History ComicBook / GuardiansOfTheGalaxy

* CasualTimeTravel: The team can hop back and forth between the 30th and 20th century easy.

* CatchPhrase: "Earth shall overcome!"

* CrapsackWorld: It's a Marvel Comic. The 30th century is pretty awful.

** And even in the 30th century, the poor Inhumans still get shafted. Mankind has colonised the Moon, and the Inhumans are forced to live on a reservation, with their movements constantly watched. And then the Badoon came a'calling...

* HumanPopsicle: Vance Astro spent 1,000 years in suspended animation for a slower-than-light trip to Alpha Centauri... [[LightspeedLeapfrog only to find that Earthmen had invented hyperdrive and beaten him there by several centuries]].[[note]] However, they did throw him a welcoming party.[[/note]] As a bonus bummer, the long time he spent in the tube has damaged his body so that he needed a full-body life-support suit to survive.

* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Replica (a Skrull)

Following the conclusion of the Ewing era in September 2021, the Guardians' book went on hiatus for over a year and half -- at least until the lead-up to the premiere of the [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3 third MCU film]] in Spring 2023. [[ComicBook/CaptainAmericaSentinelOfLiberty Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing]] will be the creative custodians of the [[ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2023 upcoming relaunch]].

See '''[[Characters/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy here]]''' for character sheets. Also see the [[Franchise/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy franchise page for more details on the adaptations]].

[[index]]
[[folder:Notable Comic Books -- Team]]
* ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' (various runs):
%% By publication date, oldest first
** [[ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyMarvelPresents Marvel Presents: Guardians of the Galaxy]] (1975-1977)
** [[ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy1990 vol. 1 (1990 -- 1995)]]
** [[ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2008 vol. 2 (2008 -- 2010)]]
** [[ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2013 vol. 3 (2013 -- 2015)]]
** ''Webcomic/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyInfiniteComic'' (2013)
** vol. 4 (2015 -- 2017)
** ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyMotherEntropy'' (2017)
** ''ComicBook/AllNewGuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' (2017 -- 2018) [[note]]later retitled back to ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' with legacy numbering[[/note]]
** [[ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2019 vol. 5 (2019)]]
** [[ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2020 vol. 6 (2020)]]
** [[ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2023 vol. 7 (2023 --)]]
* ''ComicBook/Guardians3000'' (2014 -- 2015)
* ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfInfinity'' (2015 -- 2016)
* ''ComicBook/TheBlackVortex'' (2015)
* ''[[ComicBook/SecretWars2015 Guardians of Knowhere]]'' (2015)
* ''ComicBook/InfinityCountdown'' (2018)
** ''ComicBook/{{Infinity Wars|2018}}'' (2018)
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Notable Comic Books -- Solo Titles]]
* ''ComicBook/DraxTheDestroyer2015'' (2015 -- 2016)
* ''ComicBook/Gamora2016'' (2016 -- 2017)
* ''ComicBook/{{Groot}}'' (2015)
* ComicBook/RocketRaccoon (various runs):
** vol. 1 (1985)
** vol. 2 (2014 -- 2015)
** vol. 3 (2016 -- 2017)
** ''ComicBook/{{Rocket|2017}}'' (2017)
* ''Rocket Raccoon and Groot'' (2015 -- 2016)
* ComicBook/StarLord (various runs):
** ''Legendary Star-Lord'' (2014 -- 2015)
** ''[[ComicBook/SecretWars2015 Star-Lord & Kitty Pryde]]'' (2015)
** vol. 1 (2015 -- 2016)
** vol. 2 (2016 -- 2017)
** ''ComicBook/OldManQuill'' (2019 -- 2020)
* Adam Warlock (various runs):
** vol. 1 (1972 -- 1973, 1975 -- 1976)
** vol. 2 (1982 -- 1983)
** vol. 3 (1992)
** vol. 4 (1998 -- 1999)
** vol. 5 (1999 -- 2000)
** vol. 6 (2004 -- 2005)
*** ''ComicBook/{{Warlock}}''
[[/folder]]
[[/index]]
----
!! ''Guardians of The Tropes:''

