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Characters / MCU: Knowhere

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Main Character Index > Other Individuals and Organizations > Cosmic > Asgard and the Nine Realms (Odin Borson | Loki Laufeyson | Loki Laufeyson (Variant L1130) | Sylvie Laufeydottir | Other Loki Variants) | Knowhere | Nova Empire | Sovereign | Skrulls | Eternals

Spoilers for all works set prior to the end of Avengers: Endgame are unmarked.

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Knowhere

    In General 

Knowhere

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/knowhere_mcu.jpg

Species: Celestial

Appearances: Thor: The Dark World note  | Guardians of the Galaxy | Avengers: Infinity War | What If...? | The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

A mining colony built in the decapitated head of a Celestial. Originally owned by the Tivan Group and managed by the Collector, Knowhere is purchased by the Guardians of the Galaxy some time after the Battle of Earth.

  • Abandoned Area: When the Guardians of the Galaxy go to Knowhere in Infinity War to stop Thanos, they notice upon arrival that the place seems deserted.
  • Bad Guy Bar: Due to it originally being a haven for space criminals, plenty of them (including Rocket, Groot and Drax) can be seen pounding interstellar booze and participating in illegal gambling in Guardians of the Galaxy. By the time of the Holiday Special however, it's become a regular bar.
  • Crapsack World: When first introduced, Knowhere is a Wretched Hive that is crowded with unsavory criminals, and is very dirty and unkempt overall. Thanos eventually clears the place out during the events of Infinity War, leaving it as a desolate Ghost Town instead...until the Guardians manage to purchase Knowhere from the Collector.
  • Clean Up the Town: By the time of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, the titular group managed to get enough units to buy Knowhere from the Collector. They quickly set to work on making the place safer and cleaner to live in than before.
  • Emerald Power: Everything around the Celestial's head is a vivid green.
  • Eye Beams: After it's been retrofitted into a starship, it comes with a telescoping cannon in the left eye. Unfortunately, it only has one missile and no other defenses, so it's only good for an opening volley.
  • Fun with Homophones: When Thor meets the Guardians of the Galaxy in Infinity War and warns them that Thanos is heading to Knowhere, the name causes confusion for Mantis.
    Gamora: We need to stop Thanos. Which means we need to find out where he's going next.
    Thor: Knowhere.
    Mantis: He must be going somewhere.
    Peter Quill: No, no. Knowhere? It's a place. We've been there. It sucks.
  • Ghost Town: Becomes this in Avengers: Infinity War after Thanos attacked the place. When the Guardians arrive there after splitting up, the entire area is completely empty save for Thanos himself and the Collector, who is being interrogated by him. Subverted by the time of the Holiday Special however, where the Guardians are working to repopulate the place with more savory individuals.
  • Giant Corpse World: The mining colony is built in the decapitated head of an ancient Celestial. Due to the nature of the planetoid it inhabits, the main resource it mines is actually the celestial being's cerebral fluid.
  • Off with His Head!: Knowhere is the severed head of an ancient Celestial.
  • Planet Spaceship: By Vol. 3, the Guardians have not only rebuilt the town into a thriving colony, they also fitted the planet with rocket engines, allowing the entire station to move and even travel through jump points.
  • Posthumous Character: The Celestial whose head the colony was built in has clearly been dead for a very long time.
  • Riddle for the Ages: Celestials are nigh-omnipotent beings. How one was decapitated is unknown, especially since Knull, the one who beheaded that Celestial in the comics, has been Adapted Out due to being under Sony's ownership.
  • Space Clouds: Much like Asgard, Knowhere is surrounded by nebulae.
  • Space Station: One that has been built in the floating head of a dead Celestial.
  • Trash the Set: After having been a recurring location appearing in several MCU movies, the colony gets badly ravaged by Thanos' attack in Infinity War when he comes to take the Collector's Infinity Stone. After the Guardians take over management of Knowhere in their holiday special, they're shown doing a lot of work to fix the place up.
  • Under New Management: At some point between Endgame and the holiday special, the Guardians managed to buy Knowhere off of Tivan.
  • Wretched Hive: It's a port of call and observatory for intergalactic travelers, as well as a mining colony for selling illegal materials on the interstellar black market, and so attracts all sorts of unsavory characters. Although after the Guardians bought Knowhere, they cleaned it up and turned it into a much friendlier community.

The Tivan Group

    The Collector 

Taneleer Tivan / The Collector

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/06cbd5ddd90dac0676c27dd6bb8a5891.png
"One down, five to go."

