Back Issues: Guardians’ comic origins varied

Characters pulled from different stories, eras to form team

By now, many movie-goers are familiar with Star-Lord, Drax, Gamora, Rocket and Groot, returning to theaters this week in "Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2."

But these characters looked -- and acted -- very different when they made their comic book debuts.

Groot debuted in 1960's "Tales to Astonish" #13 at a time when you were more likely to see giant monsters than superheroes in Marvel publications. In a story by Stan Lee, Dick Ayers and Jack Kirby, Groot arrives to take an Earth town back to his home on Planet X, something he explains using a larger vocabulary than the three words for which he's most famous.

After meeting with defeat in a manner that stretches the boundaries of believability even in a comic about a talking alien tree-man, Groot reappeared a couple times over the years before being forced into a ragtag team of outer-space misfits during the "Annihilation: Conquest" event. Those who survived (including Groot, Rocket, Star-Lord and Mantis) went on to form the Guardians of the Galaxy.

In the comics, Drax -- who for my money stole more scenes than Rocket or Groot in the first film -- was an Earthling named Arthur Douglas. The cosmic villain Thanos killed Douglas and his wife while trying to hide his presence on Earth. Their daughter survived and became the Avenger (and likely future "Guardians" movie character) Moondragon.

Her father's spirit was transferred into a superhuman body built to battle Thanos. Originally he was a hulking brute in an old-school costume, and not always the brightest light on the Christmas tree, before transforming into ruthless, knife-wielding engine of destruction introduced in the "Annihilation" storyline.

Gamora was the sole survivor of a massacred race called the Zen-Whoberi. Thanos took her in and trained her to be "the deadliest woman in the galaxy," but she eventually rebelled against her adoptive father. She and Drax were longtime allies on the Infinity Watch team before resurfacing with the Guardians.

Star-Lord was introduced in 1976's "Marvel Preview" #4. Rather than the wisecracking hero with delusions of grandeur Pratt plays, that Peter Quill's life was shaped by a single obsession -- to exact vengeance on the aliens who killed his mother. Toward that end, he trained to become an astronaut and finally got the chance and power to take his revenge when he encountered the mysterious Master of the Sun.

Star-Lord went through a few more iterations over the years. The first time I saw him, he was a gruff, grizzled supporting character in a story involving Thanos in an intergalactic prison. "Annihilation: Conquest" set him up in more of a swashbuckling hero's role, and Pratt's performance further influenced the character. An updated origin featuring the more lighthearted version was presented in the recent "Legendary Star-Lord" series.

Rocket was also a kinder, gentler creature -- with a British accent -- when he first appeared a few months after Star-Lord in "Marvel Preview" #7" as part of a serialized story called "The Sword in the Star." He was reimagined a bit by co-creator Bill Mantlo six years later in "Incredible Hulk" #271 as a guardian of Halfworld, which turned out to be an intergalactic mental asylum.

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Recommended Reading

* "Star-Lord: Guardian of the Galaxy" -- Collects early Star-Lord stories and appearances that paint a much darker picture than the version Chris Pratt plays on screen.

* "Annihilation" and "Annihilation: Conquest" -- These two storylines established the new status quo for Marvel's cosmic arm and laid the groundwork for the revamped Guardians of the Galaxy.

* "Rocket Raccoon and Groot" -- Includes the first appearances and further adventures of the title characters.