The Guardians of the Galaxy that appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and comic events like Annihilation aren't actually the original team of heroes. The first Guardians gathered to protect the universe in the far future and appeared in the MCU's cinematic adaptation as the Ravagers.

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Star-Lord and his associates are definitely more popular than the originals ever were. However, the first team was made up of powerful survivors who gathered during an intergalactic war with the alien race known as the Badoon. The OGs of the Galaxy featured a few incredibly powerful members who helped the team build a legacy that extended back into their past.

Updated on May 8, 2023, by Scoot Allan: The release of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 gave fans an exciting look at the original Guardians of the Galaxy in action when the United Ravagers appeared together after Yondu's death in Vol. 2. Some of their strongest members were missing from the film, but the Guardians still stand tall as one of Marvel's strongest teams.

15 Geena Drake

First Appearance: Guardians of the Galaxy #14 (April 2014) by Dan Abnett and Gerardo Sandoval

Geena Drake with the original Guardians of the Galaxy from Guardians 3000

The original Guardians of the Galaxy welcomed a new member onto the team in the reworked timeline of the Guardians 3000 continuity. Starhawk's unique cosmic awareness alerted him to the fact that a human girl named Geena Drake played a large role in protecting the future.

The original Guardians rescued Geena from a Badoon prison camp before they started investigating a series of temporal disruptions tied to Drake. She was unstuck in time, which allowed the Guardians to relive their final thirty minutes before their deaths so they could fix the timeline and save the future.

14 Rita DeMara/Yellowjacket II

First Appearance: Avengers #264 (November 1985) by Roger Stern and John Buscema

Yellowjacket II flying at a small size with the original Guardians of the Galaxy

Rita DeMara was the second person to call herself Yellowjacket after she stole one of Hank Pym's numerous costumed identities. She modified his Yellowjacket suit to wear as a new villain, though shrinking for the first time frightened her into surrendering.

Rita hitched a ride into the future with the Guardians after they visited the 20th century. She decided to reform and joined the team on their galactic adventure. Rita had no powers of her own, but her stolen Yellowjacket costume gave her size-changing abilities and stun blasts. Unfortunately, her stolen powers did nothing to prevent her death during The Crossing event.

13 Talon

First Appearance: Guardians of the Galaxy #18 (September 1991) by Jim Valentino

The feline Inhuman known as Talon became a pseudo-replacement for a future version of Wolverine. However, the character soon carved out his own place on the team, and later joined the spin-off team known as the Galactic Guardians.

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Talon's powers come from his Inhuman heritage and his feral form offers him enhanced speed, strength, and durability. He also has sharp teeth and claws, and he was even able to fire his talons like bullets, with new claws quickly growing to replace the old ones.

12 Nikki Gold

First Appearance: Marvel Presents #4 (January 1976) by Steve Gerber and Al Milgrom

Nikki Gold holding her weapons from Guardians 3000

In the Guardians' original dark Marvel future timeline, humanity spread to the stars using genetic engineering. Modern-day humans couldn't survive on many planets in their solar system, so scientists genetically engineered people with different traits to thrive throughout the galaxy.

Nikki Gold was born on Mercury before the Badoon invaded and wiped out her family. She originally had fiery hair and was resistant to extreme temperatures, but mostly used various sidearms in battle. This made her one of the weakest, albeit most passionate, members of the Guardians. A battle-hardened version of Nikki later appeared with the reimagined Guardians 3000.

11 Yondu Udonta

First Appearance: Marvel Super-Heroes #18 (October 1968) by Arnold Drake and Gene Colan

Yondu Korvac Saga

While Yondu made his way into the MCU film, Michael Rooker's version of the blue-skinned alien was very different than his MCU counterpart. The original comic version of Yondu Udonta joined with the OG's of the Galaxy to wage war against the threat of an alien empire. Yondu was a hunter on the planet Alpha Centauri IV when he first encountered the aggressive Badoon, eventually prompting him to help found the Guardians.

Yondu is a warrior mystic in the comics, who has a unique connection to nature. He is deadly with his bow and the powerful Yaka arrows that he controls with whistled commands. The MCU's Yondu was clearly inspired by this character, though he's never joined the Guardians' official roster.

10 Charlie-27

First Appearance: Marvel Super-Heroes #18 (October 1968) by Arnold Drake and Gene Colan

Captain Charlie-27 was a military man from the planet Jupiter, where the human population had been engineered to withstand the planet's intense gravity. Their modifications gave them incredible strength, durability, and endurance.

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Charlie-27, named sequentially after his father, is around 11 times stronger and denser than a normal human being. His years with the military made him an effective strategist and pilot, which served him well when he helped found the Guardians alongside Yondu and a few other original members.

9 Martinex T'Naga

First Appearance: Marvel Super-Heroes #18 (October 1968) by Arnold Drake and Gene Colan

Martinex T'Naga had crystalline skin that allowed his people to survive the extreme temperatures found on the former planet known as Pluto. His unique physiology served him well in the battle against the Badoon.

Not only is Martinex considered the brains of the OG's, but his enhanced strength and speed coupled with his ability to generate intense heat or cold from his body made him a formidable Guardian. He would later expand the organization by creating the Galactic Guardians team as well.

8 Replica

First Appearance: Guardians of the Galaxy #9 (December 1990) by Jim Valentino

Replica fighting Hollywood and the Spirit of Vengeance from Marvel's Galactic Guardians

Even in the far future of the original Guardians timeline, the galaxy hated and feared the shape-changing Skrulls. When Replica was just a child, she relocated with her family to the mutant community known as Haven. They hid their Skrull nature for years, though Replica yearned for more from her life.

Eventually, Replica turned into an insect and stowed away on the Guardians' ship. While they didn't trust her initially, Replica became a powerful ally and undercover operative for the team. She was also one of the most powerful members of the Galactic Guardians, as she could mimic powers as well as shapes, making Replica a severely underrated Marvel shapeshifter.

7 Hollywood, Man Of Wonder

First Appearance: Guardians of the Galaxy #17 (August 1991) by Jim Valentino

Hollywood with the Galactic Guardians in the background

The mysterious hero known as Hollywood, Man of Wonder appeared in the future to help the Guardians of the Galaxy a few times. He was originally a member of the group known as the Commandeers before he joined the Galactic Guardians.

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Hollywood was actually Simon Williams/Wonder Man, an Avenger from the 20th century. His unique ionic abilities granted him incredible physical power and virtual immortality. Wonder Man is known for returning from the grave so it's no surprise that he survived into Marvel's far future.

6 Aleta Ogord/Starhawk

First Appearance: Defenders #29 (August 1975) by Steve Gerber and Sal Buscema

Aleta Ogord spent most of her initial time with the Guardians irreversibly bonded with her adopted brother, Stakar, as the being known as Starhawk. However, she eventually gained her independence and joined the OG's of the Galaxy on her own terms and in her own body.

Aleta used her Arcturian abilities as a Guardian which included enhanced strength and speed, as well as her unique ability to manipulate light in various ways. As Starhawk, she created powerful hard-light constructs and fired devastating energy blasts. Aleta's time as Starhawk increased her abilities exponentially, but she's a powerful OG even without Starhawk's extra juice.

5 Vance Astro/Major Victory

First Appearance: Marvel Super-Heroes #18 (October 1968) by Arnold Drake and Gene Colan

major Victory Marvel

Vance Astro was an American astronaut who signed on for the first manned space flight to another galaxy. He used a containment suit that kept him in stasis for centuries, as the technology of the time didn't allow for faster-than-light travel.

By the time Vance reached the distant planet, humans had already arrived years before, making his mission obsolete. When the Badoon invaded, Vance used his psychokinetic abilities as Major Victory, as well as Captain America's shield and his own powerful containment suit to lead the OG's before briefly joining (and inspiring) the modern-day team.

4 Wileaydus Autolycus/Spirit Of Vengeance

First Appearance: Guardians of the Galaxy #12 (March 1991) by Jim Valentino

Spirit of the Vengeance riding his Death-Cycle from Marvel's Galactic Guardians

Fans have seen a few different characters become the Spirit of Vengeance in the modern day, and each of them has used the Ghost Rider moniker in the present. However, in the Guardians' future, a new Spirit of Vengeance appeared on a distant planet and joined the Galactic Guardians.

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Wileaydus Autolycus was transformed by the Flames of Khauri on his home planet. He became the Spirit of Vengeance, which allowed him to control demonic hellfire, just like the Ghost Riders of the past. He could also summon his fiery death cycle to soar through the stars.

3 Pyreus Kril/Firelord

First Appearance: Guardians of the Galaxy #2 (May 1990) by Jim Valentino

Firelord flying through the air from Marvel Comics

There were a couple of powerful cosmic heroes who survived into the far future as well. Pyreus Kril was a Xandarian soldier who volunteered to become one of Galactus' heralds to save his crew and discover the fate of his mentor, the former herald known as Air-Walker. Galactus imbued Kril with the Power Cosmic, turning him into the incredibly powerful Firelord.

The original Guardians of the Galaxy encountered Firelord on more than one occasion during their adventures across the stars. However, he officially joined the Galactic Guardians offshoot so he could continue helping the universe and atone for his time as Galactus' herald. A master of the Power Cosmic, Firelord was one of the galaxy's most potent beings. He could generate and manipulate cosmic flame through his fiery cosmic staff, manipulate reality at a molecular level, and fly at near-light speed.

2 Giraud/Phoenix

First Appearance: Guardians of the Galaxy #9 (December 1990) by Jim Valentino

Giraud as the Phoenix of the future from Marvel's Galactic Guardians

The original Guardians of the Galaxy first met Giraud when they attempted to save the mutant colony on the planet Haven from destruction. Starhawk used his own cosmic awareness to draw the Phoenix Force to Haven, where it bonded with Giraud.

Giraud became the Phoenix of the future and used his newfound cosmic abilities to relocate Haven to a new planet. While he briefly lost control of the Phoenix Force, he regained himself and vowed to use his new abilities to help the universe as a member of the Galactic Guardians, following in the footsteps of the original Guardians.

1 Stakar Ogord/Starhawk

First Appearance: Defenders #27 (June 1975) by Steve Gerber and Sal Buscema

Stakar is the son of Earth hero Quasar and the cosmic hero Kismet. He was raised on Arcturus alongside Aleta, though he was trapped in a repeating cycle. His adult consciousness was reborn in his infant body over and over again.

This resulted in a cosmic awareness as One-Who-Knows, and the cosmic Hawk God chose Stakar to become his servant, Starhawk. Stakar used his omniscience alongside Aleta's light manipulation powers to guide the Guardians while also exploring his own confusing origins. Starhawk has traveled across time and has been both ally and enemy to the Guardians.

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