History Characters / GuardiansOfTheGalaxyComics

This only applies to the ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' comics. For the characters from the [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy film]] in Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, see '''[[Characters/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyTheMovie here]]'''.

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[[foldercontrol]]

[[index]]

!The original (Future time period based) Guardians

[[folder:Founding Members]]
!!Major Victory (Vance Astro)

[[note]]due to how time travel and alternate realities work in Marvel, the Major Victory in Guardians vol 1 is not the same as the one in Vol 2. Probably.[[/note]]

* AbusiveParent: His dad was an abusive dick, and unlike his Earth-616 counterpart, Vance never stood up to him.
* {{Adorkable}}: Vol 2's Major is startled when Gamora flirts with him.
* AscendedFanboy: Was a big fan of Captain America.
* AwesomeMcCoolname: C'mon, Vance ''Astro''? (His birth name is Astrovik. ''3000'' explains he changed it a, because of his abusive dad, and b, because it sounds cooler.
* BrutalHonesty: Vol 2. Major accidentally told Bug why most of the modern-day Guardians quit, which Rocket had been meaning to ease him into.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: The modern-day Major vanished after ''The Thanos Imperative'', and hasn't been seen since.
* ClingyCostume: As an astronaut in an experimental sublight journey to Alpha Centauri, he was put inside a copper-lined uniform to survive a thousand-year space journey. If it is ever pierced in any way, he will suddenly age a thousand years.
** At one point in the nineties series, he actually manages to take it off. For a while, at least.
* CompressedHair: As the 90s series shows, there's a lot of hair under that uniform of his. You'd never know.
* DontYouDarePityMe: Had this attitude about being stuck in his suit.
* {{Flight}}
* FutureBadass
* HumanPopsicle: On and off for a thousand years.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: A version of him shows up in Vol 2, with a lot of his memories missing, and the feeling he came back to prevent something.
** AmnesiaMissedASpot: His fighting skills are still there, and he remembers the Badoon and their handiwork, all too well.
* LegacyCharacter: Major Victory for Captain America, amongst others.
* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: Eventually finds and uses Captain America’s shield.
* MilitarySuperhero: Before his long space journey, Vance was an astronaut and served in the U.S. Air Force.
* MindOverMatter: He's primarily a telekinetic.
* {{Mutant}}: Though his powers didn't activate 'till adult-hood. FridgeHorror ensues, because most Mutant powers activate after extreme trauma, and Vance's childhood definitely counted as traumatic.
* NinetiesHair: Once he's out of his costume, he has a truly impressive mullet.
* RiddleForTheAges: It's not clear how the Major in vol. 2 wound up in the modern day. Or how a chunk of Avenger's Mansion got thrown through time and space, before being frozen in Limbo Ice. It's discussed in the very last issue, and the future Guardians decide it doesn't matter any which way.
* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: One of the few things the vol.2 version of the Major recalls is that he came back in time to prevent a great disaster happening. By all evidence, he messed up bad on that front.
* TimeyWimeyBall: Because the Guardians of the Galaxy are honorary Avengers, Vance is the only member of the Avengers to be on the roster twice as the same person.
** And again in Vol 2.
* TookALevelInDumbass: Vance in ''Guardians 3000'' is much less intelligent and far more temperamental than before.

!!Charlie-27

* AcePilot
* TheBigGuy
* DeadpanSnarker: Gets very snarky when Starhawk goes on his "one-who-knows" shtick.
* {{Heavyworlder}}: Due to being a genetically engineered Jovian who lived on floating gas-mining city on Jupiter. Unlike many examples, he's not at all short, though at a listed height of 6'0" he's only a little taller than the average adult human male.
* MightyGlacier: Averted. Charlie can run faster than everyone else on the team, and usually has to slow down for them to keep up with him.
* MilitarySuperhero: Much like Vance, Charlie was in the military. It's why the Badoon didn't find and kill him, because he was off-world at the time.
* SuperStrength
* SuperToughness
* {{Transhuman}}
* WouldHitAGirl: If she's trying to kill him, yeah.

!!Martinex T'Naga

* AnIcePerson: Shoots ice from his left hand.
* ExposedExtraterrestrials: He’s a crystalline transhuman from the planet Pluto. His body is composed entirely of crystal, and never wears clothes.
* [[GadgeteerGenius Gadgeteer]] GeniusBruiser: He possesses enhanced strength, speed, and stamina as well as having earned doctorates in physics and engineering.
* PlayingWithFire: Shoots fire from his right hand.
* PowerIncontinence: ''Guardians 3000'' Marty has some trouble controlling his powers. Never ask him to hold a cup of coffee for you.
* SiliconBasedLife: His body is basically entirely composed of silicon, as with all other Pluvians.
* TheSmartGuy
* SuddenlyEthnicity: With the revelation that his ancestors were black Africans.
* SuperToughness
* {{Transhuman}}

!!Yondu Udonta

* ArtificialLimbs: Had a robotic right hand after [[spoiler: Interface from [[ThePsychoRangers Force]] uses his power to transmute matter to turn Yondu's hand to gas. The Guardians do restore his regular hand however.]]
* AxCrazy: Tends to go ax crazy at the drop of a hat.
* TheEmpath: Has a limited mystical perception that allows him to have relationships with living things.
* LastOfHisKind: He thought he was, for a long time.
* NatureHero: His empathic powers works on any world with wildlife.
* NobleSavage: His original characterization, though aspects of "Yondu-as-savage" remained to some extent in his 70s appearances and beyond.
* SpaceJews: His people, especially his particular tribe, are Space Native Americans.
* RedIsHeroic: Commonly wears red.
* TheStraightAndArrowPath
** TrickArrow: His sound-sensitive arrows that he can control by whistling.
* WalkingShirtlessScene: A lot of his outfits tend to eschew covering some or all of his chest.
* YouNoTakeCandle: He originally spoke like this. However, as of when the Guardians got their own series, he'd become quite articulate.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Additional Members]]
!!Starhawk (Stakar Ogord and Aleta Ogord)[=/=] Aleta Ogrod

The one who knows, and the son of Wendell Vaughn. And his adopted sister, with whom he frequently switches places.

