Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has rocketed into theaters and fans couldn’t be happier to see their favorite team back on the big screen. All the old characters you know and love are there and some new ones are along for the ride, too.
The Guardians definitely have quite the roster of unlikely allies, and the ones we know of barely scratch the surface. Interestingly enough, some of these allies decided to untangle themselves from more Earthly concerns and join up with our gleeful, space-galavanting guardians.
(And yes, these temporary additions were just as extraordinary as a smack-talking Raccoon, the love-deprived daughters of Thanos, a very terse alien tree, a forever embattled illustrated man, and… a human male-person oozing abnormally high levels of snark).
So, turn on your “Awesome Mix” as we look at eight more Marvel characters that were Guardians of the Galaxy.
1. Iron Man
Tony Stark has been with the Avengers for many years, so it’s hard to imagine him on any other team. Believe it or not, Iron Man was a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy for a spell or three. While spending some time away from Earth, Tony decided to join up with the Guardians for a few adventures. While it wasn’t long, Stark lent his skills (and snarky wit) to aid the Guardians against unseemly galactic threats.
2. The Thing
The Fantastic Four, The Avengers, and the Future Foundation are just a few teams the Thing blessed with his Thing-ness. Well, you can add “Guardian” to that list because he joined them, too.
With the FF having gone their separate ways, Ben Grimm decided to go explore outer space. So, what better group to do it with than with the Guardians of the Galaxy? Lending even more muscle to the team, Thing took on rampaging aliens and freed prisoners of the Badoon.
Was there a lot of “Clobbering Time” along the way? Why, yes, there was.
His didn’t spend a lot of time with the Guardians, but you could say the team fit him like a big, rocky glove!
3. Venom
A long-time enemy of Spider-Man gone good, Venom had become an agent for the U.S. military. After Tony Stark left the team, he asked Flash Thompson to take his spot, and he gladly accepted!
During his time with them, Flash and the Guardians discovered the true origin of the alien symbiote and took it back to its home planet where it could be purified. This helped Venom become a more friendlier entity that was always eager to help his fellow Guardians.
Though Venom eventually returned to his his old ways, we can always remember his time on the team. You could even say that Venom had reached his full heroic potential while he was in space.
4. Angela
Originally from the Spawn comics, Angela is an angel from Heaven who would occasionally oppose Spawn himself! However, (thanks to Wolverine messing around with time and space) Angela came over to the Marvel Universe. Not only that, but it turned out Angela was actually Thor’s long lost sister!
Despite all that wackiness, her first allies in the Marvel Universe were actually the Guardians! They let her join the team and she became a good friend to Gamora, getting who shared her love of battle.
Ever since her arrival, Angela has been a valuable ally to the Guardians, running into battle regardless of the odds. You definitely don’t want to be on the bad side of this angel!
5. Jack Flag
A more obscure ally of Captain America’s, Jack Flag was trapped in the Negative Zone until Star-Lord found him. Escaping with Star-Lord, Jack joined the Guardians of the Galaxy after deciding he could do some good with them. From there, he was with the team during certain events like War of Kings and The Thanos Imperative!
Strangely enough, during his adventures with the Guardians, it seemed like Jack Flag had some sort of cosmic destiny to fulfill. Starhawk revealed to him that he’d one day re-shape the universe! While that particular plot point was never resolved, Jack was as brave as the rest of them despite being out of his element! An obscure hero, maybe, but one who was worthy enough to save the galaxy.
6. Adam Warlock
A constant pain in Thanos’ butt, Adam Warlock is an artificial human who became a great cosmic champion!
Usually he’s a figure who steps in when the universe faces something cataclysmic. These events included The Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity War, and Annihilation!
Eventually, Adam got around to joining the Guardians of the Galaxy where he lent his power to help stop The Universal Church of Truth from summoning his more violent personality, Magus!
Some additional Adam Warlock tidbits:
He was once the Guardians’ greatest enemy!
A long-time ally of Adam’s joined the Guardians with him! Who was that, you may ask? Why, it was actually Gamora!
Needless to say, things would’ve been a lot different without Adam Warlock.
7. Bug
A former member of the Micronauts and a warrior of “Inner Space”, Bug was also a Guardian of the Galaxy! And you’d never guess it, but Bug was actually a more important character than you’d think.
Bug was part of Star-Lord’s original team of Guardians during Annihilation Conquest along with familiar faces like Rocket and Groot. A hastily put-together team, maybe, but without him they may not have survived their first big mission. He was even offered a spot on the team afterward (though not on their first roster) and stayed with the team for a good long while afterwards.
While Bug may never be anyone’s first pick, he’s no pushover. A “founding member” who may not get much credit, he was essential to the first Guardians of the Galaxy line-up.
8. Cosmo
The Guardians have some weird members in their roster. Between a gun-toting raccoon and a giant tree alien, things couldn’t get much weirder…or could they?
Some of you may remember Cosmo as the dog in the Collector’s place (ship?) in the first Guardians of the Galaxy. What if I told you that dog was psychic?
Cosmo was a former test subject for the Russian Space Program, the epitome of an experiment gone wrong. Cosmo was sent drifting off into deep space where he mutated and gained advanced psychic powers. Eventually, Cosmo became a security chief in the space station known as “Knowhere”, which became the base for the Guardians.
From there, Cosmo acted as a sort of Scottie mixed with Professor X within the group, teleporting them to where they needed to be while keeping them linked telepathically. Wow, this dog knows a few tricks!
Cosmo stayed with the group until they all left Knowhere, where he still is today! While he wouldn’t always be in the fight, Cosmo was still a valuable player that was right at home with the group.
Did I miss one? Who’s your favorite member of the Guardians of the Galaxy? Let me know in the comments below!
