| Guardians of the Galaxy | |
|---|---|
 Debut:Marvel Super-Heroes #18 (January 1969). Cover art byGene Colan andMike Esposito. (l. to r.)Vance Astro,Charlie-27,Martinex,Yondu. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Marvel Super-Heroes #18 (January 1969) |
| Created by | |
| In-story information | |
| Base(s) | Freedom's Lady[broken anchor] USSCaptain America |
| Member(s) | List of Guardians of the Galaxy members |
Guardians of the Galaxy is asuperhero team appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. The Guardians first appear inMarvel Super-Heroes #18 (January 1969). The initial roster consisted ofVance Astro,Martinex T'Naga,Captain Charlie-27, andYondu Udonta.[1] Later members includedStakar Ogord,Aleta Ogord, andNikki.
Roy Thomas recounted
'Guardians of the Galaxy' started out as an idea of mine: about super-guerrillas fighting against Russians and Red Chinese who had taken over and divided the USA. I got a sort of general approval out of [editor-in-chief]Stan [Lee] (I think), and gave the idea toArnold Drake, since I had not time to write and research it. Arnold went in for a conference with Stan, and Stan (maybe Arnold, too) decided to change it to an interplanetary situation. All the characters and situations inGuardians were created by Arnold and/or Stan.[2]
The team first appeared in the partial reprint titleMarvel Super-Heroes with issue #18 (January 1969), written by Arnold Drake andpenciled byGene Colan.[3] Despite strong sales on this issue, the Guardians of the Galaxy would not appear again for over five years, inMarvel Two-In-One #5 (June 1974).[2] The story's writer,Steve Gerber, liked the team enough to use them again inGiant Size Defenders #5 andThe Defenders #26–29 (July–November 1975). In each case, other heroes such asCaptain America, theThing, and the Defenders aid them in their war against the alienBadoon, necessitating the liberal use of time travel in these stories.
The Guardians were finally given their own series in the existing titleMarvel Presents, starting with issue #3 (February 1976). Steve Gerber, still handling the writing, reflected,
Most of the stories I was scripting were set in the present. I wanted to do something that combined the standard superhero elements with something a little different, so that I could give my imagination a bit more play. We hadDave Cockrum redesign the costumes, we created a new starship for them to pilot, and we revised the premise of the strip, so that they were no longer fighting the Badoon on Earth, and sent them off amongst the stars.[2]
Gerber left the series after seven issues, andRoger Stern took over withMarvel Presents #10. The series was cancelled shortly afterwards due to poor sales, with the final issue being #12 (August 1977).[2] The team then made guest appearances inThor Annual #6 (1977),The Avengers #167–177 (January–November 1978) and #181 (March 1979),Ms. Marvel #23,Marvel Team-Up #86 (October 1979), andMarvel Two-in-One #61–63 & #69 (November 1980).Marvel Two-in-One #69 drastically changed the Guardians of the Galaxy's story; due to changes made to the past of one of the members, the future which the Guardians of the Galaxy come from and the mainstream Marvel Universe are permanently separated, becoming alternate timelines to each other.[2] After this, the Guardians of the Galaxy were absent from published stories for over a decade.
In 1989, Marvel editor-in-chiefTom DeFalco revived the Guardians of the Galaxy in order to cash in on the popularity of the TV seriesStar Trek: The Next Generation.[2] DeFalco worked out a series concept using a new team of Guardians, but when he saw a series proposal for the original team that writer/artistJim Valentino had coincidentally been working on at the same time, he green lit Valentino's idea instead.[2] The Guardians' first self-titled comic launched in June 1990 and ran for 62 issues ( during which they also appeared in What If . . .? vol. 2 #36. This series was initially written and illustrated by Valentino, who deliberately gave it an action-oriented, "fun" feel that stood out from the typical "grim 'n' gritty" comics of the 1990s.[2] Though Valentino had plotted the series ahead as far as issue #50, his run was cut short when he co-foundedImage Comics. Having taken on two new series and the foundation of a publication company, Valentino asked editor Craig Anderson if he could switch to just writingGuardians of the Galaxy, and in response Anderson dismissed him from the series.[2]
With issue #29 (October 1992)Michael Gallagher commenced writing the title, and continued until its cancellation with issue #62 (July 1995). According to Kevin West, who became the penciller with issue #30 (Nov. 1992), he and Gallagher worked together closely on the series, employing theMarvel method of creation, and became good friends.[2] A spin-off four-issueminiseries,Galactic Guardians (July–October 1994), also by Gallagher and West, appeared during this time. West explained why he did not draw the final issue ofGuardians of the Galaxy:
When I heard we were getting the hook, I naturally started looking for a new job. I ended up atMalibu [Comics]. There was a hold-up getting theGuardians plot finished so by the time I got it, I had to pass because I had a Malibu deadline to meet. Arrgh. Despite any minor qualms I had, I really did enjoy working on the series.[2]
A second volume was published in May 2008, written byDan Abnett andAndy Lanning. The title, set in a different timeline, features a new team, drawn from participants in theAnnihilation: Conquest storyline.[4] The 1969 team made guest appearances in #12–17 and #25.
A new ongoing series starring the original Guardians, titledGuardians 3000 and written by Abnett, launched in 2014.[5]
The Guardians are active in the 31st century in analternative time-line of theMarvel Universe known asEarth-691. The original members of the team includeMajor Vance Astro (later known asMajor Victory), anastronaut from 20th century Earth who spends a thousand years travelling toAlpha Centauri insuspended animation. He is also the future alternative universe counterpart ofVance Astrovik, the hero known as Justice.
Other original team members areMartinex T'Naga, a crystalline being fromPluto;Captain Charlie-27, a soldier fromJupiter; andYondu Udonta, a blue-skinned "noble savage" from Centauri-IV (the fourth planet orbiting the starAlpha Centauri B). Each is apparently the last of their kind and they are forced to unite as a team against the actions of theBadoon, an alien race which attempts to conquer Earth's Solar System.
During the course of the war against the Badoon, the team gains three more members—the mysterious husband and wife duo,Starhawk andAleta, as well asNikki, a genetically engineered young girl fromMercury seeking excitement in her life—and travel back in time, where they encounter several of the heroes of 20th century Earth, includingCaptain America and the Thing.[6]
The Guardians eventually defeat the Badoon, but soon find themselves facing a new foe calledKorvac, who was in part a creation of the Badoon. After teaming with the thunder godThor to defeat Korvac in the 31st century,[7] the Guardians then follow Korvac to 20th century mainstream Earth, where together with theAvengers they fight a final battle.[8]
The Guardians reappear years later and have a series of adventures in their future,[9] with several others eventually joining the team: theInhumanTalon, theSkrullReplica, the secondYellowjacket (aliasRita DeMara of the 20th century), and an agedSimon Williams (now calledHollywood, Man of Wonder).
Wanting to expand the Guardians to a multiple-team organization, Martinex eventually leaves to look for additional members for a second unit, theGalactic Guardians.[10]
During their second mission, the team that was to become theEarth-616incarnation of the Guardians discover a time-displaced Vance Astro in a block of ice floating in space. It is his introduction as "Major Victory of the Guardians of the Galaxy" that inspires the team to take up the name. In issues #7 and #16 of the series, it was revealed a great "error" in the present day has caused the future to be destroyed; Starhawk is constantly trying to prevent it by time travel, causing the future (and the Guardians) to be altered. Only Starhawk, who is changed with each reboot but is "one who knows" about the changes, realizes anything is different, but each change still ends in a cataclysm. In issue 17, the universe of the Guardians' future had been taken over by the alien race called theBadoon, and only a small portion remained undestroyed. The Guardians sent a warning to the present day, though at the cost of the end of their own universe.
The Vance Astro of the modern-day Guardians is revealed to be a Major Victory from one of these altered futures, rather than the original. A second alternate Vance Astro appears in #17.
In #18, a third version of the Guardians' future was shown, this time led byKillraven against theMartians.
An Epic Collection was released in April 2023.
| # | Subtitle | Years covered | Issues collected | Writers | Artists | Pages | Released | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Earth Shall Overcome | 1969-1977 | Marvel Super-Heroes #18,Marvel Two-in-One #4-5,Giant-Size Defenders #5,Defenders #26-29,Marvel Presents #3-12,Thor Annual #6 | Steve Gerber, Roger Stern | John Buscema, Al Milgrom,Don Heck | 408 | 11 Apr 2023 | 978-1302950439 |
| 2 | Quest For The Shield | 1978-1990 | Avengers #167-168, 170–177, 181;Ms. Marvel #23;Marvel Team-Up #86;Marvel Two-in-One #61-63, 69;Guardians of the Galaxy #1-6 | Jim Shooter, Mark Gruenwald | Jim Valentino, George Perez, David Wenzel | 496 | 18 Feb 2025 | 978-1302956417 |
| 3 | Homecoming | 1990-1992 | Guardians Of The Galaxy #7-20,Annual #1; material fromFantastic Four Annual #24;Thor Annual #16;Silver Surfer Annual #4 | Jim Valentino, Al Milgrom | Jim Valentino, Al Milgrom | 504 | 16 Sep 2025 | 978-1302965181 |
The Guardians of the Galaxy were a science-fiction version of the group from the movieDirty Dozen (1967) and were created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Gene Colan.