* AbsoluteCleavage: Aleta's second outfit. And ''how''.
* AbusiveParent: Daddy Ogord, who tried to raise Aleta to be a brutal warrior. He's also directly responsible for the deaths of his grandchildren.
* ActionMom: Aleta had three children with Starhawk. Emphasis on "had". She's never forgiven Stakar for their deaths.
* CatchPhrase: Starhawk is in fact the one who knows.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: So far there's been no sign or sight of Aleta in ''3000''.
* CombatStilettos: Aleta's second outfit.
* FlyingBrick: Stakar, but only when he was fused with Aleta, since he had to borrow her powers to fight. Otherwise he was FragileSpeedster.
* GenderBender: When Starhawk appeared in the modern Guardians, he was a she. This was because time was falling apart at the seams.
** And again in ''Guardians 3000''. She's perturbed by it.
* GenderedOutfit: Aleta's original costume was basically a swim-suit version of Stakar's.
* HalfHumanHybrid: Starhawk is the son of ComicBook/{{Quasar}} and [[AdamWarlock Her]], making him half human, half orange-skinned [[ArtificialHuman Artificial Being]].
* LightEmUp: Both of them.
* MostCommonSuperpower: Aleta is generously endowed.
* MrExposition: Being the one who knows, Starhawk usually explains things to everyone.
** Becomes Mrs Exposition in Vol 2, during the aforementioned GenderBender.
* NotBloodSiblings: Stakar and Aleta are adopted sibings.
* [[IJustKnew The One Who Knows]]: Advised the Guardians on what course of action to take. This wasn’t a superpower, it was Stakar stuck in a time loop where he always relives his life from infancy, knowing what to do from experience.
* SecretPublicIdentity: After Aleta separated from Starhawk, she goes by her own name.
* SharingABody: Physically transformed by the Hawk God into one being with great power. The two had to share physical space, swapping at will, until the 90s series, where an attack by the Stark separates them.
* SixthRanger: Starhawk tends to be considered a founding member of the group, and frequently appears with the rest whenever they've reappeared. Aleta... [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome not so much]].
* TheStoic: Stakar isn't good with emotions, to say the least.
** NotSoStoic: He actually starts crying when he and Aeleta argue about their children.
* ThighHighBoots: Aeleta's second outfit.
* ThouShaltNotKill: Aeleta vowed never to take a life, and was horrified when she killed a Stark while defending herself.

!!Nicholette “Nikki” Gold

* DarkSkinnedRedHead
* DemotedToExtra: In Vol 2. When the original Guardians appear, Nikki's a no-show at first.
* FantasticRacism: Despises lizards, of all kinds.
* FieryRedhead: Literally and figuratively.
* FlamingHair
* FriendlySniper: Unless you're a filthy lizard, in which case she ''will'' try to kill you.
* TheGunslinger
* PlayingWithFire
* PointyEars
* PutOnABus: Nowhere to be seen when ''Guardians 3000'' begins, though she re-appears a few issues in. Her reappearance in issue 4 implies there's some LaserGuidedAmnesia going around.
* SheFu
* {{Transhuman}}
* WaifFu
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: She hates lizards. Anything even remotely reptilian, due to the Badoon attacking her homeworld when she was seven.

!!Firelord (Pyreus Kril)

* BoomStick: Firelord's staff can shoot cosmic flames out of both ends.
* TheChosenMany: A former member of the Nova Corp, as well as the Heralds of Galactus.
* DoomedHometown: Xandar.
* FlamingHair
* FlyingBrick: Pretty much a requisite of any Herald of Galactus.
* FlyingFirepower
* PlayingWithFire

!!Replica

* DemotedToExtra: Only appears ''once'' in Vol 2, during the meeting of the Guardians of All Galaxies.
* GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe: She's a Skrull
* PointyEars: Like all Skrulls.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting
** {{Animorphism}}
** PartialTransformation
** WingedHumanoid

!!Talon

* CatBoy
* HalfHumanHybrid
* KungFuWizard: Initially a better fighter than wizard, eventually given a AmuletOfConcentratedAwesome by his master.
* SkunkStripe
* WolverineClaws

!!Yellowjacket ([=Rita DeMara=])

* ActionGirl
* AffirmativeActionLegacy: She took Henry Pym's former Yellowjacket identity.
* AnimalThemeNaming
* ColorCharacter
* {{Flight}}
* HeelFaceTurn: She was part of the Masters of Evil.
* KilledOffForReal: In ComicBook/TheCrossing.
* SizeShifter

!!Geena Drake

* BadassNormal: Doesn't seem to have any actual powers, yet can survive a fight just as well as the rest of the team.
* HandCannon: Acquires one of these from a Badoon. And then Yondu gives her another shortly thereafter, one that's far more powerful and designed to not knock her off her feet whenever she fires it.
* MacguffinGirl: The reason the Guardians rescued her, she can sense disruption to time. Unfortunately, this means other, less benevolent beings want her as well.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Galactic Guardians]]
!!Martinex T'Naga
See ''The original Guardians - Founding Members'' above

!!Firelord (Pyreus Kril)
See ''The original Guardians - Additional Members'' above

!![[WonderMan Hollywood]] (Simon Williams)
* FlyingBrick
* EnergyBeing
* MyGreatestFailure: He blamed himself for the deaths of many of his fellow heroes during the early 21st Century Martian invasion of Earth.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Around a thousand years old, give or take.
* ReluctantWarrior

!![[TheVision Mainframe]]

* MasterComputer: A good version, he is the chief operating system of an entire planet of Klaatu and the guardian of the shield of Captain America.
* MissionControl
* OracularHead
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Like Hollywood, he's somewhere around a thousand years old.
* TheSmartGuy
* ThatManIsDead: He's not the Vision anymore, and would very kindly like it if no-one called him by his old name.

