The Guardians of the Galaxy have been defending the cosmos for quite some time now. Whether is is the more familiar roster of recent years, headed up by Star Lord or even the classic Guardians, led by Vance Astro, there are always Guardians. Standing against some of the most powerful threats in the Marvel Universe, they are notorious. They don't suffer the vast loneliness of space, however, as they work alongside all kinds of cosmic heroes and planets. The Guardians of the Galaxy have made strong bonds and lasting friendships in their historic battles. Often operating from Knowhere, the team have ties to just about anyone who's anyone in the galaxy. Even Earth's premiere super teams have enjoyed their company and friendship, most notably the time-displaced All-New X-Men.
Although they've helped save the universe on a number of occasions, they can be a little bothersome. The rag-tag group of misfits are not above acting simply for their own interests. Rocket Raccoon, for example, is often concerned with new weaponry and turning a profit. The abrasive nature of some of the Guardians has caused issues with their peers in some instances. to supplement this, their larger-than-life personalities have also given way to in-fighting. While some may disagree with their methods, the Guardians often justify their cavalier approach to heroics with results. The difference in technology, values and environment between the Guardians and their superhero peers can often cause friction, misunderstanding and arguments. CBR takes you on a journey to the stars to see who the Guardians appreciated, and who left them agitated.
20 GET ALONG WITH: VENOM
Flash Thompson joined the Guardians of the Galaxy to replace Tony Stark as their Avengers liaison. Though distrustful of his symbiote, the team grew to trust Flash and his utilization of the Venom symbiote. They even managed to find the symbiote homeworld while travelling with Agent Venom.
While on the Klyntar homeworld, the Guardians learned the symbiotes were actually a force for good. The Venom symbiote had gone awry due to it being so far from home for so long, giving more explanation to its past villainous exploits. With the Klyntar's help, Flash became Venom, Space Knight, adding even more value to the Guardians' roster.
19 CAN'T STAND: IRON MAN
Tony Stark briefly joined the Guardians to act as a bridge between them and Earth's Mightiest Heroes. He even created a new, space-faring suit for the project, which didn't seem to impress Rocket. Tony didn't bring much to the team that wasn't already there, and his time on the team was cut short due to other obligations.
While on the Guardian's roster, he had an awkward romantic encounter with Gamora, who was unimpressed by the event. Later, when he contacted the Guardians to thank them for their hospitality, Rocket made one final jab at his inferior tech and cut the call off.
18 GET ALONG WITH: THOR
Though he hasn't had many run ins with the Guardians, they always seem to get on with Thor. Whether they're picking him up, adrift in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or fighting alongside him in Secret Wars, Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy are often on the same wavelength.
For all his power, Thor is quite jovial. This cavalier and sometimes reckless approach to heroics lends itself to the Guardians' bespoke way of solving problems. In the MCU, he shares an affinity for powerful weapons with Rocket, bonding on their quest to Nidavellir. Angela, a former member of the Guardians of the Galaxy is also related to Thor.
17 CAN'T STAND: THANOS
Though Thanos is a villain to many of the teams in the Marvel Comics Universe, he has been a hero to the cosmos as well. There are times when Thanos has been shown to be reasonable, working with the Guardians to fend of threats to the Universe.
Thanos stood with the Guardians to defeat the Cancerverse, mended the cosmos with the Heart of the Universe and helped undermine Annihilus when his Annihilation Wave had the universe on its knees. However, due to his strained relationship with Gamora, his rivalry with Drax and his often villainous self-interest, he's hated by the Guardians.
16 GET ALONG WITH: ANT-MAN
Although they might dislike Hank Pym for his inaction during the Annihilation Wave or his now fusing with Ultron, the Guardians took a shine to his protege, Scott Lang. One of several Avengers to spend time in space with the Guardians of the Galaxy in a cooperative effort, he made a great impression on the team.
Leveraging his own intellect, and the cosmic knowledge he gained working with the Future Foundation, Scott blended into the team well. He was later trusted to join the newly rebuilt Nova Corps, having proved himself alongside the Guardians. Scott proved instrumental in keeping the Power Stone from the Chitauri.
15 CAN'T STAND: STAR LORD
The illustrious leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Peter Quill is also surrounded by his harshest critics. Across all universes, even in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Quill raises the ire of his own team. The problem seems to stem from the fact Peter never really wants to act like a responsible adult.
