The Guardians of the Galaxy have taken in some of the strangest heroes that the Marvel Universe's spaceways have to offer. Beyond the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of the team, and the dynamic duo that is Rocket Raccoon and Groot, the GOTG have hosted Mantis, an insectoid "Celestial Madonna" who was married to a ghost tree; Beta Ray Bill, a horse with all the powers of Thor; and Cosmo, a telepathic dog who was conscripted in the Russian space program.
The newest addition to the team just might be the most bizarre to watch yet: Marvel Boy, an alien special forces unit whose every body part is configured into a tool to help him complete infiltration missions for an alternate dimension's version of the Kree Empire. In the latest issue of the series, Guardians of the Galaxy #4, GOTG mainstay Drax discovers just how potent some of those tools can be when he falls in battle to a wad of Marvel Boy's spit.
In his sporadic appearances, Noh-Varr was much more reliant on his Captain-Marvel-like Kree powers than the bizarre gadgets of the Morrison/Jones era. The new Guardians of the Galaxy series returns him to his roots, pushing his power and his weirdness harder than ever. In GOTG #4, written by Al Ewing with art from Juann Cabal and color by Federico Blee and Guru-eFX, two rival Guardians of the Galaxy teams descend on a gigantic energy plant modeled after the planet-devouring Galactus. Nova's team has sent Marvel Boy to disable the machine and save the planet it's slowly gnawing away, while Gamora's team has been contracted by the owner with stopping them. In the process of getting into the facility, Marvel Boy uses the following tools bioengineered into his body:
- "White running", a method of saving energy by shutting off his brain's higher functions during foot travel
- Metamorphic bracelets that become whatever equipment he needs, including laser guns and an Iron-Man-like helmet filled with sensors
- A "stereoscopic consciousness" that lets him focus on fighting enemies and telepathic communication at the same time
Inside, he's greeted by Drax and the"Prince of Power", a mysterious ally of Gamora, both of whom are there to intercept Marvel Boy. Noh-Varr isn't impressed by the show of muscle. He immediately snaps his thumbs to fling his own fingernails at the Prince, which explode and disable him.
They only make Drax mad, and Marvel Boy realizes the near-invincible Destroyer won't be overpowered that easily... so he hocks a rainbow-colored loogie at the bruiser saturated with LSD. One moment of contact with Drax's eyes and he loses touch with reality, figuratively and literally tripping on the ground.
Before Marvel Boy can rest his dry mouth, Gamora herself shows up and catches the Kree by surprise. She taunts him with a reminder that all the gadgets Marvel Boy can whip out are no match for pure skill, as shown by the deadliest woman in the universe. Marvel Boy's response: he slaps his bracelets together, turning them into 'quantum bands' that Captain Marvel once used to switch places with another person instantly, and summons demigod teammate Hercules in his place. The lesson: Marvel Boy never runs out of tricks.