Marvel Comics’ Guardians of the Galaxy are the primary defenders of the universe against all sorts of alien threats. The most popular iteration of the Guardians is the team consisting of Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Gamora, and Drax, but there have been many versions of this intergalactic alliance of heroes. Over the years, numerous heroes from a vast array of worlds have joined the team’s ranks to help protect the cosmos. The Guardians of the Galaxy have included some of the strongest heroes the Marvel Universe, many of whom are capable of planetary and even universal feats of power. With mighty heroes like these, the galaxy is in safe hands from the villainous monsters seeking to destroy or conquer it.
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As a space-faring superhero team, the Guardians of the Galaxy have had their fair share of members who tap into the fundamental forces of the cosmos. These are heroes whose power sets are out of this world.
10) Quasar
Wendell Vaughn became the hero Quasar after he obtained from the cosmic being Eon the Quantum Bands, which made him the official Protector of the Universe. As a galactic hero, Quasar joined the Guardians of the Galaxy when they needed to expand their roster to deal with an ever-increasing number of universal threats. With the Quantum Bands, Quasar has the power to manipulate all forms of energy, which he can use to fire powerful blasts or generate constructs like weapons, force fields, and armor. Quasar has used the Quantum Bands to destroy asteroids and make a construct that enveloped the Earth, and he has fought immensely powerful beings like the Phoenix and Thanos.
9) Captain Marvel
After encountering the original Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers was exposed to high levels of radiation, which gave her powers comparable to her alien predecessor. She would eventually adopt the Captain Marvel mantle and become one of Earth’s strongest heroes. Captain Marvel became leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy after several alien rulers are mysteriously assassinated, and the galaxy is thrown into chaos. She was chosen to reestablish peace among the many planets affected. Captain Marvel had the power for her job. She possesses incredible strength, speed, and energy projection and absorption. If she absorbs enough energy, she enters her Binary form, which can destroy planets. Other notable feats of Captain Marvel include travelling thousands of times faster than light, lifting a Celestial, and defeating alien armadas single-handedly.
8) Nova
Richard Rider, aka Nova, is a member of the intergalactic police force known as the Nova Corps and joined the Guardians of the Galaxy to protect the universe from villains like Thanos, the Dark Olympians, and others. Nova gains powers like super strength, flight, and energy projection by tapping into the cosmic energy source known as the Nova Force, which was once shared among all Nova Corps members across the universe. However, he eventually achieved the rank of Nova-Prime and became the host of the entire Nova Force. As Nova-Prime, he can match the cosmic power of heroes like Silver Surfer, defeat all-powerful villains like Ego and Annihilus, and even withstand a blast from Galactus.
7) Gladiator
One of Marvel’s many Superman copycats, Kallark, aka Gladiator, has a power set very similar to that of the Man of Steel. Gladiator is the leader of the Shi’ar Imperial Guard and is the primary defender of the Shi’ar Empire. While he fought the Guardians of the Galaxy on several occasions, he joined forces with them to stop the potential resurrection of Thanos. Gladiator is one of the physically strongest beings in the Marvel Universe, and he gets stronger the more confidence he has in his own abilities. He also has super speed, flight, heat vision, and freeze breath. Gladiator has torn apart starships, destroyed a planet in just a few strikes, and has fought on equal footing with Thor and Hulk.
6) Beta Ray Bill
A close friend of Thor, the alien Beta Ray Bill is the champion and protector of his homeworld of Korbin. A brave and selfless warrior, Bill proved himself to be worthy of lifting Thor’s hammer Mjolnir, and Odin granted the Korbinite his own mystical hammer known as Stormbreaker. With Stormbreaker, Bill has strength and abilities comparable to Thor himself, as he can generate powerful lightning storms, absorb energy, create portals, and strike with enough force to destroy a planet. Thor and Bill have battled on equal footing many times, making him one of the strongest warriors of Asgard. Bill joined the Guardians of the Galaxy to aid in a mission to prevent Thanos from coming back to life.
5) Moon Dragon
Heather Douglas, aka Moondragon, is the daughter of Drax the Destroyer who she fights alongside as a regular member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. She is one of the strongest telepaths and telekinetics in the Marvel Universe. Moon Dragon was raised by the Shao-Lorn Monks of Titan, who trained her to unlock her psychic powers and protect the Mind Stone, one of the six Infinity Gems. With her telepathic abilities, Moon Dragon has communicated with people across the solar system, as well as took control over and pacified two warring populations while simultaneously fighting the Avengers. She also more recently bonded with a powerful demon known as the Dragon of the Moon, which gives her the ability to transform into a giant fire-breathing dragon.
4) Hercules
The Greek Demigod of Strength and son of Zeus, Hercules, is one of the most powerful heroes in Marvel. Hercules joined the Guardians of the Galaxy to battle the Greek Gods, who lost their minds and started an intergalactic rampage. Hercules’ strength is off the charts, with some of the most impressive feats of any Marvel superhero. He tossed Godzilla, lifted the island of Manhattan, battles Thor and Hulk routinely, and has held up an entire universe. Hercules is also incredibly resistant to damage and has thousands of years of combat experience under his belt, making him one of the most formidable warriors of Olympus and the universe.
3) Adam Warlock
Created by mad scientists to be the perfect being, Adam Warlock has a symbiotic relationship with the Soul Stone, one of the Six Infinity Gems. He’s also designated as the Avatar of Life, charged with the role to maintain the universal balance between life and death. Adam is one of the strongest regular members of the Guardians of the Galaxy because his powers include super strength, flight, telepathy, energy and matter manipulation, cosmic awareness, clairvoyance, time travel, resurrection, and soul manipulation, among many others. He’s outclassed Mephisto and was essential to the defeat of Thanos during the monumental Infinity Gauntlet event. Adam Warlock is also one of the very few beings with the mental fortitude to wield the Infinity Gauntlet’s full potential without losing his mind.
2) Doctor Doom
Shockingly, Victor Von Doom, aka Doctor Doom, once became a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Doctor Doom joined the team under the pretense of helping to defeat Dormammu, but he actually wanted to siphon the demon’s power for himself. Doctor Doom then quit the team once he completed his secret goal. Doctor Doom is well-known for his incredible intellect and mastery of science and magic, which he incorporates into his nearly indestructible armor. He has weapons and spells that let him swap minds, drain the energy from omnipotent entities, fire anti-matter, time-travel, transmute matter, and more. He’s survived a blast from the Infinity Gauntlet, deflected Thor’s hammer, and defeated virtually all-powerful characters like Doctor Strange, Silver Surfer, and Galactus.
1) Cosmic Ghost Rider
Hailing from another universe, the Cosmic Ghost Rider is Frank Castle, formerly known as the anti-hero, the Punisher. This version of the Punisher possesses two of the most destructive sources of power in the multiverse: the Spirit of Vengeance and the Power Cosmic. He arrived on Earth-616 after numerous time travel adventures and joined the Guardians of the Galaxy. Cosmic Ghost Rider is a nightmarish entity who can generate hellfire, project cosmic energy blasts, travel across the universe in seconds, and more. He managed to reduce Thanos to a skull with his Cosmic Penance Stare, slaughtered all the Marvel heroes in an alternate universe, and must constantly hold back his true power to avoid destroying the planets he walks on.
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Image courtesy of Monolith Productions, Nightdive Studios, Warner Bros. Games, and Atari
