Top 10 Differences Between Guardians of the Galaxy Movies and Comics

Yondu is everyone’s favorite space pirate… or is he? Well, we don’t know, but he does have one of the coolest scenes in the first movie, when he kills a bunch of soldiers with one arrow just by whistling. In contrast, the Yondu of the comics has a sense of nobility to him, and actually has a bow to fire off the sound-sensitive Yaka arrows. He also sports a much bigger Mohawk. But it’s just not the weapons that were different from medium-to-medium; the character’s origin also changed. The comic book Yondu was part of the original Guardians of the Galaxy in the 31st century and even went back in time to become an honorary member of the Avengers.

#9: Drax the Destroyer Hates Thanos

Also in:

Superhero Origins: Drax the Destroyer

In the film, Drax is locked up in the Kyln for numerous murder charges while on the warpath to find Ronan the Accuser; the one had killed his wife and daughter. In fact, that’s his motivation for most of the film, and he does ultimately get the chance to enact his revenge on the antagonist. However, in the comics, it’s Thanos who kills Drax’s family… and even Drax himself – thus serving as the primary motivation for Drax to destroy Thanos… upon his resurrection… but, we’ll get to that later.

#8: Origin of Gamora

Also in:

Bluebird from DC Comics: Origin

Gamora, Thanos’ favorite adopted daughter, has her own vengeance to enact, and it’s on Thanos himself. Gamora knows that Thanos was responsible for the death of her family when she was young, so her betrayal is warranted and the fact that she eventually joins the Guardians of the Galaxy makes perfect sense. Well, that’s how it all pans out in the movie, anyway. In the comics, she’s unaware that her father is a monster; she thinks he’s not inherently evil. Of course, when she’s sent on a mission by Thanos, Gamora finds out the truth the hard way.

Nothing makes you feel more at home than being inside the giant severed head of an ancient celestial being. The first “Guardians of the Galaxy” film barely touches on Knowhere’s origins or capabilities and presents it primarily as an abstract city of sorts, as well as the home of the Collector’s museum. The comic delves into the significance of Knowhere much more, and it eventually becomes the base for the Guardians… for a time. Inside the head, there’s something called the Continuum Cortex, which allows the guardians to travel anywhere in the universe.

#6: Ronan the Accuser

Also in:

Supervillain Origins: Ronan The Accuser

It’s hard to picture Ronan the Accuser as a good guy, especially after watching him try to destroy a whole world. And having a menacing name like that doesn’t help his case, either. He does eventually join the good guys in the comics, but he starts out as a judicial officer for his race, and sometimes that means clashing with the Guardians and Avengers in the name of justice. In the film, however, he’s power hungry and thinks he’s stronger than Thanos. Also, he’s just sort of an ass.

Drax is one of the funniest characters in the first “Guardians” movie, which is ironic as he’s completely literal and doesn’t really understand humor. This is because his race is generally primitive in nature, and as such, hasn’t been exposed to other races and their ways of life. However, his time with the Guardians slowly helps him understand new customs. On the other side of things, in the comics, by the time Drax joins the Guardians of the Galaxy, he’s already quite witty and sarcastic, and it definitely shows with some of the interactions he has with his friends and enemies alike.

Despite his primitive non-human race in the movie, Drax is human in the comics – or at least was. He was born under the name Arthur Douglas and was just your ordinary saxophone-playing real estate agent family man with a loving wife and daughter. But that all changed when Thanos came to earth and killed Arthur and his family to keep his presence a secret. However, Heather – Arthur’s daughter – actually turns out to be alive, and later becomes the hero known as Moondragon, while Arthur is eventually resurrected with a body fashioned from the soil of Earth by Thanos’ father and grandfather, coming to be known as Drax the Destroyer.

#3: The Kyln

Also in:

Top 10 Biggest Differences Between Spider-Man Comics And Movies

There’s no denying that the Kyln, the prison the Guardians get sent to – in the movie, at least – is a scary and intimidating place. Drax was locked up there, and he was given the title of The Destroyer based on how dangerous he is. The comic version of the prison, however, is a far more dangerous and menacing place. In fact, barely anyone survives in there, with a mortality rate of 99.999%. Yeah, those aren’t great odds. The prison also serves as a way of generating power for distribution to neighboring worlds.

It’s not often that a superhero movie completely skips its star’s origin story. But in the first “Guardians” film, we never learn how Peter Quill becomes Star-Lord; he’s just the famous outlaw no one’s heard of. Sure, we get a glimpse of his childhood, but it jumps ahead without explaining how he got his name, other than he was abducted and raised by the Ravagers. In the comics, we learn that his father was a Spartoi Emperor. After aliens kill his mother, Peter gets a job at NASA and sets out into space for revenge. However, he realizes that’s not what his mom would’ve wanted, and ultimately seeks out his destiny under the name Star-Lord.

#1: The Formation of the Guardians

Also in:

Superhero Origins: Guardians Of The Galaxy

You’ve probably guessed by now that the Guardians in the movie aren’t the original team from the comics. In fact, the original team didn’t come into existence in the timeline until the 31st century. Also, as mentioned, Yondu was one of the founding members. When the Guardians were formed again in the mainstream Marvel Universe, the group consisted primarily of who we see in the movie, with a couple of additions. At this stage of formation, they’re still unnamed; it’s only when they meet Vance, one of the founders from the alternate timeline, that he inspires them to call themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy.