In the present day, the Guardians have claimed Knowhere (the severed head of a celestial) as their new home and headquarters. 3 begins in the past, showing The High Evolutionary (frequent Gunn collaborator Chukwudi Iwuji) reaching to grab a young Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) before transitioning to the present day. 3, is a farewell to not only these heroes but a filmmaker as well, all of whom were always quietly the backbone of MCU. Now, almost 10 years after the release of the original Guardians of the Galaxy, the newest iteration of this story, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.

Nevertheless, this risk that Marvel took reminded everyone, even early into the days of Marvel, what this Cinematic Universe was built on. A movie that had a human team up with the daughter of Thanos (the overarching main villain at the time), a naive and foolish muscular alien, a talking raccoon, and… a tree whose vocabulary is limited to, “I am Groot,” didn’t, on paper, look like a franchise that would eventually bring in over $1.5 billion in box office sales.

Guardians of the Galaxy was a risky project for Marvel likely the riskiest thing the studio has done in its 15 years of producing media. It’s not as though this rise to stardom for these three, and more, was a given either. Since then, however, Pratt has become a bonafide action leading man, Bautista became one of the most exciting actors in the business, and Gunn is running the show for the DC Cinematic Universe. Before Guardians of the Galaxy, Chris Pratt was best known as a goofy television star who had done character work but never had his film breakout, Dave Bautista was a former pro wrestler just getting into film acting, and James Gunn was a relatively unknown director in the public eye. When it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU as most know it, an argument could be made that the original Guardians of the Galaxy is the most important of the entire series, not just for the ever-expanding franchise and universe, but for the creatives behind and in front of the camera.

Synopsis: Still reeling from the loss of Gamora, Peter Quill rallies his team to defend the universe and one of their own – a mission that could mean the end of the Guardians if not successful. Stars: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista Writers: James Gunn, Dan Abnett, and Andy Lanning

Wendy darling volume 1 stars