Species: Unknown

Citizenship: None

Affiliation(s): Tivan Group

Portrayed By: Benicio del Toro

Voiced by: Boris Rehlinger (European French dub), Jaime López (Latin-American Spanish dub), Pablo Adán (European Spanish dub)

Appearances: Thor: The Dark World note  | Guardians of the Galaxy | Avengers: Infinity War note  | The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special note 

"Sir... You must allow me to pay you now so that I may own your carcass. At the moment of your death, of course."

The person with the largest collection of interstellar fauna, relics and species in the galaxy. The Collector operates out of a place in space aptly named Knowhere.

Lady Sif and Volstagg trust the remaining Aether with him in the form of an Infinity Stone, believing that he can keep it away from the other Infinity Stone, the Tesseract. However, he secretly wants to use the Aether to build the Infinity Gauntlet. Later, when he encounters Peter Quill and his band, The Collector attempts to strike a dubious bargain.

He is the brother of the Grandmaster, the hedonistic ruler of Sakaar.

  • Aborted Arc: His appearance in The Stinger for Thor: The Dark World implies that he intends to collect all six Infinity Stones for his own sinister plot. This seems to be largely abandoned in later installments: the destruction of his residence in Guardians of the Galaxy and Thanos' raid in Avengers: Infinity War cause him to lose the Power and Reality Stones, allowing for Thanos to collect them for himself.
  • Adaptational Attractiveness: In the comics he commonly has the appearance of an almost skull-faced old man, as opposed to the more handsome Del Toro in the films.
  • Adaptational Wimp: The Collector in the comics could hold an entire team of Avengers at bay with just the things in his collection, and if the situation called for it he had some energy-controlling powers he could use as well. If he has those, he didn't have time to use them, and most of his collection didn't survive the Power Stone going off inside of it. He handled it pretty well himself, though.
  • Admiring the Abomination: While the Guardians look quite horrified when they see footage of the Power Stone being used to cause death and destruction, the Collector seems rather fascinated by its formidable power and is practically orgasmic when he sees the stone out of the Orb, even calling it "beautiful".
  • Alliterative Name: Taneeler Tivan.
  • Ambiguously Related: Though the Collector and the Grandmaster are supposedly brothers per Word of God, there's nothing in-universe that reveals or even implies that this is the case.
  • Asshole Victim: Although the Collector survived, Thanos destroying his precious collection after relieving him of the Reality Stone was certainly well-deserved since he was a greedy, cruel Bad Boss who enslaved his workers.
  • Bad Boss: He locked one of his assistants in his collection for disappointing him and uses her as an example to Carina to keep her from disappointing him. This bites him in the caboose later on, as the mistreated assistant grabs the Infinity Stone in an attempt to kill both herself and the Collector.
  • Big Bad Wannabe: His goal was to collect the Infinity Stones for himself, presumably for some selfish needs. While he acquired two, he lost the Power Stone shortly after it came into his possession, and by the events of Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos came to his place and took the Reality Stone off his hands with ease. Well, so much for that.
  • Big "NO!": Yells a loud "No!" when he sees that his servant Carina is about to grab the Power Stone.
  • Black Eyes of Crazy: His tendency to bow his head, obscuring his eyes, along with his Excessive Evil Eyeshadow give the impression of bright irises and black sclera.
  • Blatant Lies: During Infinity War, the Collector (or rather, an illusion of him created by the Reality Stone) tries to convince Thanos that he no longer has the Reality Stone in his possession because he sold it to someone else some time ago. Thanos doesn't buy it for one second, as he knows that even he would never be foolish enough to dispose of such a precious artifact.
  • Camp Straight: Apparently, the script specifically called for "an outer-space Liberace", which is what Del Toro delivers.
  • Celebrity Paradox: As far as Black Widow is concerned, the James Bond franchise exist in the MCU with Benicio del Toro having played henchman Dario in Licence to Kill.
  • Cold-Blooded Torture: When the Guardians arrive at Knowhere in Infinity War, they see the Collector being violently interrogated by Thanos to make him reveal where the Infinity Stone in his possession is. As he claims not to have it, Thanos proceeds to trample on his body and threatens to make him suffer if he doesn't tell him the truth. Subverted, as it wasn't the actual Collector but a mere illusion of him created by the Reality Stone.
  • Consummate Liar: He is good enough to convince both the Asgardians and the Guardians of the Galaxy to entrust him with Infinity Stones, even if they don't like him very much. When Thanos comes to Knowhere in Infinity War, he refuses to believe any word that comes out of his mouth and accuses him of lying as often as he breathes.
  • Cold Ham: He's an incredibly larger-than-life presence, and dresses accordingly, but he very rarely raises his voice above a conversational tone.
  • The Collector: Well, duh. It's in his name, no less. His role in the plot is hiring people like the Ravagers to build his Infinity Stone collection.
  • Corrupt Corporate Executive: Gamora points out that the profitable mining operations that the Tivan Group is conducting to extract the organic materials from Knowhere are highly dangerous and highly illegal.
  • Didn't Think This Through:
    • He both hired the Ravagers (via the Broker) and offered to pay Gamora to get him the Power Stone, not considering that multiple interested parties could complicate the matter; Peter and Gamora wind up jailed and the Power Stone impounded due to a public scuffle over it, and if they hadn't been imprisoned alongside Rocket, the Stone would have stayed there.
    • In collecting the Infinity Stones for himself, the Collector never considered that it might attract other, more dangerous parties who also seek the Stones; Ronan the Accuser attacks Knowhere to claim the Power Stone, and four years later, Thanos comes to call for the Reality Stone.
  • Disc-One Final Boss: For about two-thirds of Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), the Collector is the main bad guy trying to manipulate the Guardians (and the Broker) into bringing the Power Stone to him so that he can use it for his own nefarious purposes. However, he ultimately gets sidelined by Ronan the Accuser, who becomes a far bigger threat than him when he manages to get his hands on the Power Stone.
  • Don't Touch It, You Idiot!: Seeing that Carina is about to touch the Power Stone, he alarmingly tells her to step back. She refuses to listen to him and does it anyway, which results in a huge explosion that destroy the entire collection.
  • Early-Bird Cameo: He appeared in the post-credits scene of Thor: The Dark World.
  • Excessive Evil Eyeshadow: He has some dark makeup around his eyes, which gives a real creepy vibe that he's not a good person.
  • Faux Affably Evil: He flatters his guests (although Sif and Volstagg seem to be aware it's just an act), but he's a horrible boss.
  • Fiction 500: The Collector is the owner of a vast galactic fortune and is willing to offer no less than 4 billion units to the one who'll bring him the Orb, which completely flabbergast both Peter Quill and Rocket.
  • Goth: His fashion wouldn't look out of place in a Tim Burton movie.
  • Gotta Catch Them All: His ultimate goal is to obtain the six Infinity Stones, as he states at the end of his first scene in Thor: The Dark World.
    Collector: One down, five to go.
  • Greed: Not for money (he's willing to part with large sums of it to add to his collection), but for rare and precious objects and beings; he wants to collect the Infinity Stones seemingly just to own the complete set, and offers to pay Groot so he can own his body (after Groot's death).
    Thanos: Everyone in the galaxy knows you'd sell your own brother if you thought it would add the slightest trinket to your pathetic collection.
  • Hated by All: Nobody likes the Collector. His servant Carina absolutely despises him, the Asgardians don't seem too happy about having to deal with him, and the Guardians of the Galaxy quickly realize that getting involved with him was a huge mistake. Even Thanos, who is far from a saint himself, seems to have nothing but disgust for him.
  • Hidden Agenda Villain: In the movies, it's never made clear what he's planning to use the Infinity Stones for once he gets them all.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: It was his constant mediocre treatment of Carina, demanding she polish every last surface in his shop and threatening to put her in a box if she didn't comply, that caused her to snap and use the Infinity Stone to blow up the place and herself, wiping out most of his unique and valuable inventory, except for Cosmo and Howard.
  • Hypocrite: When the Asgardians brings the Aether to him and explain that they can't keep it in Asgard because it wouldn't be safe to keep two Infinity Stones so close to each other, The Collector tells them he agrees that this is a wise decision. However, it's then revealed that he secretly plans to gather all six Infinity Stones for himself, and in his next appearance he tries to add the Power Stone to his collection alongside the Aether.
  • Idiot Ball: Evidently, it turns out that describing how powerful the Power Stone is right in front of your mistreated slave and leaving it unattended while you walk away to look for money wasn't a good idea. Who would have thought?
  • If You Die, I Call Your Stuff: Upon meeting Groot, The Collector is immediately fascinated by this rare being and offers to pay him to get his carcass after his death.
  • I Kiss Your Hand: He does this to Gamora when they meet on Knowhere. She doesn't show much appreciation for that kind of flattery.
  • I Need a Freaking Drink: After Carina used the Power Stone to blow up his base, he reaches for alcohol. At least he has Howard the Duck for a drinking buddy.
  • Inferred Survival: The Guardians of the Galaxy bought Knowhere from him implicitly after the fall of Thanos, implying that he did not in fact die in Infinity War.
  • "It" Is Dehumanizing: He refers to Groot as a "thing" the first time he sees him.
    Collector: What is that thing there?
  • It Amused Me: It seems that he wants to have the Infinity Stone that drives the plot of the entire movie (and on a larger scale, the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe)... just because he'd like to own it.
  • I've Never Seen Anything Like This Before: Even someone like him who has spent most of his life collecting rare creatures has never come across anything like Groot, so he naturally becomes extremely interested in him when he first sees him.
    Collector: Never thought I'd meet a Groot.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: He's more than willing to work with the Asgardians to keep the Aether safe — but only so he can use it for his own designs.
  • Kick the Dog: He threatens to incarcerate Carina if she does not clean the cages properly. This eventually backfires once Carina brings some warranted payback by destroying his collection with the Power Stone.
  • Killed Offscreen: Subverted. His appearance in Infinity War is only as an illusion created by Thanos using the Reality Stone in order to lure the Guardians into a trap. It's left unclear if the real Collector was confronted and potentially killed by Thanos when the latter arrived to take the Stone. However, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special were it's revealed that the Guardians bought Knowhere from him, meaning he survived.
  • Lack of Empathy: The Collector is a cruel employer who imprisons sapient beings without the slightest concern for any of the harm he causes.
  • Laser-Guided Karma: One of his assistants has had enough of his treatment and destroys his base with the Infinity Stone, leaving him injured and depressed. After this, whatever he plans to do with the Infinity Stones will have to wait.