[[folder: The Classic Series]]

[[folder: The Modern Series]]

The book was then turned over to Michael Gallagher, who resolved Valentino's various storylines before introducing a new opponent derived from elements of another 1970s sci-fi book (ComicBook/{{Killraven}}) into the franchise, causing the Guardians to fight the last Martian, Ripjak. The series lasted for 62 issues (June, 1990-July, 1995). It also had its own spin-off mini-series: ''Galactic Guardians'', which featured a ''lot'' of future versions of Marvel characters, including: [[ComicBook/JeanGrey Phoenix]] [[ComicBook/RachelSummers IX]], [[Comicbook/GhostRider the Spirit of Vengeance]], Mainframe (ComicBook/TheVision) and Hollywood (ComicBook/WonderMan).

The new version first appeared in ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' vol. 2 #1 (July, 2008). Their book lasted for 25 issues (July, 2008-June, 2010), followed by ''ComicBook/TheThanosImperative'', which closed out the series. This was later succeeded by a vol. 3 in early 2013 as part of the Comicbook/MarvelNOW relaunch, with Creator/BrianMichaelBendis writing and Steven [=McNiven=] on art.

The modern version of Guardians of the Galaxy (as well as the members of the group which consists of Peter Quill/Star Lord, ComicBook/RocketRaccoon, Groot, Adam Warlock, and the Phyla-Vell version of Quasar) have made their first appearance out of the comics in ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' in the episode "Michael Korvac" where they first showed up trying to capture a Kree Abductee named Michael Korvac for his crimes against the galaxy on Earth which led to their brief confrontation with the ComicBook/{{Avengers}}. After the Guardians introduced themselves and their reason of capturing Korvac, the Avengers decided to help them apprehend the mad-crazed cosmic being. Despite their best efforts, they were easily defeated by Michael until Corrina was able to help Korvac come to his senses which led to the latter's self-exile in the unknown reaches of cold space. Since Korvac's gone, Iron Man wanted the Guardians to tell them everything what other threats they encountered and known in the galaxy but Star-Lord prefers not to tell them, saying: "There are things out there in the universe you're better off not knowing about". Unfortunately, due to the cancellation of the series, the episode had [[AbortedArc never received a resolution]].

Thanks in large part to the movie's promotion and eventual success, this incarnation has launched several spinoff comics; with solo titles for all five members of the movie team; the aforementioned revival of the original team as ''Guardians 3000''; and ''Guardians Team-Up'', which pairs the team with various Earth-bound Marvel characters. The Guardians are also part of the 2015 joint BatFamilyCrossover ''Comicbook/TheBlackVortex'' with the ComicBook/XMen.

* ''Comicbook/TheBlackVortex'' (2015)

* AlternateHistory: When they go back in time to team up with Comicbook/TheAvengers, they change Major Victory's history, making their future an alternate timeline. The Earth-616 version of Vance Astrovik goes on to become Justice of the ComicBook/NewWarriors. Incidentally, this makes him the only person [[TimeyWimeyBall to be an Avenger twice as two separate people]] rather than just having one person with multiple identities. They've even technically met in JLA vs. Avengers, although we don't see them talking to each other. [[FridgeLogic And for some reason, they have slightly different powers and even different hair colours]].

* EarthIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse: Peter Quill's father, Emperor J'Son of Spartax, argues for the destruction of Earth for this very reason. He points out that in a short span of a single generation, humans have managed to defeat ComicBook/{{Thanos}}, the Phoenix Force and even Comicbook/{{Galactus}}, all on multiple occasions, each of whom had been responsible for the destruction of countless other worlds. He then suggests that should humans ever leave Earth and begin visiting other worlds, it would lead to untold cosmic disasters.

** ComicBook/IronMan being added to the team in the Comicbook/MarvelNOW series is probably a case of this.

The Guardians of the Galaxy is a Creator/MarvelComics SuperTeam whose members consist of several of the Franchise/MarvelUniverse's [[SpaceOpera cosmic]] superheroes. The team has had two prominent incarnations as listed below starting with the original: