrovik of the Guardians of the Galaxy for Earth-691. Astrovik’s declaration inspires the group to adopt the Guardians of the Galaxy name for their own and the team battles the Universal Church of Truth once again while Astrovik is attacked aboard Knowhere by an incarnation of Starhawk.
Matters then become worse when the Skrulls infiltrate Knowhere and the revelation is revealed that Starlord directed Mantis to telepathically coerce the group into joining the team so each member decided to go their separate ways due to misunderstandings. However, Rocket Raccoon decided to continue and started the search for the missing members by asking Bug and Groot join the team, and included Mantis and Major Victory as field members. Meanwhile, Starlord heads to the Kree Empire in an attempt to help them, but Ronan the Accuser reveals they are reconstructing the Phalanx’s Babel Spire in order to preserve the Kree, just before throwing him into the Negative Zone where he meets Blastaar, who has devised a plan to break into the prison 42 created by the Initiative, in order to invade Earth. Blastaar’s Negative Zone Forces then launch a full scale attack against 42, which is defended by super-humans led by Jack Flag, and Starlord goes into 42 to talk with Flag, hoping to use him as a way to contact the Guardians which he succeeds and the team teleports in time to prepare for a huge battle. Meanwhile Adam Warlock and Gamora invade the Universal Church of Truth’s headquarters so Adam can try and find out more about them and is taken to their leader.
Elswhere, Drax and Quasar (Phyla-Vell) begin looking for Cammi and learns of the upcoming War of Kings while Quasar also manages to wake Moondragon from the dead, but loses her Quantum Bands in the process, becoming the new avatar of Death. Mentor later kills Drax and Phyla, later to be found on Oblivion where they are quickly ambushed by Maelstrom and Phyla is fed to the Dragon of the Moon, but before Drax is fed, Quasar (Wendell Vaughn) comes to restore him and fights Maelstrom off as Phyla bursts out of the Dragon’s belly with Moondragon. The entire Guardians team later reunites after learning of the upcoming war between the Shi’ar Empire with Vulcan in command, and the Kree who are led by the Black Bolt. Months later, Thanos has returned on Earth and the Guardians assist the Avengers against him when the Mad Titan manages to get a Cosmic Cube from the Army and escapes to Moord. Later, Thanos apparently kills the Elders of the Universe and becomes one with the Cosmic Cube, supposedly killing both the Guardians and Avengers but instead, they were sent to the Cancerverse where Tony Stark discovered Thanos’ Cosmic Cube was a defect so they bargained with the Collector in exchange for a weapon capable of deactivating the Cube and return to Earth where the Mad Titan was defeated by the Elders and sent to punishment.
Starlord then personally offered Iron Man a spot on his team to which he gladly accepted.
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