  • Lecture as Exposition: When the Guardians of the Galaxy come to Knowhere to bring him the Orb, the Collector gives them a lengthy explanation of what the Power Stone and the other Infinity Stones that have shown up in the previous films really are.
  • Licked by the Dog: Cosmo seems to like him, although this disgusts Howard the Duck.
  • Milking the Giant Cow: While describing the Infinity Stone he is given to making dramatic gestures, which is promptly mocked by Rocket.
  • Mr. Exposition: Tells the Guardians in great detail what the Infinity Stones are after they deliver one to him. They're the relics of creation, which can only be wielded by gods, or, for a brief time, by a group of heroes acting in concert.
  • Nasty to the Waiter: When he interacts with his guests, the Collector gives the impression of being a pleasant guy for the most part. In private, however, he treats his servants horribly.
  • Neat Freak: Implied. He is very unhappy when he finds a bit of dust in his office and tells his servant Carina to do a better job of cleaning if she doesn't want to suffer the same punishment as the last servant who botched the cleaning job.
  • Neck Lift: During Thanos' interrogation of the Collector on Knowhere, the Mad Titan hears a suspicious noise so he grabs his prisoner by the neck, lifts him up and throws him into one of his glass cages before going to take a look. Subverted, as it wasn't the real Collector but an illusion created by the Reality Stone.
  • No Celebrities Were Harmed: Both in appearance, personality and mannerisms, he resembles quite a bit Andy Warhol or, as Del Toro once described him, a "space Liberace".
  • Non-Action Big Bad: Big Bad Wannabe in his case, but he doesn't seem to have any combat skills and is content to pay people to do his dirty work while he stays comfortably in his museum. When Thanos comes to Knowhere to confront him, the Collector can't do anything against him and is easily subdued.
  • Oh, Crap!: He becomes worried when he notices that his servant Carina is approaching the Power Stone, and for good reason.
  • Pragmatic Villainy: When they meet, the Collector finds that he'd like to add Groot to his collection, but, as Groot is still alive, as well as part of a group the Collector is doing business with, the Collector offers to pay him there in order to own his eventual corpse.
  • Related in the Adaptation: In the MCU, the Grandmaster and him are brothers.
  • Sarcastic Clapping: When Gamora "kills" Thanos on Knowhere in Avengers: Infinity War, the Collector starts to clap and sneers, "magnificent". This is actually an illusion, as reality has been distorted by Thanos wielding the Reality Stone.
  • Sissy Villain: His make-up and his mannerisms make him come across as somewhat effeminate.
  • Slavery Is a Special Kind of Evil: He's established as a despicable asshole when it's shown that he has Krylorian slaves whom he forces to work very hard and punishes severely for the slightest reason.
  • Small Role, Big Impact: His appearance during the post post credits scene of Thor: The Dark World would later tie into the events of all the other movies afterwards leading up to Avengers: Infinity War in which Thanos crosses paths with The Collector and once again uses the same torture technique on the Collector that he used on Thor and later Nebula to get him to tell him everything he knows about the location of the Power Stone.
  • Spanner in the Works: It is his repeated attempts to acquire the Orb that spoil Thanos and Ronan’s plans, specifically... Through the Broker, he’s the one that points the Ravagers and Peter in the direction of Morag, setting the events of the movie in motion and his monetary offer is what prompts Gamora to betray Thanos.
  • Surveillance as the Plot Demands: Played With. One can only wonder how he managed to obtain the footage of a planet getting destroyed by a Celestial and of the group of people who died while trying to hold the power of the Power Stone that he shows to the Guardians.
  • Terms of Endangerment: He calls Gamora "my dear Gamora" and refers to the Guardians as "my new friends", despite the fact that they clearly have little appreciation for him.
  • Time Abyss: His brother is billions of years old, and he doesn't appear to be much younger.
  • Troll: While talking to Groot he asks if Rocket is Groot's pet, predictably enraging Rocket. His smirk shows this is exactly what he'd intended.
  • Uncanny Valley Makeup: His makeup makes him look a little weirder than he is already, to say the least.
  • The Unfettered: According to Thanos, the Collector is notorious for being capable of doing the worst things to get items to add to his collection, even selling his own family if necessary.
  • Unrelated in the Adaptation: Carina is the Collector's daughter in the comics. In the MCU they are not even from the same species.
  • Villain Takes an Interest: A variant. He becomes very interested in Groot when he sees him for the first time due to him being a member of a rare species, and expresses a strong desire to add him to his collection.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist: Genuinely believes he's helping preserve endangered species from a possible cataclysm. Though his methods may not be perfect, he is attempting to do a good thing.
  • We Will Use Manual Labor in the Future: Rather than using robots, the Collector uses Krylorian slaves to clean his collection. He does not treat them well at all, which ends up causing him problems.
  • White Hair, Black Heart: He has white blonde hair and isn't super nice.
  • Wild Card: It's not entirely clear whose side he's on or why he wants to build the Infinity Gauntlet but he's willing to work with heroes like the Asgardians or criminals like the Ravagers to get the stones needed to build it. Most likely he's working for himself. He is a collector, after all.
  • Would Hit a Girl: He tends to punish his female slaves by torturing them and imprisoning them as part of his collection when they don't do their job well enough.

    Carina 

Carina

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2b1b7fdf3a78a8a1b4c4a578e36f1558.png
"I will no longer be your slave!"

Species: Krylorian

Citizenship: None

Affiliation(s): Tivan Group

Portrayed By: Ophelia Lovibond

Voiced by: Analíz Sánchez (Latin-American Spanish dub), Eva Díez [Guardians of the Galaxy] (European Spanish dub)

Appearances: Thor: The Dark World note  | Guardians of the Galaxy

A slave of the Collector who cleans the cases he keeps his collection in.

  • Adaptation Species Change: She's portrayed as a Krylorian in the MCU, whereas in the comics she's the daughter of one of the Elders of the Universe.
  • Adaptational Wimp: Her comic book counterpart can fire energy bursts, alter and summon matter, sense futures and alternate realities and even swap the minds of others from one body to another. MCU Carina is only a humanoid.
  • Beautiful Slave Girl: She is a very cute young woman who is forced into slavery by the Collector.
  • Character Catchphrase: "I present to you, Taneleer Tivan, the Collector".
  • Death by Adaptation: She dies when she comes into contact with the Power Stone in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), while her counterpart from the comics is still alive and well.
  • The Dog Bites Back: While it's unknown and doubtful she knew what would happen when she grabbed the Infinity Stone, the Collector's abuse and threats made sure she didn't care as long as he suffered one way or another.
    Carina: I will no longer be your slave!
  • Driven to Suicide: It's a possible explanation for her decision to touch the Power Stone.
  • Early-Bird Cameo: Appears alongside the Collector, as stated above. Her job is making the introduction, so technically she shows up first!
  • Fanservice with a Smile: She is dressed in a short skirt and has to put up a fake smile when greeting the guests and leading them to The Collector.
  • Green-Skinned Space Babe: She's a Krylorian, a race of magenta-skinned humanoids.
  • I Die Free: She couldn't bear to be the Collector's slave any longer so she decides to grab the Power Stone in an attempt to end it, which kills her in a huge explosion.
  • Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: After being threatened one too many times to be rendered part of the Collector's collection, Carina takes the first opportunity to take the Infinity Stone rather than live as his slave, knowing that it will destroy her, and in the process destroys a huge chunk of his collection and denies him the second stone.
  • No Body Left Behind: Her body gets completely disintegrated after she puts her hand on the Power Stone.
  • Only One Name: She is only known as "Carina". In the comics, her last name is "Tivan", but this doesn't seem to be the case for the MCU version as she's not related to Taneleer Tivan.
  • Stepford Smiler: She puts on a smile and cheery attitude for guests, but she really hates Tivan due to all the abuse he puts her through.
  • Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: After first appearing in The Stinger of Thor: The Dark World, she comes back for a few scenes in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) only to end up being killed.
  • Unrelated in the Adaptation: Carina is the Collector's daughter in the comics. In the MCU, they are not even from the same species.

    Steemie Blueliver 

Steemie Blueliver

Species: Unknown

Citizenship: None

Affiliation(s): Tivan Group

Portrayed By: Stephen Blackehart

Appearances: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) | The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

A dispatcher working for the Tivan Group on Knowhere.

  • Ascended Extra: Downplayed. He was a very minor character in Vol. 1 and the Holiday Special, but he plays a somewhat important role during the climax of Vol. 3 where he helps Kraglin to pilot Knowhere and open fire on the High Evolutionary's spaceship.
  • Human Alien: Although he's presumably an alien, he looks absolutely identical to a normal human being. It's possible that he could be a Xandarian.
  • An Offer You Can't Refuse: Drax asks him to send a message to Ronan the Accuser while threatening him with his knives, making it clear that he will kill him if he says no.
  • Oh, Crap!: He is visibly terrified when an angry Drax suddenly puts his knives to his throat. Not that anyone would hold it against him.
  • Middle-Management Mook: He works for the Tivan Group, but his job is simply to handle communications and the delivery of merchandise.
  • Named in the Sequel: In his first appearance, his name is not mentioned and he's only referred to as "Knowhere Dispatcher" in the credits. In the third Guardians film, his name is finally revealed.
  • Recurring Extra: He makes small appearances on Knowhere in Vol. 1, Holiday Special and Vol. 3.
  • Small Role, Big Impact: It's only through his help that Drax was able to contact Ronan. If he hadn't been there, Ronan probably wouldn't have come to Knowhere and stolen the Orb.
  • Victimized Bystander: He's just a random guy doing his everyday job who has the misfortune of being threatened with death by a drunken Drax bent on revenge.
  • You Look Familiar: His actor Stephen Blackehart also portrays the Ravager Brahl in the second Guardians movie.

The Collector's prizes

    In General 

The Collector's collection

Appearances: Thor: The Dark World note  | Guardians of the Galaxy | Avengers: Infinity War | What If...?

A collection of various specimens and objects owned by the Collector.

    Howard the Duck 

Howard the Duck

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/howard_duck_7523.png
"What do you let him lick you like that for? Gross."
Click here to see him as he appears in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 

Species: Unknown

Portrayed By: Seth Green

Voiced By: Ricardo Méndez (Latin-American Spanish dub); Roberto González [Guardians of the Galaxy], Rafael Alonso Roldán [Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2] (European Spanish dub)

Appearances: Guardians of the Galaxy | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 | Avengers: Endgame | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

"You know what they say: 'You’re outta luck until you’ve gone duck!'"

One of the Collector's prizes: a duck-like alien (or possibly, as in the original continuity, an accidental visitor from Another Dimension) who seems to be in no hurry to escape. He eventually does, however, and ends up hanging out with the Ravagers.