He's stood against Gamora as she tried to reclaim the lost piece of her soul, left behind his teammates without protest when selected for Mr. Fantastic's dimensional life raft in Secret Wars and he allowed his emotions to get the better of him, opening the door to Thanos' triumph in Infinity War.
14 GET ALONG WITH: CAPTAIN MARVEL
Another Avengers alumni to grace the Guardians with their presence, Captain Marvel joined around the time Peter was made Emperor of Spartax. Following his corrupt father's fall and his appointment, the Guardians had Carol to lead them through this tricky time.
Though her time on the team wouldn't last long, she left a good impression. Her new friends would come to her aid against Iron Man during Civil War II. The Guardians of the Galaxy even helped her liaise with various space factions. This would prove useful whilst she set up Alpha Flight to be a cosmic team, alongside S.W.O.R.D.
13 CAN'T STAND: NEBULA
Nebula has had an interesting relationship with the Guardians of the Galaxy across a few universes. In the comics, she was responsible for preventing Thanos from attaining victory with the Infinity Gauntlet. However, as soon as she herself tasted the power, she used it for villainy too.
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, tensions between Gamora and Nebula went to boiling point. Though they learned to work amicably, the hatred ran deep. Pitted against each other by the Mad Titan, they were forced to fight until Gamora established herself as the deadliest. Nebula tried to end her sister by attempting to crash a whole spaceship into her.
12 GET ALONG WITH: KITTY PRYDE
The Guardians of the Galaxy and the X-Men spent quite some time working together. They prevented Jean Grey from being executed by the Shi'ar Empire, tackled the powerful but corrupting Black Vortex artifact and Kitty Pryde took up the mantle of Star Lord for a while.
Peter's obligations to Spartax as their new Emperor meant he couldn't be the Star Lord the Universe needed. With Captain Marvel returning to Earth, his then lover Kitty Pryde took up his duties. She even wore a replica of his costume. She proved to be an excellent leader to the Guardians, as she often is to the X-Men Gold team.
11 CAN'T STAND: RONAN THE ACCUSER
Ronan has been a help and a hindrance to the Guardians of the Galaxy. Though he was entirely villainous in his Marvel Cinematic Universe appearance, he's often helpful in the comics. Working for, rather than against the Kree Empire, Ronan is fiercely loyal to his people. This loyalty rarely wavers, which is a problem when working with the Guardians, who don't see things in such black and white terms.
Ronan can be a bit of a buzzkill, his rigid mindset is bothersome, as it's backed up by a lot of raw power. The Accuser's tried to have several of the Guardians arrested on occasion, despite working with them during some of the most important cosmic events.
10 GET ALONG WITH: QUASAR
Several of the heroes to hold the Quasar title have been allies to the Guardians of the Galaxy. Wendell Vaughn stood alongside Peter Quill and Nova against the Annihilation Wave. Quasar helped evacuate planets closest to the encroaching wave. Though sadly he lost his life in the conflict, his sacrifice spurred Nova on to defeat Annihilus.
The next person to inherit the Quantum Bands of Quasar after Vaughn's passing was Phyla-Vell. Phyla would join the Guardians in their fight against Ultron and his Phalanx army. She also fell in love with fellow Guardian and daughter of Drax the Destroyer, Moondragon.
9 CAN'T STAND: REQUIEM
Despite being a longtime member of the team, Gamora found herself at am impasse with her friends. Having lost a piece of her soul to Soul World inside the Soul Stone, she felt she needed it back to feel complete. Her longing to be complete became desperation, which ended in an argument over the Power Stone. Denied assistance by her friends, she set in motion a plan to acquire the stones.
Gamora took the Power Stone for herself had it forged into a sword and took the moniker of Requiem. Tricking, betraying and even fighting allies, she ended up with all of the Infinity Stones. Requiem then folded the universe in half, decreasing its population by fifty percent, like her father Thanos before her.
8 GET ALONG WITH: SAM ALEXANDER
While the Guardians originally counted Richard Rider among them, Sam Alexander was initially unfamiliar with the heroes. The newest Nova needed guidance on his path to heroics after activating his father's Black Nova helmet. Soon after its activation, Gamora and Rocket Raccoon showed up, offering their help to the young hero.
