Guardians of the Galaxy

"All you do is yell at each other. You're not friends." "No, we're family."

- Nebula and Drax the Destroyer

The Guardians of the Galaxy is a band of intergalactic outlaws, who have teamed together to protect the Galaxy from planetary threats. They managed to save the planet of Xandar from the Kree warlord Ronan and have been recognized under the Nova Empire.

The Orb
When Peter Quill, known as Star-Lord stole the Orb, Ronan the Accuser's Sakaarans forces hunted for the Ravager. He used the Milano to escape. Yondu Udonta and the Ravagers went to Morag after the Orb but discovered Quill's treachery and set a bounty on him.

Elsewhere in the galaxy, Thanos, The Mad Titan, his lieutenant The Other, and his daughter Nebula met with Ronan the Accuser. Ronan argued with the Other about the Orb, then killed him with his hammer and sent Gamora to retrieve it.

On Xandar, Quill tried to sell the Orb to a Xandarian Barterer but he refused after hearing of Ronan. Gamora then launched a sneak attack on Quill but was intercepted by bounty hunters Rocket Raccoon and Groot. The Nova Corps then arrested them.

Escape from the Kyln
The group was sentenced to Kyln Prison Facility where Gamora was endangered by inmates whose families were victims of Ronan. As they tried to kill Gamora, Drax the Destroyer stopped them, scaring the other prisoners away. Drax desired to kill Gamora himself for the death of his family. Quill convinced Drax that by letting Gamora live he would get the chance to exact his vengeance on Ronan as Gamora reveals she had betrayed him. Rocket plotted an escape plan, but Groot initiated it earlier than planned. They were forced to use a makeshift plan to escape from the Kyln with the Orb. They managed to do so successfully.

Skirmish on Knowhere
After their escape, Gamora realized that the Collector knew something about the Orb. So the group traveled to Knowhere, a city inside the severed head of a Celestial. In the city, the Collector said the Orb was one of the Infinity Stones, capable of destroying worlds. The Collector's distraught servant unleashed a blast from the Orb destroying the Collector's Museum. Ronan's forced invade Knowhere thanks to Drax sending a message challenging Ronan. Nebula went after Gamora escaping in an industrial pod with the orb. Rocket and Star-Lord gave chase but Gamora was blown into space and lost the orb to Nebula. Quill sent his coordinates to Yondu Udonta and gave Gamora his helmet until they were saved by the Ravagers. Quill promised the Orb to Yondu if they would help kill Ronan. As the group was reunited, Quill encouraged the group to join him saving Xandar from extinction. The team and the Ravagers planed an ambush on the Kree and the Dark Aster.

Battle of Xandar
"You said it yourself, bitch. We're the Guardians of the Galaxy."

- Star-Lord to Ronan

The Ravagers were outnumbered by the Kree until the Nova Corps helped to build a force field to contain the Dark Aster. Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer and Groot infiltrated the Dark Aster and fought through the Sakaarans soldiers, killing Korath the Pursuer in the process. Nebula dueled Gamora but was thrown off the ship; she hijacks a Ravager's ship and escaped. The group arrived and attacked Ronan the Accuser with the Hadron Enforcer; he was unphased however and easily overpowered the group until Rocket Raccoon crashed into the ship. As the ship crash landed, Groot sacrificed himself to shield the team. Ronan raised and mocked them calling them failed guardians. Rocket rebuilt the cannon while Quill distracted Ronan allowing Rocket and Drax to destroy the hammer. Quill grabbed the Orb causing a cosmic storm. Before its power could kill him the others joined hands with him allowing Quill to withstand its power and blasted Ronan killing him and declaring themselves "Guardians of the Galaxy".

New Life
"What should we do next? Something good, something bad? Bit of both?" "We'll follow your lead, Star-Lord." "A bit of both!"

- Peter Quill and Gamora

Quill gave Yondu a fake Orb container and gave the real one to the Nova Corps. With their slates cleaned, Nova Corps gave them a rebuilt Milano and told Quill he was only half-human and his other ethnicity was currently unknown. In gratitude for their role in saving Xander, the Nova Corps expunged their criminal records to allow them a fresh start. A twig retrieved by Rocket began to grow into a new Groot and the Guardians left Xandar.

Peter Quill

 * Name: Peter Quill
 * Activity: 2014 - Present
 * Description: A half-human who was kidnapped from Earth by the Ravagers at the age of eight. After living in space for nearly thirty years, Quill became wrapped up in an intergalactic conspiracy that introduced him to the Guardians, with him becoming their leader. He is the pilot of the Milano.

Gamora

 * Name: Gamora
 * Activity: 2014 - Present
 * Description: The only known survivor of the Zehoberei race, adopted by the Mad Titan Thanos. Renowned as the 's deadliest assassin, Gamora had a falling out with her father that caused her to rebel against him, thereby making her an enemy of Thanos and his associates. Her fugitive status led to her becoming a member of the Guardians. She is known as the "Deadliest Woman in the Galaxy".

Drax the Destroyer

 * Name: Drax
 * Activity: 2014 - Present
 * Description: An enigma, with his true origin unknown. He is driven only by a burning desire to obtain vengeance against Ronan of the Kree, who killed Drax's wife and daughter. Drax's search for revenge resulted in him joining the Guardians.

Rocket Raccoon

 * Name: Subject: 89P13
 * Activity: 2014 - Present
 * Description: A creature resembling a Terran raccoon that was genetically modified by an alien race, giving him human level intelligence. However, years of repetitive genetic rewrite and abuse resulted in Rocket developing a cynical and vain personality, making him an ideal mercenary and teammate to the other Guardians.

Groot

 * Name: Groot
 * Activity: 2014 - Present
 * Description: A sentient tree-like individual and accomplice of Rocket Raccoon. Groot's physiology renders the limits of his speech to the phrase, "I am Groot.", and "We are Groot.", due to having a wooden larynx. Though Groot's vocabulary is only limited to five words, he is usually trying to communicate other meanings. The only way to understand Groot's speech is for someone to translate what he is trying to say, which up until now only Rocket is shown to be able to do so.

Allies

 * Nova Corps
 * Nova-Prime Irani Rael
 * Rhomann Dey
 * Garthan Saal †
 * Ravagers
 * Yondu Udonta
 * Kraglin Obfonteri
 * Horuz †

Enemies

 * Thanos
 * Ronan the Accuser † - Victim
 * Korath the Pursuer †
 * Nebula
 * Sakaarans

Trivia

 * In the comics, the first incarnation of the Guardians is a group of interstellar survivors from the 31st Century of Earth-691, that worked together to repel the Badoon's invasion of the Earth's solar system. The team included Yondu Udonta and an elder version of Simon Williams called "Hollywood". A second incarnation of the group was introduced later on Earth-616. This is a collective of interstellar heroes assembled by Star-Lord to prevent cosmic threats, and located on Knowhere. This group served as the main inspiration from the Guardians of the movie.