Guardians of the Galaxy (New Guard) facts for kids

The Guardians of the Galaxy are a group of superheroes who travel through space. They appear in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. This version of the team was created by Brian Michael Bendis and Valerio Schiti.

Their first team included Rocket Raccoon, Kitty Pryde, Thing, Drax the Destroyer, Agent Venom, and Groot. Later, Star-Lord, Gamora, and Angela also joined them. This team first showed up in "Guardians of the Galaxy" Vol. 4 #1 in October 2015.

How the Team Started and Grew

The idea for a new Guardians of the Galaxy team began to form around 2008. Writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning worked on a story called "Annihilation: Conquest". This story helped set up the new team.

Editor Bill Rosemann explained that after two big space wars, a group of characters were left. These characters seemed like they would make a fun and interesting team. Their main goal was to stop any new, huge disasters from happening in the galaxy.

The comic series ran alongside another comic called Nova vol. 4. Both were written by Abnett and Lanning. The two series shared stories in "War of Kings" and "Realm of Kings". The Guardians of the Galaxy comic series ended in April 2010 after 25 issues.

The team later came back together in Avengers Assemble #4–8, from June to October 2012.

New Adventures with Marvel NOW!

The Guardians of the Galaxy got a brand new series for Marvel NOW!. This new series started with issue 0.1. Brian Michael Bendis wrote it, and Steve McNiven drew it. In this version, Iron Man joined the team.

Later, Angela, Agent Venom, and Captain Marvel also became members. Because the movie was so popular, Marvel also created solo comic books for characters like Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot.

All-New, All-Different Marvel

The Guardians of the Galaxy comic series was relaunched again as part of the All-New, All-Different Marvel event. Brian Michael Bendis and Valerio Schiti returned as the writer and artist. In this series, Peter Quill (Star-Lord) and Gamora left the team. Rocket Raccoon became the new leader.

Two new characters joined the team: Kitty Pryde, who took on the name Star-Lord, and the Thing. During this time, many characters from the movie also got their own solo comic series. This included Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon and Groot (as a duo), Drax, and Gamora.

Team Adventures and Changes

After a big alien invasion of the Kree people, Star-Lord decided to create a team of heroes. Their goal was to protect the galaxy by stopping problems before they started. He brought together Adam Warlock, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Phyla-Vell (who became the new Quasar), Rocket Raccoon, and Groot. Mantis helped them from behind the scenes.

Their friend Nova suggested they set up their base on a space station called Knowhere. This station could teleport almost anywhere in the universe. A smart, mind-reading dog named Cosmo the Spacedog was in charge of security at Knowhere and worked closely with the team.

After facing a group called the Universal Church of Truth, the team met a man who didn't remember much. He said his name was Vance Astro, also known as Major Victory. He was from the original Guardians of the Galaxy. His story inspired the new team to call themselves the "Guardians of the Galaxy." However, the team found out that Star-Lord had used Mantis to make them join. Because of this, they broke up for a short time.

Rocket Raccoon decided to continue Star-Lord's mission. He started looking for the missing team members. His new team included Bug, Mantis, Major Victory, and Groot, who had grown back to full size.

Meanwhile, Star-Lord was sent to the Negative Zone by Ronan the Accuser. This happened because of his actions during an alien group's attempt to take over the Kree Empire. In the Negative Zone, Star-Lord found himself in the middle of a fight. King Blastaar was trying to break into a prison called 42 to use its portal to invade Earth. Star-Lord teamed up with Jack Flag to defend the prison and call the other Guardians for help. Rocket's new team successfully rescued both of them, and Jack Flag became a Guardian.

Elsewhere, Drax and Phyla started looking for Cammi. During their search, they met a seer who warned them about an upcoming war. Phyla was able to bring Moondragon back to life. But she lost her Quantum Bands, which meant she became the new avatar of death. They returned to Knowhere and did not continue looking for Cammi.

Guardians in Marvel NOW!

Star-Lord's father visited him and told him that aliens were not allowed to visit Earth. Soon after, Iron Man was attacked by aliens called Badoon who were trying to invade Earth. The Guardians and Iron Man defeated the alien ship. However, London was still attacked. The Guardians defended London and defeated the Badoon. But they learned that they would be arrested by the King of Spartax for breaking the "Earth-is-off-limits" rule.

The Guardians managed to escape with help from Groot. He had recently grown back after being destroyed by a Badoon ship's explosion. The team included Star-Lord, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Groot, Rocket Raccoon, and Tony Stark (Iron Man). In April 2013, it was announced that Angela would join the Marvel Universe. After appearing in the "Age of Ultron" story, she joined the Guardians that November. Captain Marvel and Agent Venom also joined the team later.

Secret Wars and Secret Empire

During the "Secret Wars" storyline, the Guardians of the Galaxy were part of a big battle between two different Earths. In this battle, Rocket Raccoon and Groot were killed by enemies called the Children of Tomorrow. Star-Lord was teleported away while trying to make a plan. Gamora and Drax the Destroyer were surrounded by their fallen friends.

Later, Star-Lord was one of the few survivors of the old universe. He helped lead a final attack on Doom's castle. He revealed that he had kept a small twig from Groot in his pocket, waiting for the right moment.

During the "Secret Empire" storyline, the Guardians of the Galaxy helped Captain Marvel and other heroes fight against a wave of aliens called the Chitauri. Captain America, who was tricked into working for Hydra, activated a shield that trapped them outside of Earth.

Other Versions of the Team

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During the "Secret Wars" storyline, there was a different version of the Guardians of the Galaxy. This version was set in an old-fashioned England, like in the Marvel 1602 reality. Here, the team was called the Gardiner's Men. They were a group of performers.

Their members included Madam Gomorrah, Peadar O'Cuill, Arthur Dubhghlas, Goodman Root, and Aroughcun the Raccoon. Angela became their friend and helped them fight off attacking beasts.