!!The Spirit of Vengeance (Wileaydus Autolycus)

* BadassBiker
* FlamingSkulls
* LegacyCharacter: The 31st century version of Ghost Rider.
* PlayingWithFire
** BreathWeapon
** {{Hellfire}}
* PostModernMagik

!!Replica
See ''The original Guardians - Additional Members'' above

!!Firelord (Pyreus Kril)
See ''The original Guardians - Additional Members'' above

!!Phoenix IX (Giraud of Haven)

* LegacyCharacter: The 9th version of the Phoenix since [[Comicbook/{{X-Men}} Jean Grey]].
* PlayingWithFire: His Phoenix powers give his cosmic pyrokinesis, essentially magic fire.
* PsychicPowers
** MindOverMatter
** IBelieveICanFly: Using psychokinesis.
** {{Telepathy}}
[[/folder]]

! The second (Modern time period based) Guardians

[[folder:Founding Members]]
!! Star-Lord (Peter Quill)

* AbusiveParent: Meredith Quill's husband tried to kill Peter when he was an infant. Retconned out in volume 3, however.
** J-Son of Spartoi is a racist jerkass who made no attempt to reconnect with his son for decades.
* TheAdjectivalSuperhero: ''Legendary'' Star-Lord.
* AscendedFanboy: He's a big fan of Astrology and science fiction since childhood.
* TheAtoner: He was the only one willing to fight The Fallen One, Galactus's first herald, despite being vastly underpowered in comparison. He won- at the cost of nearly everything he had, and the sacrifice of thousands of innocent lives. The death toll, even in the name of saving millions, transformed him into this. Later, he is tasked with setting up a deal between the Kree and the Space Knights which leads to the Phalanx infesting Hala and starting the second galactic war right after the Annihilation Wave months earlier, which forced him to become Star-Lord again. Now he fights to keep the universe from falling apart because he feels the responsibility for a good part of its current troubles are his fault in-part to begin with.
* {{Badass}}
** BadassNormal: He used to have powers, but lost them when he gave up being the Star-Lord. Now that he's back, he still doesn't have them, and is essentially just a really skilled human who is able to keep up with incredibly powerful beings like Ronan and Blastaar.
* BrokenHero: After his encounter with the Fallen One.
* CasanovaWannabe: In Volume 3 as written by Bendis.
* TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive: After that business with the Fallen One, he wanted nothing more than to be forgotten. Then the Annihilation Wave came along, followed by the Phalanx invasion.
* CallingTheOldManOut: In his classic appearances, he doesn't take too kindly to his father abandoning his mother and partially blames him for his uncle sending assassins to kill her, but doesn't outright consider him a villain and allows his allies to stay in his father's care. In more modern books, J'Son has become much more of a jerk, and Quill has far less patience for it.
* ChivalrousPervert: After he starts dating Kitty Pryde of the ComicBook/XMen, some of his banter with her can get pretty pervy (including asking about if she has any lingerie and commenting on how her butt looks in her uniform), but its mostly just teasing, and as shown, he does care a lot about her and ''wants'' to make things work with her.
* CoolHelmet: From Annihilation Conquest until the end of the Thanos Imperative. It's widely considered one of the coolest costumes in comics.
** CollapsibleHelmet: The faceplate folds up and down as needed.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Star-Lord can come off as not really knowing what he's doing and seems like a kind of ineffective leader, but when it comes down to it, he's able to keep the team together and save the day every time.
-->'''Thanos''': Interesting. You pretend to be superficial and glib, but you understand.
* {{Cyborg}}: He got a significant number of implants during his stay at the Kylnn, including a universal translator, and tech to enhance his strength. Ronan had them removed when the Kree recovered him and forced him to lead their suicide squad into the Babel Tower.
* CynicismCatalyst: His fight with The Fallen One.
* DeadpanSnarker
* ElementalWeapon: His classic Element Gun, which he lost when he quit the mantle of the Star-Lord.
** BlowYouAway: It can shoot gusts of air that knock enemies back.
** MakingASplash: He can use it to manipulate water around him or just shoot it out like a hose.
** PlayingWithFire: It can shoot flame like a flamethrower.
* FamedInStory: Even though he really wishes he wasn't. He's also famed enough that even some of the incredibly speciesist Kree are impressed by him. It also why some of the proto-Guardians joined up for their mission with him, because he was the one leading it.
* GotVolunteered: Not originally- he went rogue and attacked his fellow astronauts to steal the title of the Star-Lord from the chosen candidate, but after his retirement, he wasn't given a choice in taking the mantle up again for a Suicide Mission on Hala.
* GuileHero: He falls into this to compensate for being a normal human in a galaxy of superpowered aliens and monsters.
* GuiltComplex: Quill considers the protection of the galaxy his personal mission, and anything that threatens it is his responsibility... which means whenever anything goes inevitably wrong, he considers it his fault. It's what drives him to keep fighting and part of what earns him the respect of the team.
* GunsAkimbo: His preferred method of fighting- whether it be outdated human weaponry to fight the Phalanx, his signature Kree [=SMGs=] or just any random dual wielded alien laser gun.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: He naturally has gold hair. He has it permanently dyed brown after enrolling himself in the Kyln. He's SuddenlyBlonde again when he returns from the Cancerverse.
* HalfHumanHybrid: Half-human and half-Spatoi/Spartax.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Rocket Raccoon and Richard Rider.
* HeroicBastard
* HeroicSacrifice: He and Nova Prime, Richard Rider, stay behind in the collapsing Cancerverse with Thanos, to ensure that nothing there can return to the main universe, seemingly sacrificing themselves in the process.
* HopeBringer: Despite his best efforts, this is how he's seen by the galaxy at large, ''especially'' the Kree.
* IndyPloy: His plans usually only consist of shouting "scatter!" or letting the team make it up as they go, although it's implied that he knows more about what they're doing than he lets on.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Was more a JerkAss in his early stories, and after he initially quits the title of Star-Lord he's mostly faking being a jerk. By the time he's founded the Guardians, it's pretty transparent.
* JumpedAtTheCall: Ironic, considering where he ended up. He watched aliens kill his mom and no one on Earth believed him, so he spent his whole life transforming himself into someone who could go to space and find his mother's killers. When he discovers the Master of the Sun is going to make one of his fellow astronauts a superhero, he goes as far as holding up the station and stealing a vehicle to get the title himself.
* KnightInSourArmor: After he initially quits as Star-Lord and turns himself over to the authorities, he transforms into a much more bitter and cynical man, but when the Annihilation Wave threatens the galaxy again he's still one of the key members of the resistance (just don't call him the Star-Lord).
* LetsSplitUpGang: Most of his plans boil down to splitting up the team into much smaller sections and having them do their own thing.
* LonersAreFreaks: When he was still on Earth, he developed this reputation- his only company was his pet owl, and he dedicated himself fully to becoming an astronaut, leading to a complete lack of social graces and having very little patience or empathy for his fellow man.
* MagneticHero: It's his reputation and personality that bring and keeps the Guardians together.
* MediationBackfire: His attempts at stopping conflicts tends to lead to this- from inter-galactic wars like the Inhumans and Vulcan's forces in War of Kings, to squabbles among his teammates.
* MyGreatestFailure: The incident that caused him to be incarcerated in the Kyln.
** Later replaced by [[{{ComicBook/Annihilation}} the Phalanx invasion]], which happened on his watch.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: He knows significantly more about what's going on than he appears to at all times- he just chooses to hide beneath glib and superficial humor.
* PragmaticHero: He can border on this at times, going as far as to have Mantis mentally coerce the members into joining the team to assemble them faster.
* RebelPrince: Technically he's the prince to the Spartax throne. He wants nothing to do with the Spartan Empire however.
* SapientShip: Used to have one, [[SarcasmMode imaginatively]] called Ship. She was apparently killed in the battle with The Fallen One, but actually survived- Quill just refuses to contact her again out of shame.
* SeenItAll: Star-Lord's been doing this for a long, long time, and at this point next to nothing surprises him- from time-traveling alternate universe shenanigans, to a universe of eldritch abominations. It tends to happen when two of your closest friends are a talking raccoon and a giant tree-man.
* SourSupporter: During the war with the Annihilation Wave, he served as this and as the general of the resistance armed forces under Richard Rider.
* SupportingLeader: He's the least powerful member of the team by a longshot, so even when he's giving commands and leading from the front, he still tends to fall out of focus in the scale of the battle. Especially during cosmic wars and events.
* {{Swashbuckler}}: The classic era Star-Lord was this- he even engaged in sword-fights with his enemies at times.
* ThatManIsDead: He refused to be called Star-Lord during his imprisonment in the Kyln, but was forced back into the mantle by the Kree to inspire a suicide mission into the Babel Tower on Hala to cripple the Phalanx. He tried his best to keep it from sticking, but gave up by the end of the war, embracing his title.
* TheChosenOne: Played with. Was given the title of Star-Lord by a being called the [[EnigmaticEmpoweringEntity Master of the Sun]], but he wasn't the person actually chosen - he was so desperate to become the Star-Lord, he wounded his fellow astronauts to steal the position - the Master of the Sun didn't seem to care much and decided he had enough merit to become the Star-Lord anyway.
* TheLeader: Type II.
* WhatTheHellHero: His reaction to Martyr taking [[TheInhumans Crystal]] hostage.