After giving Sam a few pointers and training him in what to expect, they left him to mark his own path. Though Sam wouldn't official join them, joining the Avengers, New Warriors and Champions instead, he still aided them when the call was made. Sam was responsible for helping bring the Black Vortex under control, using his immense speed to spirit it away from Mr. Knife.
7 CAN'T STAND: J'SON
Though far from a hero these days, J'Son was once part of the Galactic Council. The Council was formed to fend off threats to the Universe, as shown in the Infinity arc. The council formed to defeat the Caretakers, who wanted to destroy countless planets to fix the perceived errors they saw in the universe.
Even Annihilus and The Brood had joined the council, showing unprecedented universal cooperation between the peoples of the galaxy. After several devastating defeats, J'Son abandoned the council. The Guardians didn't forget this, and Peter exposed his corruption to the Spartoi people, dethroning him. The once heroic leader of Spartax was disgraced, and took up a life of crime under the name Mr. Knife.
6 GET ALONG WITH: ANGELA
Angela hails from a realm outside of the primary Nine Realms that are protected by Asgard. She is actually the firstborn daughter of Odin, stolen away by the realm known as Heven. Though while taking her, they made it appear as though they took her life instead, causing Odin to cut Heven off from the other realms in his rage.
She resurfaced, adrift through space and encountered the Guardians. Taking a shine to them, Gamora in particular, she agreed to join the team. The legitimacy of her bloodline was later verified, confirming her to be the sister of Thor Odinson.
5 CAN'T STAND: STARHAWK (STAKAR)
Stakar Ogord was part of the original Guardians of the Galaxy alongside his sister, Aleta. The two siblings could merge into the Starhawk being, with the power to relive their memories. Having a vast amount of power on top of his pseudo-precognition, he often looked down on his peers or felt their concerns weren't as important as his.
For a time, he operated independent of his sister, his ego pushing him further from the light. Before long, he had issues with his powers, his grip on life slowly fading. He forcefully merged himself with his sister against her will to preserve himself. Aleta eventually overcame his influence and forcibly removed him from her being.
4 GET ALONG WITH: COSMO
Cosmo is one of the most powerful telepaths in the Marvel Universe. Making a few guest appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he's shined the brightest in the comics universe. He's a former member of the Guardians himself and a mentor to other telepaths and empaths such as Moondragon and Mantis.
Cosmo managed to turn the lawless environment of Knowhere into a reputable haven for lost souls. Keeping some of the galaxy's secrets safe on Knowhere, he also created his own peacekeeping force for the station, known as the Knowhere Corps. Cosmo also provided support and guidance to Sam Alexander, the newest Nova, on his search for his father.
3 CAN'T STAND: HALA
Hala first became a problem for the Guardians of the Galaxy during Secret Wars. In the Knowhere region of Battleworld, Hala turned up speaking only in the Kree Language. In the confusion, the Thor Corps attacked her, leading to a battle that claimed that entire contingent.
To make matters worse, she also made quick work of Battleworld's Nova Corps. Hala set about taking the lives of several of their number including that reality's Tony Stark. As for the Guardians themselves, Hala took down Angela, though this gave Gamora, Drax and Rocket the opening they needed to defeat the wayward Accuser.
2 GET ALONG WITH: THE STARJAMMERS
The Starjammers get along with the Guardians of the Galaxy because they're very similar. Both teams are rag-tag groups of misfits straddling the line of what is and what isn't legal. Lovable rogues, infamous across the galaxy, these two teams often find themselves cooperating in their endeavors.
Once such endeavor was during The Trial of Jean Grey. Accused of a crime she had not yet committed, the young, time displaced Jean Grey was taken by Gladiator and the Shi'ar Imperial Guard to stand trial. Given that Corsair of the Starjammers is Cyclops' dad, he joined his team with the Guardians to help save his son's partner.
1 CAN'T STAND: THE GARDENER
The Gardener is an extremely powerful being, belonging to the same group of cosmic beings as The Collector and The Grandmaster. The Gardener has the control over sewing new life on planets as he sees fit, which usually wouldn't be a problem. However, on one such occasion, the Gardener tried to completely destroy the Guardians.
Not quite themselves, the Gardener trapped the team on a planet where colossal foliage tried to claim them. He even tried to "fix" Groot, and in the process ended up giving him the ability to speak. Groot started displaying heightened aggression from this point, even relishing battle and the taking of other beings' lives.