10 Lesser Known Guardians Of The Galaxy Perfect For The New Team

With the announcement that Guardians of the Galaxy will be relaunched with a new team from across the teams many iterations and eras, it appears that writer Donny Cates cannot be stopped at Marvel Comics. He has already brought new life (and a new origin) to Venom and fans should have similarly great expectations for the new Guardians of the Galaxy spinning out of the events of Infinity Wars. With Gamora playing a villainous role and Star-Lord already killed and resurrected, it’s impossible to be sure who will actually survive the event and who would even still want to guard the galaxy.

Since the team’s name was used for the very first time way back in 1969 in the pages of Marvel Super-Heroes #18, there have been a wide array of Guardians. While we are all familiar with those who have appeared in two movie adaptations from director James Gunn, including the incredibly unlikely rodent and aboresque heroes Rocket Raccoon and Groot, there are plenty even more odd spacefaring protagonists. We’ve rounded up 10 of the lesser known Guardians from the past that we would most like to see appear in Cates’ reimagined Guardians at the end of 2018.

Cosmo the Spacedog

Created by Andy Lanning

First Appearance: Nova (vol. 4) #8

Cosmo honestly deserves his own series, but we will settle for him returning to the Guardians of the Galaxy first in order to build a more substantial fanbase. This telepathic and telekinetic canine began his career as a Soviet astronaut, and insists on using a strong Russian accent when bringing his communalist philosophy across space. Cosmo represents everything that is great about dogs, loyalty, determination, and compassion, while still delivering his own brand of hard-edged humor and putting up a great fight. This is a dog the Guardians could definitely use for their future exploits.

Charlie-27

Created by Arnold Drake and Gene Colan

First Appearance: Marvel Super-Heroes #18

The original Guardians are underrated and overlooked. Charlie-27 is a perfect example of this phenomena as one of the least used from the 1969 team. He is a brickhouse of a human being with eleven times as much muscle mass as an ordinary man due to his life on a planet with significantly greater gravity. He puts that bulk to great use as the hammer on any team he occupies, knocking down doors and picking up friends.

Moondragon

Created by Bill Everett, Mike Friedrich, and George Tuska

First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 1) #54

Moondragon had a notable role as a guardian of the Time Stone and member of the Infinity Watch in the past, but has been largely absent from Marvel Comics recently. Her close proximity to Thanos, Quasar, and other cosmic greats gives her significant ties to the history of cosmic Marvel comics. She is also a fascinating character in her own right, one that will provide plenty of attitude and power to any formulation of the Guardians.

Firelord

Created by Gerry Conway and John Buscema

First Appearance: Thor (vol. 1) #225

Firelord was a short-term member of the Guardians, but it is still part of his resume right below “Former Herald of Galactus.” With the Devourer of Worlds returned to Marvel Comics, it only makes sense that the new Guardians might have to take him on and could use some Power Cosmic to help out. Firelord would certainly make for an interesting addition to the team if given more time to interact outside of his normally solitary confines.

Martinex

Created by Arnold Drake and Gene Colan

First Appearance: Marvel Super-Heroes #18

Martinex is another underutilized member of the original Guardians, a space traveler able to control temperature with explosive effects to help him survive the intense atmosphere of the dwarf planet Pluto. He is also a capable pilot and backup leader, someone who could really shine for the first time depending on the formulation of a new team.

Bug

Created by Bill Mantlo and Michael Golden

First Appearance: Micronauts #1

Bug was one member of the modern team created during “Annihilation” who didn’t make the cut for their movie adaptation. That couldn’t have been due to a lack of merit though. This is one fierce Micronaut who regularly fights (and wins) battles much bigger than his stature would suggest. Bug returning to the team he helped to remake would provide a nice historical touch as well.

Killraven

Created by Roy Thomas, Neal Adams, Gerry Conway

First Appearance: Amazing Adventures (vol. 2) #18

This warrior and leader from a post-apocalyptic Earth has been shown as a future leader of the Guardians and that future might finally have arrived. Pulling Killraven into the fold would provide an opening for time travel stories and connections to legends of what would happen to this team as it continued to serve its important purpose in Marvel Comics cosmic landscape.

Stella Nega

Created by Dan Abnett and Carlo Barberi

First Appearance: Guardians of Infinity #1

With the Kree making a big return in the pages of Death of the Inhumans (also written by Cates), it makes since that this barely utilized Kree leader from one iteration of the Guardians might also make a comeback. In her few appearances, she proved to be a very capable warrior and dependable ally and this would be a chance to flesh out her character for the future.

Nikki

Created by Steve Gerber and Mary Skrenes

First Appearance: Marvel Presents (vol. 1) #4

One more original Guardian: Although not a founding member, Nikki was both a deadly shot and powerful superhuman in the ranks of the very first team. Her fiery personality was put on display with a literal head of flame. She has always proved to be an interesting wildcard on the teams to which she belongs, and would be a welcome returned Guardian in the new series.

Deathcry

Created by Bob Harras and Steve Epting

First Appearance: Avengers (vol. 1) #363

Deathcry is rumored to be dead, but that rarely lasts in Marvel Comics. She has strong ties to both the Shi’Ar Empire and the X-Men, in addition to the Guardians of the Galaxy, making her a strong contender to weave new adventures throughout the current Marvel cosmos. In addition to being related to royalty, Deathcry is a deadly assassin and an unreliable ally. While some Guardians might not be too excited to have her return, readers ought to rejoice for the potential drama if Deathcry wears that name again.