  • Adaptational Angst Downgrade: In the comics he's trapped on Earth as a Fish out of Water and is very depressed about it. Here it's unclear whether or not he can go home but he's often seen traveling the cosmos in diverse areas where he's less likely to stick out like a sore thumb.
  • Adaptational Modesty: In many of his appearances in the comics, Howard went commando. Every appearance from his movie counterpart has worn pants.
  • The Alcoholic: Minus his cameo in Endgame, Howard is always seen with a drink in his hand.
  • Beware the Silly Ones: He is among the heroes summoned by Doctor Strange while wielding a BFG in Endgame.
  • The Cameo:
    • He appears in one of the stingers of Guardians of the Galaxy, but also in a Freeze-Frame Bonus much earlier in the film, locked in a containment unit in the background when the Collector turns to meet the Guardians.
    • He also appears in a bar in the Ravager Base during the sequel. He is also part of the illustrations for the credits complete with sommelier style holding of a wine glass.
    • He makes a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo in Endgame to the right of Wasp and alongside the Ravagers as one of the heroes Doctor Strange portals into the final battle against Thanos.
    • In the third movie, he appears a Knowhere, playing poker with Kraglin, Cosmo, and the Broker.
  • Demoted to Extra: He's a fairly popular character in the comic books,starring in his own comic book series for multiple volumes. He's also recognizable outside the comic book bubble for being one of the first Marvel characters who starred in his own feature film. In the MCU he only plays a very small role, having two short cameos in both of the Guardians Of The Galaxy-movies and not interacting with any of the main heroes (althought he can be spotted in Avengers: Endgame joining forces with the Avengers in the battle against Thanos). That's pretty little in comparision to his comic book counterpart.
  • Early Installment Character-Design Difference: He has a semi-realistic Funny Animal appearance in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, but subsequent appearances have his proportions look more cartoony and evocative of his design in the 2015 Marvel Comics miniseries.
  • Early-Bird Cameo: Pun intended. Moments before the Collector's Face-Revealing Turn in Guardians of the Galaxy, the Collector looks in his direction.
  • Funny Animal: Quite literally. He even makes a quack at the Collector's expense.
  • Go-Karting with Bowser: He may have been imprisoned by the Collector in a zero-privacy cell for an unknown length of time, but he doesn't hold it against the guy. At least, not when there's a chance of a free drink.
  • Let's Get Dangerous!: No pun intended, considering he's a duck and all, but Howard has been reserved solely for funny cameos and jokes during his tenure in the MCU thus far. Come the climax of Endgame, he's among the many heroes who answer the call to arms to help fight Thanos, showing that he is willing to lay down his life to helping protect and save the universe from oblivion.
  • Noodle Incident: It's never explained how he came to be part of The Collector's collection, though one would assume it's quite the story. Equally mysterious is how he came to be in the Ravager Base Bad Guy Bar, and became badass enough to join them for the Battle of Earth.
  • Quacking Up: As an anthropomorphic duck with an outgoing personality, Howard is a prominent example of this trope.
  • Really Gets Around: It's implied, by his one line in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, that Howard scores pretty frequently.
  • Refuge in Audacity: The only reason his cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy, and his subsequent appearances, aren't ridiculed for being too out-there for this continuity is because he's in movies that co-star a gun-toting raccoon.
  • Rule of Funny:
    • The reason why he is introduced in The Stinger to Guardians of the Galaxy is because the people at Marvel thought it would be funny. Apparently the director thinks this as well, hence his reasoning for putting him in:
      James Gunn: [on Howard's inclusion] Me having a bit of fun. We don't take ourselves too seriously.
    • This was the reason why he was among the heroes included in the final battle against Thanos.
  • Took a Level in Badass: Implied, given that he's one of the Ravagers on the front lines at the Battle of Earth.
  • Toothy Bird: In his first appearance, he has human teeth in his beak. In his second, not so much.
  • Umbrella Drink: He takes a swig from one, which is presumably alcoholic. "It burns going down."
  • Vocal Dissonance: Like Rocket he's a small, cute animal with a deep sounding Brooklyn Accent.
  • Waistcoat of Style: He has a red one, complete with a tie and an undershirt.

    Cosmo 

    Krylorian Attendant 

Krylorian Attendant

Species: Krylorian

Citizenship: None

Affiliation(s): Tivan Group

Portrayed By: Laura Ortiz

Appearances: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

The former assistant of the Collector before Carina.

  • Disproportionate Retribution: The Collector's words suggest that he subjected her to torture and imprisonment just because she didn't clean up his collection well enough.
  • Fate Worse than Death: For doing a disappointing job as a servant, she was condemned to be locked in a glass cage where she is continuously tortured. She remained in this condition until Carina caused the destruction of the collection by touching the Power Stone.
  • Green-Skinned Space Babe: Much like her successor Carina, she's a rather attractive magenta-skinned Krylorian woman.
  • Make an Example of Them: The Collector put her in display in one of his collection's glass cage to remind his other servant Carina of what would happen to her if she doesn't do her job properly.
  • No Name Given: Her actual name is unknown.
  • Uncertain Doom: We don't know if she managed to survive the explosion caused by Carina when she touched the Power Stone
  • The Voiceless: She doesn't say a single word. Considering her condition, it's unclear if she's even capable of speaking at all.
  • You Have Failed Me: Apparently, the Collector had her tortured and imprisoned in a glass cage for disappointing him with her job as a servant.

