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Guardians of the Galaxy

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/guardians_of_the_galaxy_vol_2_1_textless_9.jpg
"I'm suggesting an ass-kicking force. Tough, elite, ready to deploy the instant anything flies towards the fan."note 

A team of cosmic heroes formed in the aftermath of the second Annihilation war.

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Founding Members

    Star-Lord 

Star-Lord (Peter Jason Quill)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3704286_ann_con_star_lord_3.jpg

For nearly an hour...the newborn babe lay alone upon the chill, deserted Earth and stared at the stars above!

Peter Jason Quill, better known by his alias Star-Lord, is a Marvel Comics character created by Steve Englehart and Steve Gan, first showing up in Marvel Preview #4 (January 1976).

Described by co-creator Englehart as "an unpleasant, introverted jerk" who becomes "the most cosmic being in the universe," Star-Lord was a product of Englehart's newfound interest in astronomy at the time. Fans of the character's current iteration reading this might laugh at how much he's changed since, but as they say on TV Tropes, characterization marches on. In any event, Peter was originally presented as an arrogant, anti-social astronaut who accidentally became an outer space badass, and only some of those qualities have been retained through the years.

One of the character's early adopters was none other than infamous X-Men scribe Chris Claremont, who more or less took over the reins from Englehart in The '80s in titles, writing Peter in titles like Marvel Super Special, Marvel Spotlight, and Marvel Premiere.

Star-Lord then proceeded to languish in relative obscurity for years until the early early Naughts, playing a key part of Marvel's reinvigorated cosmic line. Following notable appearances in Thanos and Annihilation, Star-Lord joined the new Guardians of the Galaxy, where he's been best known since.

With the Marvel NOW! initiative in 2013, Star-Lord (and his fellow Guardians) were further implemented into the greater Marvel Universe, showing up in the pages of Avengers Assemble, as well as starring in a new volume of Guardians that initially teamed them up with Iron Man. In 2014, Star-Lord headlined his first ongoing title, Legendary Star-Lord.

During this time, Peter met Kitty Pryde in "The Trial of Jean Grey" —a crossover with the X-Men— and their relationship soon developed into a romantic one. "The Black Vortex", another X-Men Crossover, ended with Star-Lord asking for Kitty's hand in marriage, which she readily accepted.

Shortly after his engagement to Kitty, Peter ascended to the throne of Spartax, succeeding his archnemesis dad J'Son — oh yeah, did we mention he was the prince and heir apparent to an alien empire all this time?

Just as quickly as Peter became the ruler of Spartax, Secret Wars destroyed the Marvel Universe; luckily, Peter was brought on an interdimensional life raft conceived by Reed Richards —a rare aversion to the trope claiming he's useless— which brought him to Battleworld, making him one of the few people in the entire Marvel Universe who remembered the world that existed before God Doom came into power. In spite of himself, Peter played a role in the taking of Doomstadt, which ultimately led to the restoration of the previous Marvel Universe. During this time, he also co-headlined the Star-Lord & Kitty Pryde limited series, which paired him up with the Age of Apocalypse version of his new fiancee —- and she wasn't exactly enamored with him.

After that, Peter's duties as emperor of Spartax put him out of commission with the Guardians, with Kitty ultimately taking up his mantle as Star-Lord in the interim of the new Guardians volume. In the meantime, a second ongoing title — Star-Lord — launched, retelling Peter's origin as a wayward astronaut.


See: Star-Lord.

    Rocket Raccoon 

Rocket Raccoon

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rocket_raccoon.jpg
Never doubt a raccoon.

"Ain't no thing like me, 'cept me!"
Rocket Raccoon, Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Rocket Raccoon is a Marvel Comics character created by Bill Mantlo and Keith Giffen, first appearing in Marvel Preview #7 (June, 1976).

Partially inspired by the song "Rocky Raccoon" by The Beatles, Rocket mostly served as a joke character for the majority of his existence in the Marvel Universe, only appearing in ten issues over thirty years.

