Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy has made itself unique from the MCU in many ways. However, the team's roster has remained largely the same, featuring Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, and Drax the Destroyer. The game's freedom from the MCU's constraints means the legend of the Guardians of the Galaxy could grow beyond its current members. Information released by Eidos-Montreal has already revealed several characters that joined the team's ranks in the comics.
While the MCU's Guardians of the Galaxy is likely the team fans are most familiar with, these characters were not the original Guardians of the Galaxy. The game features the modern iteration of the team during the aftermath of the Chitauri's Galactic War. Promotional material featuring each Guardian's backstory names several significant characters who were once members of the Guardians of the Galaxy in the comicverse but never reprised their role in the MCU or other iterations of the team.
Unknown to most, the original Guardians of the Galaxy team counted Yondu Udonta among its members. Yondu has already appeared in the game's files as a Ravager who interacted with Peter Quill in a Chitauri prison. In Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, Star-Lord is imprisoned to force J'Son, King of Spartax and Peter's father, to surrender. During their four-year imprisonment, Yondu brought the young Earthling under his wing. Peter Quill escaped captivity with Yondu's help and joined the Ravagers to fight back against the Chitauri's forces. The current relationship between Yondu and Star-Lord is unknown, but the Ravager could appear during Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy.
Guardians Of The Galaxy's Gamora Is Connected To Many Potential Squadmates
Another significant member of the Guardians of the Galaxy team appears in Gamora's story, details of which differ from the MCU as detailed by Eidos Montreal. After defecting from Thanos, Gamora sought to redeem herself in the ranks of the Nova Corps. Richard Ryder, better known as the superhero Nova, worked closely with Gamora to force the Chitauri back. Nova is Gamora's primary love interest in the Guardians of the Galaxy comics and later became a member of the team. It's unknown whether Nova survived the Galactic War, but his presence in Gamora's personnel file suggests he may play a more prominent role in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy.
Gamora's backstory also introduced two additional members of the GotG team. Before defecting from Thanos' armies, Gamora had a sister named Nebula. Following the Galactic War and Thanos' death, Nebula and Gamora met on the battlefield. Nebula almost killed her sister, but Mantis and the Priests of Pama rescued her. Mantis and Gamora quickly became close friends until Mantis was kidnapped. This incident led to Gamora joining the Guardians of the Galaxy, with the ultimate goal of saving her friend, as she had saved Gamora years before. Nebula and Mantis were Guardians of the Galaxy members in the comics and the MCU, though it's unknown whether both will join the team in-game.
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy has denied MCU's canon and begun to explore alternate versions of the beloved Guardians. The revamped backstories of the Guardians, the Galactic War, and the presence of potential Guardian members promise to make an enjoyable and unique story.
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy releases October 26 on Xbox, PlayStation, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
Source: Eidos Montreal