    Dark Elf 

Dark Elf

Species: Dark Elf

Citizenship: Svartalfar

Portrayed By: Douglas Robson

Appearances: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

A Dark Elf who is part of the Collector's collection.

    Others 

Cosmic Cocoon

Species: Sovereign

Appearances: Thor: The Dark World note  | Guardians of the Galaxy

A Sovereign cocoon that is part of the Collector's collection.

Giant Butterfly

Species: Butterfly

Appearances: Thor: The Dark World note 

A large blue butterfly that is part of the Collector's collection.

Frost Giant

Species: Frost Giant

Portrayed By: Unknown

Appearances: Guardians of the Galaxy

A Frost Giant who is part of the Collector's collection.

  • Continuity Cameo: He's a Frost Giant of the same species as the villains of the first Thor film who shows up briefly in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) as one of the Collector's prizes.
  • The Faceless: There is so much steam in his glass cage that we can't clearly see his face, or the rest of his body for that matter. In fact, we only know that it's an actual Frost Giant because Word of God said so.
  • No Name Given: His actual name is unknown.
  • Uncertain Doom: We don't know if he managed to survive the explosion caused by Carina when she touched the Power Stone
  • The Voiceless: He doesn't say a single word during his brief appearance.

Boot of Jemiah

    In General 

Boot of Jemiah

Appearances: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

A disreputable bar located on Knowhere.

  • Bad Guy Bar: Most of the people in Knowhere are outlaws, and they come to this bar to have drinks and bet on beast fights. Before even entering, Drax promptly understands that this is a rather unsavory place.
  • Bar Brawl: A fight breaks out in the bar between Drax, Groot and Rocket due to some bad words being spoken.
  • Bar Full of Aliens: All kinds of alien races can be found hanging out in this bar.
  • Beastly Bloodsports: Some sorts of space cockfighting are organized in this bar. It involves betting on multiple small Orlonis that get chased and eaten by a larger F'saki, the last Orloni standing wins.
  • Early-Bird Cameo: The name "Jemiah" is a reference to the Celestial Jemiah the Analyzer, who ends up making a minor appearance 16 films later in Eternals.
  • Getting the Boot: When the Guardians arrive at the bar, they see a patron being violently kicked out by a Bouncer.
  • Illegal Gambling Den: In this bar, bets are placed on which Orloni will be eaten last by a hungry F'saki.

    F'saki 

F'saki

Species: F'saki

Appearances: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

A species of reptilian creature used in bar games at Knowhere.

  • All Animals Are Dogs: Downplayed, but it has a few dog-like behaviors, such as lolling its tongue out like a dog after finishing the bar game.
  • All There in the Manual: The creature's name is never mentioned in the film, but it's revealed in the official artbook The Art of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
  • Attack the Tail: During Drax's game, the F'saki bites an Orloni by the tail and throws it in the air to make it fall into its mouth.
  • Big Eater: The bar games consist entirely of the F'saki devouring a large number of Orlonis one after the other.
  • Punctuation Shaker: It's an alien creature whose name begins with a letter followed by an apostrophe.
  • Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Zig Zagged. It looks like a big alien lizard and from the Orlonis' point of view it's a terrifying monster, but the bar patrons don't seem to mind. Groot, at least, is clearly disturbed by seeing the F'saki savagely devouring the poor Orlonis.

    Orlonis 

Orlonis

See Morag.

Others

    Knowhere Children 

Knowhere Children

Species: Unknown

Citizenship: None

Portrayed By: Gracie Fitch (Groot's Flower Girl)

Appearances: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

A group of homeless children begging for money in the streets of Knowhere.

  • Children Are Innocent: The girl Groot meets comes across as a sweet, friendly kid who makes a big smile when he offers her a flower.
  • Flowers of Femininity: One of the girls is given a flower by Groot and seems very happy about it.
  • Human Aliens: Despite being presumably aliens, they all look exactly like human children.
  • No Name Given: None of them are given names, not even in the credits.
  • Sticky Fingers: Peter Quill suspects that they're trying to steal their wallets and warns the other Guardians to be careful.
  • Street Urchin: They seem to be homeless and spend their days asking the visitors to Knowhere for a few Units.

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