In 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy made it to the theaters to the delight of Marvel comic book fans around the world. The movie featured several then-unfamiliar and curious heroes, stepping away from the traditional hero archetype found in comic book movies. The adaptation was a success both critically and commercially.
Though the movie stayed true to the essence of the comic books, like other movie adaptations, many things were changed or missing from the official trivia. Some were the origin stories, and some included special character debuts. Here are nine unknown facts about Guardians of the Galaxy from the comic books.
1. Thanos Spent Multiple Christmases With Gamora
The Guardians Of The Galaxy movie doesn’t necessarily highlight the father-daughter relationship between Gamora and Thanos. However, the comics have portrayed this perspective several times over. Even though Gamora didn’t spend a normal childhood with her father, there were a few exceptions when Thanos wanted her to feel a bit more like a normal daughter. The 1992 “Marvel Holiday Special” is packed with precisely similar moments. In the comic, we see Thanos celebrating Christmas with Gamora to give her the sensation of a typical family. Furthermore, Thanos also gifts her a baby doll that Gamora hurls at an assassin later in the comic when he catches up on Thanos to kill him.
2. Rocket Racoon Was Born In An Asylum
Like Gamora, there wasn’t much information about Rocket in the Guardians of The Galaxy movie, however Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to explore Rocket’s back story. On the contrary, the comic books link Rocket back to a galactic insane asylum where he was kept to calm the emotionally vulnerable patients. Rocket was given as a pet to an old soldier, Khevix, who suffered from nightmares. However, these days didn’t last long. Robot caretakers took all the animals and experimented on them to make them smarter and more self-aware. That was how Rocket originated from a typical raccoon.
3. Iron Man Was A Part Of Guardians Of The Galaxy
On the big screen, Tony Stark was seen working with the team in Avengers: Infinity War, but that does not make him a member of the team. Unlike the movies, Iron Man was seen as a full-fledged member of the team in “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 #1″ issue, released in 2013. During the issue, Tony Stark joined the Guardians after facing stressful events on Earth and needing time to clear his head.
4. Drax Ripped Thanos’s Heart Out
In the movies, Drax is determined to avenge his wife and children who were killed by Ronan the Accuser. Drax’s vendetta extends to Thanos who gave the order to Ronan. The same is the case in the Guardians of the Galaxy comic books. In fact, Drax succeeded, and in “Annihilation #4″, he managed to ambush the Titan and rip his heart out of the chest, killing him. Fans saw how difficult it was to kill Thanos in Infinity War and Endgame, however, it seems the mad titan was easier to defeat in the comics
5. Drax Was A Human Before
The origin of Drax the Destroyer is relatively different in the comics and movies. In the movies, Drax is considered an alien. However, according to the comics, the character used to be a human named Douglas. In the comics, Thanos annihilated his parents in their own car when he passed over them on his ship to remove all the witnesses. However, Drax was saved because his spirit was transferred into another super-powered body.
6. Groot Used To Be An Invincible Monster
In the movies, we see Groot as a kind-hearted tree-like alien who doesn’t hold back from sacrificing his life for his friends. Additionally, the character is famous for his limited vocabulary, with the capability to say only three words; “I am Groot.” However, the movie never faithful to his comic book illustration. In Tales to Astonish #13, released in 1960, Groot was introduced as a big bad monster that wanted to abduct a whole village. However, he was defeated when scientists unleashed a force of termites on him.
7. Guardians Teamed Up With A Cosmonaut Dog
While watching Guardians of the Galaxy, a dog in a spacesuit was seen in the Collector’s Vault. While casual viewers may have thought it was just a strange joke, comic book fans recognised the reference to Cosmo that the Soviet Union sent to space in 1960. After being exposed to cosmic rays, the dog received psychic powers. Cosmo has since lent a helping paw to the Guardians in the comics at several events.
8. Ego Isn’t Star-Lord’s Father In the Comics
The MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 featured Ego as the father of Star-lord; however, this wasn’t the same in the comics. According to the comics universe, Star-lord was the son of an alien named J’son from Spartax. The character was a prince, and while on his way back home, he crash-landed on Earth and started a relationship with Meredith Quill. Unfortunately, the prince had to take a trip back home, leaving the pregnant Meredith Quill alone on Earth.
9. Star-Lord Was Engaged to X-Men’s Kitty Pryde
There’s little evidence of the X-Men and Guardians of the Galaxy working together in the live-action adaptations; however, the comic books are different. The comics even feature a short but adorable romantic relationship between Star-Lord and Kitty Pryde which began in “The Trial of Jean Grey” — a crossover between the X-Men and Guardians of the Galaxy. However, the relationship didn’t last long, and both the characters broke up quite soon due to multiple complicated reasons.
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