| Guardians of the Galaxy | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Also known as | Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout!(season 3) |
| Genre | |
| Based on | |
| Developed by | Marty Isenberg |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Michael Tavera |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 79(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company | Marvel Animation |
| Original release | |
| Network | Disney XD |
| Release | September 5, 2015 (2015-09-05)[1] – June 9, 2019 (2019-06-09) |
| Related | |
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, known asMarvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout for the final season, is an Americananimated television series based on theMarvel Comics superhero teamof the same name. It is produced byMarvel Animation. The series premiered on September 5, 2015, onDisney XD.
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy features the same main characters as thefilm of the same name, although it is not a part of theMarvel Cinematic Universe.[2]Seth Green was the only actor from the film to return, reprising his voice role asHoward the Duck.[3]
The third and final season premiered in March 2018,[4] and ended on June 9, 2019.[5]
TheGuardians of the Galaxy team consists ofStar-Lord,Gamora,Drax the Destroyer,Rocket Raccoon, andGroot. During season one, the Guardians obtain an artifact called the Spartaxian CryptoCube that is tied to the Spartax species. The Cube contains a map leading to the Cosmic Seed, a powerful weapon capable of creating a new universe. The Guardians must find and destroy the Cosmic Seed before it can be weaponized for evil.
Season two starts with the Guardians teaming up with theAvengers to fight theHigh Evolutionary.[6]
FollowingThanos's defeat, the Guardians get their hands on a sarcophagus that was found on Thanos's asteroid base and stolen byYondu. This sarcophagus later hatches intoAdam Warlock, who the Guardians convince to follow his own destiny.
Star-Lord's fatherJ'son, the king of the Spartax and the leader of theUniversal Believers, escapes prison and usesNova Corps helmets to control Adam and transform him into theMagus. The Guardians break J'son out of Magus, restoring him to normal.
In the third season, the Guardians go on the run after being framed by theCollector.Phyla-Vell works with the Guardians to save theKree homeworld of Hala and defeat the Collector, who escapes after setting his ship to self-destruct.[4]
After traversing through theBlack Vortex, the Guardians discover that the Asgardians' old enemies theDarkhawks have been replacingNova Prime and members of the Galactic Council. The Darkhawks are made bySerpent, who plans to reclaimAsgard. Using theDragonfang sword, the Guardians defeat Serpent and save the galaxy.
Season three included Marvel charactersSpider-Man,Max Modell,Venom, andCarnage in a crossover with the television seriesSpider-Man, and hadStan Lee in a guest role.[7]
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| Shorts | 5 | August 1, 2015 (2015-08-01) | August 29, 2015 (2015-08-29) | |
| 1 | 27 | September 5, 2015 (2015-09-05) | December 17, 2016 (2016-12-17) | |
| Shorts | 6 | February 27, 2017 (2017-02-27) | March 4, 2017 (2017-03-04) | |
| 2 | 26 | March 11, 2017 (2017-03-11) | December 3, 2017 (2017-12-03) | |
| 3 | 26 | March 18, 2018 (2018-03-18) | June 9, 2019 (2019-06-09) | |
Marvel was rumored to be considering a new animated series with anotherSpider-Man show or aGuardians of the Galaxy show. The appearances of theGuardians of the Galaxy inAvengers Assemble andUltimate Spider-Man were supposed to be test runs for their own show. Screen Rant indicated in January 2014 that theGuardians of the Galaxy series was selected for development.[14]
On July 26, 2014, atSan Diego Comic-Con, a week before the release of theGuardians of the Galaxy film, Marvel Animation announced the Guardians of the Galaxy animated TV series with a trailer featuring Rocket Raccoon and Star-Lord.[15] With the success of the live-action film, Marvel and Disney XD announced that they were moving forward with the animated series atNew York Comic Con. They showed some test footage to the audience.[16] The series was announced to air in 2015 as a part of the Marvel Universe onDisney XD.[13]
Advanced previews of the show started airing on Disney XD on August 1, 2015. A full preview of the series aired on Disney XD on September 5, 2015. The official one-hour premiere aired on September 26, 2015.[17]
Each episode is named after or a reference to a popular song from the 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s.
At New York Comic Con 2015, it was announced the series had been renewed for a second season, which premiered on Disney XD on March 11, 2017.[18]
In late August, it was revealed that licensed songs from the 1970s would be used to augment the tone and soundtrack of the series.[19]
In September,Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Mix Vol. 1 (Music from the Animated Television Series) was announced. It is a collection of 12 songs featured in the show's first season.[20]
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hooked On A Feeling" | Blue Swede | 2:53 |
| 2. | "Rocky Mountain Way" | Joe Walsh | 5:16 |
| 3. | "Don't Stop Me Now" | Queen | 3:30 |
| 4. | "Drift Away" | Dobie Gray | 3:57 |
| 5. | "So You Are A Star" | The Hudson Brothers | 3:48 |
| 6. | "The Boys Are Back In Town" | Thin Lizzy | 4:28 |
| 7. | "Walk Away" | James Gang | 3:34 |
| 8. | "Funk #49" | James Gang | 3:56 |
| 9. | "Shake Your Groove Thing" | Peaches & Herb | 5:33 |
| 10. | "I Will Survive" | Gloria Gaynor | 8:01 |
| 11. | "Funk Funk" | Cameo | 4:47 |
| 12. | "Joy To The World" | Three Dog Night | 3:39 |
| Total length: | 50:42 | ||
Guardians of the Galaxy aired as a preview on Disney XD in the United States andDisney Channel in Canada on September 5, 2015. It officially debuted on September 26, 2015.[21] The series premiered onDisney XD in the United Kingdom and Ireland on November 7, 2015. It also premiered onDisney XD in Australia and New Zealand on November 8, 2015.[22][23] In India, from March 8, 2019, it is being aired onMarvel HQ, an Indian version ofDisney XD.
Thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes reports a 86% approval rating with an average rating of 7.00/10, based on 7 reviews for the first season.[24]
Blair Marnell ofNerdist called "Road to Knowhere" a "pretty solid introduction to theGuardians of the Galaxy animated series," saying, "Of course, there’s always room for improvement. IfGuardians of the Galaxy is really going to be a standalone franchise, then it needs this animated series to keep going all the way up to the next movie in 2017. This show might be good enough to do that."[25] David Griffin ofScreen Rant stated that the premiere of the show delivers an "exhilarating action-packed adventure," asserting, "Now we just have to see if the exciting action and engaging storylines can stay strong throughout the entire season."[26] Kevin Johnson ofThe A.V. Club gave "Knowhere to Run" a B+ ranking and "Road to Knowhere" a B− ranking, writing, "Disney XD has a very specific demographic they’re aiming for, which leaves “Road to Knowhere/Knowhere to Run” somewhat clunky and awkward, but brimming with potential and leaves you eager for more. The two-part pilot is simultaneously complicated and simplistic, struggling to give the story and its characters due weight while forcing some unnecessary exposition and comic beats that even the show feels embarrassed by. But when it works, it works (particularly in the second half), and those small moments make the show worthwhile."[27]
Jesse Schedeen ofIGN gave the series a grade of seven out of ten, stating, "The good news is that the second episode of Guardians of the Galaxy improved a bit on the first. More screen time for Cosmo certainly didn't hurt, but it was also a matter of the show tapping into the group dynamic and their dysfunctional but close bond a little more. The show continues to frustrate in just how aggressively similar it is to the movie, but with the groundwork now laid and the promise of Star-Lord's heritage being a major focus going forward, hopefully the show can begin to define itself on its own merits."[28] James Whitbrook ofGizmodo said thatGuardians of the Galaxy has "gone from disappointing to delightful."[29] Emily Ashby ofCommon Sense Media gaveMarvel's Guardians of the Galaxy a grade of four out of five stars, noted the depiction of positive messages and role models across the characters, citing teamwork and altruism, and asserted, "Ragtag hero bunch's continuing story is violent but fun."[30]
Joseph Ocasio ofComic Book Resources rankedGuardians of the Galaxy 8th in their "Best Marvel Animated Series" list, writing, "While the cartoon Guardians were not as fleshed out as their big-screen counterparts, the show captured most of what made the Guardians such wonderful characters. Star-Lord was still the lovable numbskull with a heart of gold, and Rocket was still the short-tempered rodent."[31] Judy Black ofCollider rankedMarvel's Guardians of the Galaxy 9th in their "12 Best Marvel Animated Series Not in the MCU" list, saying, "As people often point out, there are many fantastic aspects of animation that live-action adaptations simply cannot replicate. The quick and fluid movements, for instance, lead to some impressive gags that capture the personalities of the more eccentric characters, like Quill/Star-Lord. Additionally, Will Friedle does a fantastic job voicing Star-Lord, perhaps portraying him as a little less serious than his live-action counterpart. This cartoon was intended for kids, and oftentimes, it shows, particularly with its sometimes-predictable humor. Still, it offers many good laughs for the whole family."[32]
| Season | Timeslot (ET) | Episodes | Premiered | Ended | Viewers (in millions) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Premiere viewers (in millions) | Date | Finale viewers (in millions) | ||||
| 1 | Saturday 9:30 p.m. | 26 | September 5, 2015 | 0.39[33] | 0.37 | 0.51 | |
In 2015,Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy was adapted into a comic book series known asMarvel Universe: Guardians of the Galaxy.[34][35] It uses the episode's art work with writing and lettering by Joe Caramagna.[36] The first issue was released in February 2015.[37]
