The Guardians of the Galaxy lineup in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is easily one of the most celebrated teams from the franchise, but they do have some clear differences from the comic books that inspire them.

While audiences have grown to love Peter Quill on the big screen, as played by Chris Pratt, and the incredible cast that brought the characters to life in the GotG movies from director and writer James Gunn, there are clear deviations from the source material.

Whether it’s a backstory, or a power set, some of the details from the GotG comics have been changed for the big screen, and by and large, it’s made for a great story. However, it’s good to look back and see where these characters actually started.

10

Phyla

First on the list is one of the most recent new recruits who joined the Guardians under the new leadership from Rocket Raccoon. Phyla is a child who was also an experiment of the High Evolutionary’s in the movies. In the MCU, she is a hyper-evolved fish who can wield purple energy powers.

However, Phyla is absolutely the most altered character to appear in the MCU. The comics version, known as Phyla-Vell, is actually imbued with the powers of Mar-Vell, the same character that powered up Captain Marvel.

There is no fishy past, but their heritage is complex, with some sort of relation to Mar-Vell directly. Despite this, the MCU version still appears like an interesting new take.

9

Star-Lord

Next up, Star-Lord. Though Peter Quill is arguably the main character in the MCU GotG trilogy, his story follows a separate path to the comics. With some of the biggest differences being his lineage, and his powers.

In the MCU, Peter learns that his father is a Celestial, and that he actually has powers stemming from his energy. However, this is short-lived, because Peter learns his father killed his mother, he kills his egotistical tyrannical father, and his powers disappear.

But in the comics, Peter’s father is a different alien of royal heritage. And while Peter’s mother does die, it’s some rival aliens who kill her. This version of Peter is determined, driven, and highly intelligent, working for NASA, and eventually being recruited by an alien group known as the Star Lords.

Whereas the film sees a more goofy Peter try desperately to get this nickname going, and relies on his wits as a fledgling ravager and smuggler.

8

Drax

Drax has a lot in common with his comic book counterpart in the fact that he is intent on killing Thanos after losing his family. However, the way this happens is slightly different.

In the comics, Drax was originally a human, named Arthur Douglas. His family was killed by Thanos, but he had no real way to challenge the Mad тιтan. But then, a powerful being known as Kronos took his spirit and placed it in a powerful new body.

Taking on a new name, Drax became a killing machine with only one motive: killing Thanos. This version of the character is also much more intelligent than the comedically silly Drax in the MCU.

7

Rocket Raccoon

While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 puts Rocket into the spotlight, the character’s history is significantly altered for the sake of the movie. While the movie version of Rocket is an experiment created and enhanced by the High Evolutionary, the comic book version is much less tragic.

Rocket hails from the future, where he is part of a larger species of talking animal-like creatures in the comics. However, when he ends up way back in time, he makes a connection with a talking tree, learns about the nuances of his language, and the pair become inseparable.

Evidently, some things did translate over from the comic, but in other ways, the story was considerably different.

6

Yondu

Yondu, as played by Michael Rooker, is an emotional anchor in the movies. Initially, he seems like a fearsome alien who detests Peter Quill, and only cares about money. However, he eventually shows a much softer side.

By the end of GotG Vol. 2, Yondu’s love for Peter is made clear, and the two end up in a pseudo-father and son-style relationship, before Yondu’s incredible sacrifice to protect the people he loves.

But in the comics, Yondu is much less cuddly. He’s a warrior, from a race of warriors, and he leads a team of Ravagers with fearless and violent means. Nowadays, the comic book version of the character is much more similar to the MCU, but that is not how he started out.

5

Groot

There are a lot of commonalities between the comic book version of Groot and the MCU. He has a limited vocabulary, he’s a living tree, and his body can bend, morph, regrow at will. He also forms a connection with Rocket Raccoon before teaming up with the Guardians.

However, the initial version of Groot from the MCU dies at the end of the first movie, replaced by a being that is essentially his son. This new Groot is more free-spirited, less-focused, and struggles to feel understood.

Both appear noticeably less intelligent than the comic book version, who is an exceptional engineer. The original Groot could have been slightly smarter, but he was also impulsive, as seen by how he immediately grabbed the power core from the prison in the first film without listening to the plan in full.

4

Nebula

Things get a lot more aligned when it comes to characters like Nebula. In both the comics and the films, she is an adopted daughter of Thanos. She is also an adoptive sister to Gamora, and the two have a rivalry.

However, in the comics, this rivalry is even more one-sided than in the films, with Gamora avoiding any conflict and compeтιтion, while Nebula actively seeks it out. Despite this, one of the biggest differences between the two is the fact that the comic book Gamora is much less cybernetically modified than the one seen in the MCU.

3

Kraglin

Kraglin looks considerably different to his comic book counterpart, who is a blue alien, but his story follows a surprisingly similar trajectory. Initially, he serves under Yondu, before joining a revolt with Taserface.

Eventually, he sees the error in his ways, and he and Yondu reconcile. When Yondu dies, Kraglin inherits his Yaka Arrows, and he goes on to join the Guardians of the Galaxy. All of this is true for both the comic book version of the character, and the MCU version.

2

Cosmo

Cosmo only appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. This astronaut dog appears to have telekinetic powers, and a Russian accent that indicates they were one of the dogs that went into space during the Soviet Union Space Program.

The biggest change that occurs between the comics and the MCU is the fact that Cosmo is portrayed as a female dog in the MCU, while the comics version is a boy. Beyond that, both appear on Knowhere, both have similar powers, and both have a similar backstory.

1

Gamora

Last, but certainly not least, Gamora stands out as one of the most impressive characters on the Guardians team. Initially, she is a lone wolf, and she struggles to trust the heroes, but she goes on to become a valuable member of the team.

She has a romance with Peter Quill, and her surrogate father, Thanos, destroyed her home planet when she was just a girl. From that point on, Gamora was raised to become the ultimate weapon, but she turned away from Thanos, and chose a different path.

Gamora’s story in both the comics and the MCU follows a similar set of events, and she comes across as one of the most faithful recreations from the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.