!!Rocket Raccoon

* AlliterativeName: And yes, Rocket Racoon is his real name.
* AnimalSuperhero: He's a Raccoon, created to watch over an insane asylum because it was believed that the inmates would react more positively to adorable animal guards and caretakers than aliens.
* ArmCannon: After being taken over by the Venom symbiote, he becomes able to transform his arms into multi-barrelled biomechanical guns.
* BadassAdorable: Despite being the smallest and least physically imposing member of the Guardians, he packs a lot of firepower and is very tech-savvy.
* BarefootCartoonAnimal: His Guardians of the Galaxy uniform lacks boots.
* BigGuyLittleGuy: The little guy to Groot's big guy.
* {{Cyborg}}: He's a genetically-engineered cyborg raccoon.
* DressCodedForYourConvenience: His costume is the same uniform worn by most of the team.
* EvilCounterpart: Blackjack O'Hare. Especially in Rocket's 2014 ongoing. To compare, both are anthropomorphic critters from Halfworld, both were romantic interests of Lylla, both are extremely proficient strategists and marksmen. The main difference is that Blackjack is a lot more shameless with who he will work for and is not above sadistic revenge plots.
* FakeMemories: Everything he thinks he knows about his past up until he first comes to Earth is a lie- [[spoiler:He had his memory rewritten (on his own orders) to keep himself from returning to Halfworld in order to keep a dangerous telepath from causing massive damage across the universe.]]
* FireForgedFriends: He, Star-Lord, Groot, Mantis and Bug. They didn't particularly get along or even like each other at first, but over the course of the war with the Phalanx, they've become extremely close - especially Rocket and Groot.
* {{Flanderization}}: During the ''Marvel Now'' run by Bendis, everyone is fairly out-of-character, but Rocket gets this the worst by far. He's gone from being TheLancer who really, really likes his guns but being otherwise a friendly and good person, to suddenly becoming a SociopathicHero who enjoys hurting things, shouting "Blam! Murdered you." and has suddenly decided that he's not a Raccoon anymore, after decades of calling himself one. He also has developed a great deal of racism for Humans and contempt for Earth, despite previously being depicted as a good friend of Quill and Corsair.
* GatlingGood: The larger the gun, the more he likes it.
* GotVolunteered: He was imprisoned because he was seen as an affront to Kree racial superiority, and was drafted into Star-Lord's suicide squad, which would eventually transform into the Guardians of the Galaxy.
* GunsAkimbo: When he's wielding a gun that's small enough to hold in one hand, he's bound to have a second one for the other- though he's usually seen with massive two-handed guns instead.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Groot and Star-Lord.
* HumongousMecha: Has one, which he uses to force Thanos to let go of Star-Lord.
* {{Hypocrite}}: He claims he thinks a lot of the reason he distrusts Cosmo is that he's an "anthropomorphic freak".
* InformedAbility: He's allegedly a tactical genius, but most of his plans involve firing guns.
** Admittedly, those plans do work, most of the time.
* TheLancer: Second in command of the team.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: All his memories of Halfworld were erased when he left. He recovers them when he returns.
* LoyalAnimalCompanion: He's one of the only members of the team to never quit.
* MoodSwinger: When written by Bendis, he goes from being almost-timid to hyper-aggressive seemingly at random.
* MoreDakka: His impressive and massive arsenal.
* NamedAfterSomebodyFamous: In a way - his name comes from Music.TheBeatles song "Rocky Raccoon".
* TheNapoleon
* NumberTwo: Because of his tactical mind and their long-standing history, Star-Lord consults with Rocket first on major plans, and trusts him to lead the team when he's gone or when they split up.
* OddFriendship: Both with Groot and with Star-Lord.
* PintSizedPowerhouse: He's able to hold guns more than three times his size and fire them without any harm to his body.
* PungeonMaster: He semi-frequently cracks puns about being a raccoon.
* RammingAlwaysWorks: One of his more impressive attacks, [[spoiler:Rocket takes control of Knowhere, the massive space station held in the severed head of a Celestial, and rams it into the base of the Universal Church of Truth]]
* SarcasticDevotee: He'll make plenty of cracks in Star-Lord's general direction, but he'd follow him to the end no matter what.
* SitcomArchNemesis: Cosmo.
* SociopathicHero: In the Bendis series, he enjoys shooting at people a bit too much.
* SpotlightStealingSquad[=/=]WolverinePublicity: He ended up the most popular character, appearing Marvel vs. Capcom 3, being the first member of the team to join the cast of Marvel Heroes and has received significantly more merchandise than the others on the team.
* TheStrategist: Described as one of the best tactical minds in the Marvel Universe.
* TakeUpMySword: [[spoiler:When Star-Lord and Richard Rider sacrifice themselves to seal Thanos in the Cancerverse, the Guardians are left disbanded and leaderless. Refusing to stand for this, Rocket decides to travel the galaxy with Groot, righting wrongs and saving people as best they can, claiming they have the "legacy of the Guardians of the Galaxy to live up to".]]
* TalkingAnimal: He's as eloquent as any other member of the team, and he's a raccoon.
* UpliftedAnimal: He's from Halfworld, a planet populated by genetically-augmented and cybernetically-enhanced sentient animals.
* WhatWouldXDo: When he's in charge, Rocket spends a lot of time asking "What would Peter do?".
* YouCantGoHomeAgain: After having his memories altered, Rocket is no longer able to go back to Halfworld, for fear of setting an extremely powerful telepathic criminal loose.

!!Gamora

* ActionGirl: Action ''Woman'', thank you.
* AmazonBrigade: Her ''Graces'' during Annihilation. They split up afterward.
* AmbiguouslyBi: Although she definitely had been involved with men like [[ComicBook/{{Nova}} Richard Rider]], ComicBook/AdamWarlock, and [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony]] [[ReallyGetsAround Stark]]; she also has quite a few of moments with [[ComicBook/AngelaMarvelComics Angela]]:
-->'''Intercom voice''': Will you marry me?\\
'''Angela''': You're too short, Rocket.\\
'''Intercom voice''': This is Gamora.\\
'''Angela''': I'll consider it.
* AmicableExes: With Adam Warlock. And usually with Richard Rider, though she was angered when he invited her to a private place and didn't want to sleep with her.
* ArchaicWeaponForAnAdvancedAge: She primarily uses swords in combat.
* {{Badass}}: She isn't called ''the most dangerous woman in the galaxy'' for nothing.
* BadassCape: A Gamora mainstay, up until vol 3. The clasps look like skulls.
* CoolSword: Wielded one during and after ComicBook/{{Annihilation}}, named Godslayer - fitting, as it was designed (and has been used to) kill gods and beings more powerful than them in the Marvel Universe. When Thanos is brought back to life to battle the Cancerverse, the sword shatters on him.
* CombatStilettos: In her original outfit. Averted since vol 3.
* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: The reason she joined the Guardians in the first place.
* TheDreaded: See Badass above.
* GoodThingYouCanHeal: Once got set on fire by being too close to a star. It took a few months for her to heal.
* GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe: Greenness may vary. Sometimes it's more a pale olive colour.
* HeelFaceTurn:First during the 70's and then after ComicBook/{{Annihilation}}.
* HeroesPreferSwords: She is skilled with every kind of weapon but she uses mostly swords.
* HitmanWithAHeart: It's buried under layers of sarcasm and cold-blooded ruthlessness, but it's there.
* IKnowKungFu: Among other forms of martial arts, all in the name of killing anything she runs into.
* InterspeciesRomance : with Adam Warlock and Nova (Richard Rider).
* [[LastOfHisKind Last of Her Kind]]: Last of the Zen Whoberians. Or, she will be. Either way, she's not concerned about it, at all.
* LadyOfWar
* LegacyCharacter: In the 100th Anniversary Special, she takes up the mantle of Star-Lord.
* [[MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter Mad Titan's Beautiful Daughter]]: She's the adopted daughter of {{Thanos}}.
* MonochromaticEyes: Depending on the artist.
* MsFanservice
* PaletteSwap: Her Guardians outfit is just her previous outfit done up in the team's colours (i.e. blue with red trimming, as opposed to her previous dark green with yellow trimming).
* TheRedBaron: "The Deadliest Woman In the Universe".
* SheFu
* SourSupporter: Snarky and derisive though she is, she is a dedicated member of the team, as getting herself horrifically burnt proved.
* StatuesqueStunner : She's 6 feet tall.
* {{Stripperific}} : Though the Bendis series dropped this.
** AbsoluteCleavage
** {{Sideboob}}
** VaporWear
* BoyishShortHair: Very briefly, after recovering from being burn to a crisp, because her hair took slightly longer to grow back than the rest of her.
* {{Tykebomb}}: Raised to kill the Magus. [[spoiler:When he finally takes over Adam Warlock, her attempts to stop him fail, and she appears to die.]]
* VerbalTic: Refers to Richard Rider as "Richard-Human". Given she doesn't do the same for anyone else, this is probably to annoy him.

!!ComicBook/AdamWarlock

* ArtificialHuman
* BadassLongcoat
* FriendlyEnemy: To Thanos.
* FutureMeScaresMe: He hates the thought of becoming the Magus again, and even [[spoiler:asked Peter to kill him when it was about to happen. Until it turned out he already was the Magus, and was just screwing with Peter's head.]]
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Usually, though he can be terse and blunt.
* HeroicSacrifice: Against Thanos In Marvel Two In One Annual #2. He got better.
* InterspeciesRomance: With Gamora.
* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:At the beginning of ComicBook/TheThanosImperative]]. Time will tell if he comes back.
* LightEmUp
* PivotalWakeup: When he awakens from the trace put upon him by the Soul Gem.
* SlasherSmile: The Magus has a near-permanent one. Adam starts wearing it when he begins to turn.
* TheSmartGuy: The one who fixes the [[NegativeSpaceWedgie NegativeSpaceWedgies]] the team encounter, and the most together male on the team. Yes, they're that dysfunctional.
* SoulPower: Provided by the Soul Gem.
* TheSpock
* SuperpoweredEvilSide: Magus is Warlock's [[JekyllAndHyde Mr. Hyde]].
* TechnicalPacifist
* UltimateLifeForm: What originally he was supposed to be.
* UnwantedFalseFaith: The Church of Universal Truth consider him their god. He really hates this.

!!Drax the Destroyer (Arthur Douglas)

* BaldOfAwesome
* TheBerserker
* TheBigGuy: Shares this with Groot
* DePower: Drax used to have all kinds of fancy powers. Now all he has is his knives and the fact that he won't give up. And that's all he needs.
* DualWielding: A pair of big knives.
* DumbMuscle: In his old large body, he became a lot smarter with the new small one.
** And then in the most recent series, he want back to this.
* {{Expy}}: Originally he was the ComicBook/IncredibleHulk but IN SPACE. Later on, in his new body he's moved away from this.
* FlyingBrick: He was this before his current body, he had even a cape.
* HulkSpeak: In the 90's.
* ImplacableMan: If he wants to kill someone, he will kill them, and not even Galactus can stop him.
* ItsPersonal: Thanos killed Arthur Douglas and his wife just for witnessing him. It stopped being personal a long time ago, when Drax stopped seeing himself as Arthur Douglas.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Maybe not gold, but a precious metal, definitely.
* ManChild: For a while.
* MurderIsTheBestSolution: He believes there are very few problems that cannot be solved by killing somebody. Or, when there may be Skrull infiltrators on Knowhere, by killing ''everybody''.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: The Destroyer.
* TheObiWan: To [[ComicBook/{{Nova}} Richard Rider]] in Annihilation.
* OneManArmy: He's called the Destroyer, and it shows. When chasing Thanos, he ploughed his way through the Annihilation Wave to reach him.
* PapaWolf: Even if he is estranged from them, and emotionally distant when he is there, don't hurt Cammi or Moondragon.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: It was basically his raison d'être until he finally managed to kill Thanos in ComicBook/{{Annihilation}}.
* TheStoic
* ThatManIsDead: Arthur Douglas was killed by Thanos years ago. Drax is actually surprised when an act of MindRape awakens what little was left of his former self.
* UnexplainedRecovery: Thanos killed him dead in ComicBook/TheThanosImperative, leaving nothing behind, and come Avengers Assemble, he's back without a single comment. It took several years before an explanation was given, and that explanation was... he just came back to life.
* WalkingShirtlessScene: In his most recent form.
* WasOnceAMan: Before being revived by Chronos.
* XtremeKoolLetterz

!! ComicBook/{{Quasar}}[=/=]Martyr (Phyla-Vell)

* AbusiveParent: Her mother was very harsh and demanding towards her, often unfavourably comparing her to her brother Genis.
* ActionGirl
* BoyishShortHair
* BuryYourGays: Killed instantly by a [[spoiler:revived Thanos.]]
* ButtMonkey: Treated with less and less respect throughout vol 2, up until [[spoiler:her death]].
* CoolSword: Her go-to creation when wielding the Quantum Bands. When she becomes Martyr she gets a different one.
* [[DroppedABridgeOnHim Dropped a Bridge on Her]]
* EnergyWeapon: She can create many of these with her Quantum Bands.
* GreenLanternRing: Her Quantum Bands, which she eventually loses, and declines to take back when given the chance.
* HairTriggerTemper: After becoming Martyr.
* TheHeart: The most compassionate member of the team, up until she became Martyr.
* InTheHood: Consistent throughout all her outfits are hoods.
* InterspeciesRomance: With Moondragon
* LegacyCharacter: To ComicBook/CaptainMarvell, her father, and to Quasar. She suffers a lot of self-doubt over it.
* MostCommonSuperPower: Though given she's on the same team as Gamora, it can be hard to tell.
* MysticalWhiteHair: Quasar who has energy manipulation and flight powers and certainly looks the part.
* TookALevelInJerkass: When she became Martyr.
** TookALevelInDumbass: Her decisions and temper become much worse at the same time, from starting brawls in bars to holding a head of a major galactic empire hostage in front of her family. Magus implies it's all the equivalent of a desperate cry for attention, and points out that she's way in over her head.
* UnscrupulousHero: As Martyr.

!! Groot

* TheBigGuy: Shares this with Drax
* BigGuyLittleGuy: The big guy to Rocket Raccoon's little guy.
* DeusExitMachina: Generally regarded as the team's heaviest hitter, Groot was absent from the team's official foundation as he was still recovering from his sacrifice in Annihilation. Likewise, whenever he needs to be written out for drama they simply have him make a slow recovery from a prior battle.
* GeniusBruiser: He is apparently quite smart and eloquent, we just can't understand what he's saying.
* GentleGiant
* GlassCannon: In Bendis stories he gets destroyed easily.
* HealingFactor / [[FromASingleCell From A Single Splinter]]: A very impressive one. Groot can, depending on the circumstances, regenerate lost limbs and even his entire body within seconds of being destroyed. Though going from a single splinter usually takes much longer and requires water.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Rocket.
* PlantAliens
* PokemonSpeak: "I am Groot!"
** SesquipedalianLoquaciousness[=/=]TechnoBabble: Apparently what he's really saying.
** CharacterisationMarchesOn: In [[{{ComicBook/Annihilation}} Annihilation: Conquest]] and the earlier issues of the series, he was capable of saying other things.
* TheExile: Banished from his home planet.
* RedBaron: Groot, King of Planet X, Ruler of All He Shades, [[SpeciesSurname Flora Colossus]].
** [[spoiler:FakeKing: He's not actually a king.]]
* WhenTreesAttack: He's a tree-like alien called the ''Flora colossus'', with a very strong right hook.
* TheWorfEffect: See GlassCannon especially.

!!Mantis (Mandy Celestine)

* ActionGirl
** ActionMom: She has a son out there... [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome somewhere]].
* AmicableExes: She and Kang have a "history". [[TimeTravelTenseTrouble Or did, or will]].
* AstralProjection
* BecauseDestinySaysSo: Becoming the Celestial Madonna.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Normally, Mantis is one of the calmest, sweetest and friendliest people around. In combat, however, she's utterly ruthless. And she's not above BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood.
* BlessedWithSuck: She can see the future, but she can't do anything to change what happens, meaning if someone is going to go mad and turn the team, she can't warn anyone.
* TheChosenOne: This one is the Celestial Madonna.
* DoesNotLikeShoes: Averted when she joins the team, played straight before that.
* TheEmpath
* GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe: Not at first.
* GreenThumb: She's very fond of her plants. Both the sentient and the non-sentient ones.
* HealingFactor
* IKnowKungFu
* InterspeciesRomance: With a member of the Cotati race (read a living tree).
* KickChick: in battle scenes, usually shown kicking, showing off her long legs since she fights in something resembling a grass skirt.
* MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter: Her father was the original Libra of the Zodiac (although as of ''Avengers Forever'', he's not quite a villain anymore).
* MissionControl: In as much as the Guardians have anyone who can keep them in line and tell them what to do, Mantis is this.
* PlantPerson: She can control the growth of plants, which is used to bring down the Phalanx Babel Spire.
* PlayingWithFire: On rare occasions, she has shown the ability of pyrokinesis. It's implied she doesn't like using it, which given her empathic abilities wouldn't be surprising.
* PsychicPowers
* PutOnABus: Isn't a member of the team come vol 3, with only one appearance so far.
* ShipTease: Between her and Peter. Nothing ever comes of it, though.
* [[RaisedByWolves Raised By Aliens]]: Plant aliens, at that.
* ThirdPersonPerson
* TwoferTokenMinority: Half-Vietnamese, half-German.
* VerbalTic: "This one"

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Additional Members]]

!!Major Victory (Vance Astro)
See ''The original Guardians - Founding Members'' above

!!Bug

* AnimalThemedSuperbeing
* ChickMagnet: When you're able to seduce a member of the notoriously speciesist Kree, you qualify for this.
** It also gets him and the rest of the Guardians into trouble when he tries to flirt with ''Medusa''. Right in front of her husband, to boot.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Bug is a goofy, wisecracking sort, but he is lethal with that staff of his.
* DeadpanSnarker: Very snarky.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Spends a lot of his time asking why he wasn't on the first choice for the team, even though he was part of the proto-Guardians from the get-go.
* HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic: Averted.
* IHaveTheHighGround
* JumpedAtTheCall: Was perfectly happy to join the team again, mainly because Rocket forgot to mention the whole brainwashing thing.
* KidAppealCharacter
* PutOnABus:
** Wasn't present during the team's founding, and it wasn't made clear where he'd gotten to.
** He was briefly in the MarvelNow version of the team until he was no longer being considered for the 2014 movie. After this he promptly disappeared without any explanation and rejoined the Micronauts by the Minimum Carnage BatFamilyCrossover for ComicBook/ScarletSpider and ComicBook/{{Venom}}.
* SpeaksFluentAnimal: His antennae enable communication with others bearing antennae.
* SpiderSense: He has his own version.
* SuperSenses: Has extraordinary sight, upgraded by his helmet.
* VerbalTic: "Tik"
* WallCrawl

!!Jack Flag (Jack Harrison)

-->"I hate cosmic stuff..."

* BadAss: Fought Norman Osborn's Thunderbolts team after violating the Superhuman Registration Act, and only lost because Bullseye stabbed him the spine, leaving him paralysed.
** BadAssNormal: Started off as this.
** HandicappedBadAss: Even whilst in wheelchair, Jack became the de-facto leader of the inmates of Prison 42 after the wardens abandoned the prison during the ComicBook/SecretInvasion & fought off Blastaar's forces in his attempt to gain access to the prison's portal to Earth.
* CaptainGeographic
* CaptainPatriotic
* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Knew what violating the Registration Act would bring on him, and didn't care, because someone needed help.
* FishOutOfWater: Jack's a street-level hero, used to dealing with people like ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, and he has a bit of trouble coming to terms with someone like ComicBook/IronMan. He's way out of his depth with the Guardians. The only reason he doesn't go home is because (as far as he knows) he's still a wanted man.
* GrumpyBear: [[CatchPhrase He hates cosmic stuff]].
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Saves a girl from some thugs, gets beaten up, crippled, beaten up ''some more'' and then thrown into another universe and left to rot for his troubles.
* OnlySaneMan: Prior to joining the Guardians, Jack was imprisoned in Prison 42 located in the Negative Zone, for breaching the Superhuman Registration Act. When he joined up with the Guardians, he reacted to most of the cosmic stuff with "I hate cosmic stuff" due to his background as a street faring vigilante.
* PutOnABus: Hasn't been seen so far in vol 3. In all likelihood, he went back home.
* RunningGag: He doesn't like 'cosmic stuff'. Not even after it gives him his legs back.
* SuperSpeed: Not Quicksilver level super-speed, but faster than the human norm.
* SuperStrength: Strong enough to go up against Mr. Hyde and win. Bearing in mind, Mr. Hyde regularly fights ''[[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]]''.
* ThrowingOffTheDisability: Left paralysed from the waist down following his run in with the Thunderbolts. The damage to his spine was healed using alien technology during his first visit to Knowhere.
* WearingAFlagOnYourHead[=/=]YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Blue hair, with portions dyed red & white.

!!Cosmo

* BadassAdorable: An incredibly powerful psychic, who just happens to come in the form of a Golden Retriever / Labrador cross-breed.
** Even more so when he's briefly turned into a puppy, while losing none of his abilities.
* BarrierWarrior
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Incredibly friendly and good-natured, but upset him, and the fangs come out.
* CurbStompBattle: Against the Cancerverse Hulk of all people. Cosmo swiftly kills the Hulk (temporarily) by using his psychic powers to make him have a stroke.
* FunnyAnimal
* HealingFactor
* HeroicDog
* MissionControl
* MysteriousPast: Not even Cosmo remembers how exactly he came by his powers.
* PoirotSpeak: 'Speaks' with a thick stereotypical Russian accent.
* PsychicPowers
** MindOverMatter
** IBelieveICanFly: Using psychokinesis.
** {{Telepathy}}
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He's the head of security for Knowhere, and the only being there who doesn't try to rake the Guardians over the coals.
* SitcomArchNemesis: To Rocket.

!!Moondragon (Heather Douglas)

* AcePilot
* AGodAmI: Has her moments
* [[ArrogantKungFuGuy Arrogant Kung Fu Girl]]: It resulted in her taking on The Dragon of The Moon. And even after barely winning that fight, she still remained arrogant. After several rounds of trauma and DemonicPossession, this has subsided.
* BaldWomen
* BiTheWay: With a particular fondness for the Quasars
* BuryYourGays
** BackFromTheDead: Revived by Drax and Phyla in the series.
* CombatStilettos: Her team uniform is the only one to have heels.
* DemonicPossession: She has a history with this.
* TheEngineer
* TheGift
* GoodBadGirl
* InterspeciesRomance: With Phyla-Vell. She's a human, and Phyla's half-Kree, half-Eternal.
* ItsPersonal: Thanos killed her father, her mother and her lover. It's very personal.
* LipstickLesbian
* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: Doesn't come up during her time with the team, but in the past she's shown remarkable proficiencies in a lot of fields. And she's capable of keeping up with Thanos in a conversation.
* PutOnABus: Didn't come back for vol. 3.
* PsychicPowers
* [[RaisedByWolves Raised By Aliens]]: Raised by Mentor of the Eternals. He and Drax don't exactly get on too well, to say the least (the fact that Mentor is Thanos' ''dad'' really doesn't help).
* ScaledUp: Was only able to turn into a dragon once [[HeroicSacrifice but she made it count]].
** As it turned out, this was because of an approaching case of DemonicPossession.
* StalkerWithATestTube: To ComicBook/{{Quasar}}. Her ComingOutStory revolved around her realizing that she had only ever used sex and romance as a means to an end, rather than an end in itself.
* TraumaCongaLine: The entire second half of the second volume, and ComicBook/TheThanosImperative are one for her.
* TwoferTokenMinority

!!ComicBook/IronMan (Anthony "Tony" Stark)
* BadassBookworm
* ChivalrousPervert
* PoweredArmor: A trademark, but his one for this group was the Space Armor MK III.
* ScienceHero
* SpotlightStealingSquad[=/=]WolverinePublicity: Pretty much the only reason he was considered was his prominence in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse.

!![[ComicBook/AngelaMarvelComics Angela]]
* ActionGirl
* AnAxeToGrind
* [[BatmanCanBreatheInSpace Angela Can Breathe In Space]]
* CanonImmigrant: From Image's ''ComicBook/{{Spawn}}''.
* ChainmailBikini
* FieryRedhead
* FireForgedFriends: With Gamora.
* LongLostRelative: A tie-in to ''ComicBook/OriginalSin'' and ''Comicbook/LokiAgentOfAsgard'' reveals that Angela is Odin's daughter, and thus [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]]'s half-sister & SelfDemonstrating/{{Loki}}'s adopted sister.
* [[NinetiesAntiHero Nineties Anti-Heroine]]: MostCommonSuperpower? Check. {{Stripperiffic}} with ChainmailBikini? Check.
* OurAngelsAreDifferent: She's actually Asgardian, for one.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: When she is accidentally dragged into the Marvel Universe she swears vengeance on [[ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} the one who caused it to happen]].
* {{Stripperiffic}}

!![[ComicBook/MsMarvel Captain Marvel]] (Carol Danvers)

* AcePilot
* ActionGirl
* FlyingBrick
* LegacyCharacter

!!Agent ComicBook/{{Venom}} (Eugene "Flash" Thompson)

* FishOutOfWater: Flash was simply a member of the US Military who lost his legs trying his damnedest to save a superior officer, before jumping at the opportunity of being able to walk again thanks to the symbiote & volunteering to essentially become a government issue Spider-Man. And then was taken even further out of water by being appointed as the Avengers' liaison to the Guardians of the Galaxy.
* LegacyCharacter: The fourth person to wear the symbiote & operate under the identity of Venom.
[[/folder]]

----

!!Angela

* AdjectivalSuperhero: ''Legendary'' Star-Lord.