It wasn't until the Annihilation: Conquest event that Rocket would gain some prominence, showing up as a supporting character in the Star-Lord tie-in series. His role there then segued into the rebooted Guardians of the Galaxy title, where he'd establish himself as a prominent member of the team, appearing in just about every iteration of the lineup ever since.

Rocket is notable for his deceptively scrappy attitude, extensive knowledge of weaponry, and plentiful connections in the cosmic underworld. He's also become synonymous for his friendship with sentient tree Groot since Annihilation: Conquest, and they're rarely seen apart from one another.

Because of his popularity with audiences, Rocket appears in most interpretations of Guardians of the Galaxy in other media. He made his first appearance outside of the comics in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes on Disney XD, where he was voiced by Greg Ellis. He also appeared on the Guardians of the Galaxy (2015) cartoon on Disney XD, voiced there by Trevor Devall, while Nolan North portrays him in Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series. Rocket is also voiced by Bradley Cooper (with motion capture performed by Sean Gunn) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, making his debut in their 2014 film of the same name. Cooper and Gunn reprise the role in its 2017 sequel, as well as Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

For the original version of Rocket (pre-Annihilation), see also Rocket Raccoon (1985).


    Gamora 

Gamora

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gamora_marvel_comics_guardians_of_the_galaxy_3_b.jpg

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gamora.png

"I go by many names, my Tick-Ridden Troll, but I'm sure the one that Black Knight knew me by is Gamora, the Deadliest Woman in the whole Galaxy!"

Gamora is a Marvel Comics character created by Jim Starlin, first showing up in Strange Tales #180 (dated June 1975).

The last of the Zen-Whoberis race, Gamora is the adoptive child of Thanos, raised to defeat The Magus. It was during this time in her life that Gamora became known as "the deadliest woman in the whole galaxy", and exacted revenge on The Church of Universal Truth, who'd been responsible for the genocide of her people.

After working with Adam Warlock to stop his older version, Gamora realized the true evil of her adoptive father's ways, and teamed up with Captain Marvel, Warlock, and future Guardian Drax the Destroyer to take him down. When Thanos mortally wounds Gamora and her allies in battle, Warlock absorbed their souls into his Soul Gem, where they existed in a realm called Soulworld.

Gamora and her friends lived there in peace together for some time —until the events of The Infinity Gauntlet— in which Thanos finally completed his quest to form the titular object, using it to remove Gamora from existence. After Nebula restored her into being with the Gauntlet, Warlock soon gained its possession, starting to go mad with power because of it. For this reason, the Living Tribunal decided that each of the Infinity Gems must be spread among Gamora and some others, ultimately calling them the Infinity Watch. Gamora was given keep of the Time Gem — she couldn't consciously use the thing, but it did give her sporadic precognitive dreams and visions.

When Gamora left the Infinity Watch, she returned to being a mercenary. Her quasi-romantic relationship with Adam Warlock then became official, and they ran off together to a pocket dimension.

Gamora wouldn't return to prominence for many years after that, until the Annihilation story of the early Naughts helped reinvigorate Marvel's cosmic line of characters and comics. Now possessing a sword called The Godslayer, Gamora had since left Warlock to be on her own, leading a group of female warriors called The Graces. She'd also entered a relationship with Richard Rider, better known as Nova at the time.

Soon afterward, Gamora becomes a member of the new Guardians of the Galaxy, working with characters like Drax the Destroyer and Star-Lord. This is perhaps what's she best known for among recent comic readers, and has been a core member of the team since their inception in 2008.

With the Marvel NOW! initiative, Gamora (and her fellow Guardians) were further implemented into the greater Marvel Universe, receiving a new volume of their book while also featuring in titles like Avengers Assemble, and a crossover called The Trial of Jean Grey had them meet the X-Men. She also became acquainted with Angela during this time, and enjoyed a brief sexual relationship with Tony Stark when he joined the Guardians for a spell. An issue of Guardians Team-Up saw Gamora team-up Marvel's other preeminent green woman, She-Hulk.

Gamora emerged as a major player of The Black Vortex —yet another crossover with the X-Men— where she let herself submit to the titular artifact, gaining cosmically-enhanced powers in the process; she was one of the few who didn't relinquish their new powers at the story's end.

Shortly before the incursion between Earth-616 and Earth-1610, Gamora left the Guardians when her cosmic abilities sensed impending doom. During Secret Wars, she starred in the limited series Guardians of Knowhere, in which Gamora served as a watcher of Knowhere, otherwise known as Battleworld's moon.

As part of the All-New, All-Different Marvel universe that emerged from Secret Wars, Gamora headlined her first ongoing title, note  had a brief role in Contest of Champions (2015) and making guest appearances with the Guardians in the meantime.

In the 2018 Crisis Crossover Infinity Wars she takes the codename Requiem and starts the series off by killing Thanos.


Gamora provides examples of:

  • The Ace: She retained the Black Vortex upgrade longer than almost everyone else, making her a contender for the most powerful affiliate of any team that would associate with her.
  • Action Girl: Action woman by now, but she was trained to fight since she was a girl, and if Gamora is in close quarters combat with anything, be it a robot, a pirate in a suit of powered armor, a frost giant or a herald of Galactus, she can be expected to win.
  • Action Heroine: Gamora's response to most problems is to cut them to pieces. When violence cannot get her what she wants, or turns out to actively hinder her, she can be a little awkward.
  • Always Someone Better: She is that someone for Nebula. Nebula's greatest desire is to be feared, and she claims relations to infamous killers like Thanos to help that along. Thanos only humors Nebula when it is convenient to him however, while he legitimately views Gamora as his daughter and will gladly help spread her reputation as the most dangerous woman in the galaxy/universe because he is so proud. Nebula has cybernetic implants, but while they do enhance her strength a bit their main function is to keep her alive and in her right mind. They triple as a mark of shame from her past failures. Gamora's cybernetics are purely to increase her killing potential and boost her far more than Nebula's do. Even when Nebula has been able to close the gap in their physical ability with things like the Coven trials, even when she has been able to physically surpass Gamora with things like the armor from Stellaris, her fighting skills and instincts lag so far behind that it doesn't matter.
  • All Love Is Unrequited: Gamora fell for Adam Warlock after learning he was a very different person than the Magus. Warlock did not reciprocate her feelings until she quit the Infinity Watch and he ended up realizing he loved her while trying to get her to return.
  • Amazon Brigade: Her Graces during Annihilation. They split up afterward. But not before Nebula tried to turn them on Gamora.
  • Ambiguously Bi: Although she definitely had been involved with men like Richard Rider, Adam Warlock, and Tony Stark; she also has quite a few of moments with Angela:
    Intercom voice: Will you marry me?
    Angela: You're too short, Rocket.
    Intercom voice: This is Gamora.
    Angela: I'll consider it.
  • Amicable Exes: 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. Slightly less so after the beginning of the 2020 Guardians series, when Rich calls Peter off on the adventure that apparently gets him killed.
  • Archaic Weapon for an Advanced Age: She primarily uses swords in combat.
  • Archnemesis Dad: Has a bitter enmity with her adoptive father Thanos, who used her as means to an end against the Magus and was perfectly willing to kill her.
  • Awesome, but Temporary: While on the warpath to destroy Thanos when she was empowered by the Black Vortex, she was the first to find out that the power it grants is limited and runs out the more it's used. Soon, she used it for the last time and went back to her usual power levels.
  • Badass Cape: A Gamora mainstay, up until vol 3 of Guardians of the Galaxy. The clasps look like skulls.
  • Battle Couple: With Richard Rider during the Annihilation War. Their relationship ended after Gamora killed a bunch of Kree collaborators whom Richard wanted to be interrogated for information.
  • Boxing Lessons for Superman: Several would-be boxers challenged The Champion Of The Universe to save a planet he conquered, but She-Hulk was the only one who did badly enough to get the people she was trying to save to boo her. Gamora took pity on her, and decided to teach She-Hulk how to fight.
  • Boyish Short Hair: Very briefly, after recovering from being burn to a crisp, because her hair took slightly longer to grow back than the rest of her.
  • Broken Bird: She grew up to be somewhat emotionally stunted after being the Sole Survivor of her people's genocide and becoming a ward to Thanos, and suffering his Training from Hell as he molded her into the perfect weapon to kill the Magus.
  • Cain and Abel: Her Sibling Rivalry with her adoptive sister Nebula has often been deadly, with Nebula being driven by mad by jealousy and resentment due to being treated as The Unfavorite by Thanos while Gamora was seen as his favorite and only daughter, despite Gamora opposing him.
  • Cool Sword: Wielded one during and after 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.
  • Combat Pragmatist: If the situation calls for it, Gamora will fight fair, and she rarely needs to fight dirty simply because her skill and cybernetic implants let her finish hand-to-hand encounters as soon as they start. But she's not above calling for a run in if things start going south.
  • Combat Stilettos: In her original outfit. Averted since vol 3 of Guardians.
  • Curtains Match the Window: And the wall possibly. Depending on the Artist she might have green hair, eyes and skin.
  • Cyborg: Gamora has cybernetics courtesy of her father, Thanos, who realized that her natural biological limits prevented Gamora from becoming the killing machine he desired her to be.
  • The Corrupter: Devondra invaded the soul gem in order to feed on the souls that lied within, and ended up turning the paradisaical world within that drove enemies to live in peace into something much worse. It also influenced Gamora and Drax to turn against each other and the other Guardians Of The Galaxy
  • Demonic Possession: While on a mission to please Mistress Death by killing half of all life in the universe, Thanos destroyed the bodies of Gamora, Adam Warlock and Pip The Rock Troll, but the soul gem, a component of "the infinity gauntlet" Thanos was trying to build, had a will of its own and decided to preserve their souls to prevent them from truly dying. In an attempt to stop Thanos, their souls then possessed three people. Gamora inhabiting a woman named Bambi Long.
  • Depending on the Writer: Is she the deadliest woman in the galaxy, or the deadliest woman in the universe? It can change, though being the former is much less impressive given how the major galactic powers in Marvel occupy a galaxy each (like the difference between 'deadliest in the county' and 'deadliest in the world').
  • Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: The reason she joined the Guardians in the first place: After getting abandoned by the cosmic higher-ups, Gamora was looking for something to do with her life, and felt so low she actually enjoyed part of being inducted into the Phalanx because she had a purpose.
  • The Dreaded
    • She isn't called the most dangerous woman in the galaxy for nothing.
    • After steamrolling through some of the hardest-hitting bricks on Earth, Gamora suddenly paused, seriously doubting her chances in a boxing match with The Thing that took on The Champion Of The Universe with the power gem and made him back off. She didn't forfeit though, she had a teammate provide a distraction so she could disable The Thing with pressure point strikes.
  • Enemy Mine: The Graces had very little in common, and mainly stayed together because of the universal threat that was the Annihilation Wave. When the fleet was foiled, the team broke up behind Gamora's back when Nebula convinced them she had abandoned them while Gamora had taken an off-world trip.
  • Facial Markings: Gamora sports some under her eyes. These are actually make-up, not tattoos, and as such are occasionally color–coordinated with her outfit. Usually, they're yellow. During the 2008 Guardians run, they were red.
  • Genocide Survivor
    • She is the last member of the Zen Whoberian species. After her people were exterminated by the Universal Church of Truth, she was adopted by Thanos and trained as a deadly assassin.
    • The 616 timeline was once altered to remove, among other things, the Universal Church Of Truth's attempt to drive the Zen Whoberian species into extinction. Gamora had little preference for this "improved" timeline since she was still seemingly the last of her kind as the Badoon species, who also attempted to drive hers to extinction, and had much more success than they had in the original timeline.
  • Good Counterpart: Her cybernetic enhancements were intended to make her equal to the android..."artificially created human" Adam Warlock in every way. Luckily for Warlock it was his evil counterpart, The Magus, she was designed to kill.
  • Good Thing You Can Heal: Once got set on fire by being too close to a star. It took a few months for her to heal.
  • Green-Skinned Space Babe: Greenness may vary. Sometimes it's more a pale olive colour. Regardless, her skin is the only consistently non-human thing about her, at a glance, and there have been human men, plus a pseudo angel female, who did not mind it.
  • Heel–Face Turn:
    • First during the 70's, when she realized Thanos was not being genuine when he claimed to want to help Adam Warlock by having her guard him but was having her act as a spy.
    • Then before Annihilation, where she forsook her family to rebuild her reputation as the most deadly woman in the universe, but threw that aside for the sake of saving the universe from the Annihilation Wave.
    • Again after Annihilation, when she joins the Phalanx invasion of a kree inhabited planet but ultimately finds what she was trying to find in the Phalanx with the Guardians Of The Galaxy.
    • Yet again after recovering the Soul Stone, coming to terms with the horrible things she had done to get it back, and trying to make up for it.
  • Heel Realization: Since Thanos helped her get what she wanted and the end of the Magus reign would be for the good of the masses, she never considered that Thanos himself is what the masses would consider evil. The fact that the only acts of kindness Thanos showed her were building her a powerful body and teaching her how to kill, that he was otherwise borderline abusive, did nothing to shake Gamora's loyalty to him. Only after observing Adam Warlock's conflict with Thanos did she realize Thanos was also someone who needed to be detained for the good of everyone else.
  • Heroes Prefer Swords: She is skilled with every kind of weapon but she uses mostly swords.
  • Hitman with a Heart: It's buried under layers of sarcasm and cold-blooded ruthlessness, but it's there. She saved worlds from Drax, pro bono, and then tried to comfort him for getting too rough later.
  • Hyperspace Arsenal: When empowered by the Black Vortex, her Badass Cape becomes a hooded cloak of star-filled darkness called an "infinicloak" from which she could summon any numer of blades.
  • I Know Kung Fu: Among other forms of martial arts, all in the name of killing anything she runs into.
  • I'm Having Soul Pains: Gamora experiences reoccurring dreams concerning encounters with an older version of herself, and attributes it to when her soul was briefly contained inside the Soul Gem. This kicks off her personal hunt for the Infinity Gems.
  • Interspecies Adoption: After Adam Warlock returns her love, the two adopt a child... that turns out to be the Cosmic Entity Atleza.
  • Interspecies Romance: With Adam Warlock, Nova (Richard Rider) and Peter Quill. You may notice two of them are human, and one is post-human.
  • Jerkass: Gamora tends to do what she thinks is right, but has looser moral standards than most superheroes to the point she is often in an antagonistic or even Villain Protagonist role. Anti-Villain protagonist, but she often has a hard time admitting or even realizing when she is wrong.
  • Jerkass Realization: She had to reign in Drax The Destroyer from compulsively destroying planets during her time in the Infinity Watch. Whether or not she had to be so violent about it was an open question, but destroying planets is kind of a big deal, so no one called her out on it. Thing is, she kept "beating up on" Drax whenever she got frustrated and he was around, even after he started behaving himself, even when he was trying to help her, misguided as his attempts may have been. When Drax threw a temper tantrum and tried to quit the watch, she took responsibility for it.
  • Last of Her Kind: Last of the Zen Whoberians. Or, she will be. Either way, she's not concerned about it, not about being the last. If she comes across one of the people responsible for her being the last though, she'll show a great deal of care.
  • Lady of War: She is much more reserved and aloof than most other characters in her "weight class", such as Binary, Hela, Power Pricess or Stardust, and though her first reflex to stress is often a violent one, she will sometimes try to reign herself in, make amends and show proper manners or etiquette.
  • Laughing Mad: Gamora really, really hates the Universal Church of Truth. When stuck on one of their worlds, facing an army of their best troops, she just slaughtered her way through them, the ones who survived what happened after would recount she'd been laughing.
  • Legacy Character: In the 100th Anniversary Special, she takes up the mantle of Star-Lord.
  • Lightning Bruiser: Thanks to her multiple cybernetic enhancements, she can take on a lot of damage and keep on going.
  • Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter: She's the adopted daughter of Thanos. Thanos is not her biological father but he is the mad scientist responsible for her superpowers.
  • Mix-and-Match Critters: Devondra has spider legs and spinnerettes, octopus tentacles, frog fingers, lizard claws, crocodillian teeth and human-like arms.
  • The Mole: She was secretly completing missions for The Grand Master while claiming to be helping the Guardians Of The Galaxy after The Grandmaster told her he could get her the Soul Gem, which she became convinced had not released all of her soul. Star-Lord knew she was after the soul gem, but didn't realize just how badly she wanted it. The Guardians eventually relented and aided Gamora in her gem hunt after her The Grandmaster was revealed to be in conflict with The Collector but then abandoned her when she attacked Adam Warlock to get the soul gem, which he was hiding because it was getting "hungry".
  • Monochromatic Eyes: Depending on the Artist, her eyes can simply be entirely white, with no pupils.
  • Morality Pet: Even Thanos couldn't say no to spending time with Lil' Gam. Inbetween the Training from Hell and assassination attempts from his many enemies.
  • More Deadly Than the Male: More ruthless than anyone on the Guardians save for perhaps Drax. While she and Richard were dating this was a source of conflict between the two of them and ultimately lead to their break up. He wanted to interrogate war criminals, she wanted to kill them.
  • More than Mind Control: After Quill's apparent death in Guardians vol. 5, Gamora is nudged by Moondragon into hunting and attacking Rocket's Guardian team. Moondragon admits to her other-dimensional counterpart she didn't entirely use telepathy to do this.
  • Ms. Fanservice: A Green-Skinned Space Babe whose original outfits sported a massive open cleavage and was prone to tons of Male Gaze, specially during Annihilation.
  • The Musketeer: She prefers knives and swords, but Gamora recognizes the merits of firearms and is competent in their use.
  • Navel-Deep Neckline: She was known to wear outfits with deep v-shaped necklines during her early years and it took her a while to get used to the concept of underwear, one of many results being this trope when she wasn't suited up for battle.
  • Noodle Incident: Exactly what happened to her before Annihilation is unclear. The only mention is she was "spurned" by the cosmic higher-ups, and wound up on Gothab Omega. It is also implied that the businessman Glorian, who himself was working for the shaper of worlds, was manipulating Gamora and Ronan The Accuser for the purpose of creating a world of his own until The Annihilation Wave forced them all to work together. Still, she makes no attempt to return to her "husband" Warlock nor "child" Atleza once Glorian and Annihilus are out of the picture. She instead hooks up with the last Nova.
  • Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: Soul Eaters tend to be fairly minor antagonists, if they are even antagonistic, in Doctor Strange stories. Devondra is what happens when one is allowed to run wild in the 616 universe without Strange intercepting it, since she completely bypasses Earth, and it isn't pretty. The Guardians do eventually seek out Strange's help, but since she has the soul gem by then, she's still not so easily dealt with.
  • Not Brainwashed: Nova works with the Technarch Tyro to free Gamora from the Phalanx, only to learn that Gamora didn't want to be freed. She then keeps trying to live like a member of the Phalanx despite being cured of the infection...until she finds The Guadians Of The Galaxy.
  • Only One Name: She goes by a single name without any other identifiers.
  • One-Woman Army: She isn't called the deadliest woman in the galaxy just because it sounds cool. She's is one of the most skilled martial artists in Marvel lore, capable of defeating large numbers of enemies by herself as shown in Warlock and the Infinity Watch. However, she wasn't this at first. She specifically trained for handling multiple opponents after receiving a gang beating...and gang rape.
  • Palette Swap: 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).
  • Parental Favoritism: She's the favorite daughter of Thanos, often the only one he will even recognize as his daughter and the only one he has Pet the Dog moments with.
  • Pressure Point: Gamora is capable of this. She can find them even on people who have irregular anatomy, such as The Thing. According to Thanos, he's the only one who could survive such a move.
  • Rape as Backstory: As Gamora's skill and reputation as a martial artist grew, Thanos decided to put her to the test. While on a trip, he set up a series of events that lead to Gamora coming into conflict with a group of Thugs, whom eventually overwhelmed her through sheer numbers and decided to rape her. This resulted in Thanos killing them as revenge and rebuilding Gamora to be more powerful.
  • Red Baron: "The Deadliest Woman In the Galaxy / Universe", "Requiem"
  • Sex Goddess: Her one-night-stand with Tony Stark ends up in disappointment when she turns out to be much more than he can handle, which is an achievement give Tony's history as The Casanova back on Earth.
  • She-Fu: Gamora often fights with a graceful yet deadly style. She's done a flipping vault over Maxam's head while holding a polearm twice her height. Not the way a polevaulter would but looking down on him, searching for "weak points" with stabs where she thought she was out of his reach.
  • Sideboob: Commonly showed them off during the 2000s.
  • Skeletons in the Coat Closet: Her outfit during Annihilation and Conquest featured a skull belt buckle and skull cape straps.
  • Sour Supporter: Snarky and derisive though she is, she is a dedicated member of the Guardians, as getting herself horrifically burnt proved.
  • Species Surname: During Annihilation, she developed an interesting affectation of referring to Nova as "Richard Human". It wasn't until volume 3, approximately seven years later, that it was revealed that her whole name was Gamora Zen Whoberi Ben Titan, making her an example of this (and, presumably, explaining why she referred to Nova as such).
  • Statuesque Stunner: She's 6 feet tall.
  • Strong and Skilled: Gamora is considered The Deadliest Woman In The Galaxy for good reason. She possesses incredible strength, speed, agility, endurance and healing thanks to cybernetic enhancements bestowed on her by Thanos and is versed in various forms of armed and unarmed combat.
  • Stripperific: The infamous fishnet bodysuit, though the Bendis series dropped this.
  • Thong of Shielding: Her costume is depicted this way in the early issues of Nova v. 4 (and to a lesser extent in Guardians of the Galaxy).
  • Took a Level in Badass: After empowered by the Black Vortex. While benefitting from it, she is arguably the strongest character on the team.
  • Tranquil Fury: She often fails, but knows about this trope and tries to use it. She told Maxam the first rule of combat was cooler heads usually prevailing.
  • Tyke-Bomb: Raised as an orphan by Thanos to became the assassin who would kill the Magus. When he finally takes over Adam Warlock, her attempts to stop him fail, and she appears to die.
  • The Unfettered: Part of what scared Richard Rider out of a relationship with her, after witnessing Gamora summarily execute several traitors during the Annihilation War.
  • Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Being raised by Thanos for the express purpose of becoming the Deadliest Woman in the Universe, which he succeeded in, did a number on Gamora, who was shown in flashbacks to have been a perfectly ordinary little girl at one time.
  • Vapor Wear: It took her a while to get used to underwear, and still is often drawn without it
  • Verbal Tic: Refers to Richard Rider as "Richard-Human". Given she doesn't do the same for anyone else, this is probably to annoy him. Then it's revealed in vol. 3 that her full name is Gamora Zen Whoberi Ben Titan. As she is Gamora Zen Whoberi and calls Nova "Richard-Human", it may be a cultural affectation of her species.
  • Violently Protective Girlfriend: She went after Maxam with a spear when he traveled to the past to kill the "larval form" of The Magus. Additionally, while she may have been aloof to Peter Quill during their relationship, she goes on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge when she discovered he was dead. She even personally tries to kill Nova (her friend and ex) because he sent Peter on the mission that got him killed.
  • What Other Galaxies?: Gamora is often called the Deadliest Woman in the Galaxy. Never mind there exist galaxies besides the Milky Way, galaxies with maybe their own deadliest women.
  • Worlds Greatest Warrior: Is considered to be the deadliest woman in the galaxy. She-Hulk is of the opinion that Gamora's better in at least some aspects of barehanded combat than Captain America, who consistently ranks in the single digits among Earth's best fighters, if behind the likes of Shang Chi and The Mandarin.

    Adam Warlock 

Adam Warlock

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/warlockadam_6926.gif

Alter Ego: Adam Warlock

Notable Aliases: Warlock, Him, Golden Gladiator, Master of all Souls, Mr. Smith, Subject X-31, Jake Miller, Ultimate Avenger, God Slayer, Demon, Avenging Hand of Light, Avatar of Life, Adam Magus, Patient #6457987

Team Affiliations: Cosmic Avengers

First Appearance: Fantastic Four #66 (September, 1967) note ; Marvel Premiere #1 (April, 1972) note 

Adam Warlock is a Marvel Comics cosmic hero who has starred in more than one series. He's best known for being the personal nemesis of Thanos, for his connection to The Infinity Gauntlet and the Soul Gem, and as a founding member of the 616 version of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

He first appeared in Fantastic Four vol. 1 #66-67 (September-October, 1967), created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for a Fantastic Four story, but as "Him", an artificial lifeform who had escaped its creators. In Marvel Premiere #1 (April, 1972) writer Roy Thomas and artist Gil Kane reinvented him as Marvel Space Jesus, complete with crucifixion and resurrection! His task was to save an artificial parallel Earth (Counter-Earth) from a rebellious creation of its maker, The High Evolutionary.

Nevertheless, he never really took off until a new writer got his hands on him - Jim Starlin. It was under him that Adam became the philosopher-hero that he is best known to be today, as well as the Arch-Enemy of Thanos. Starlin also introduced the rest of his supporting cast including Pip the Troll (his best friend, a drunken space satyr) and Gamora, his love interest, Thanos' former personal assassin.

Adam's major storylines involve his Evil Future Self, The Magus, whom he eliminated from existence by killing himself in the future (both got better later) and the Infinity Gems, a collection of gemstones (said to be Pieces of God) that grant omnipotence if used all at the same time (Adam was given one, the Soul Gem, by the Evolutionary. He and his allies later took to guarding the rest, as a team known as The Infinity Watch.)

Warlock has suffered at the hands of lesser writers over the years, but still exists in the Marvel Universe and occasionally pops up to save the day again.

A cocoon similar in design to his one in the comics featured in the background of the Collector's collection in Thor: The Dark World, and again in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). By the end of Guardians, it's been cracked open and is empty — though Word of God is that in spite of the similar design, it wasn't his cocoon. Adam Warlock was originally considered for an appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but his role was cut as the script was revised — while his sister, Ayesha, serves as the film's secondary antagonist. A cocoon different from the one in the first movie is later seen in one of the stingers, which Ayesha refers to as 'Adam'.


    Drax the Destroyer 

Drax the Destroyer

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3588b7699b08c6bcd375e70006bacdcd.jpg
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/drax_the_destroyer.jpg

Alter Ego: Arthur Sampson Douglas

First Appearance: The Invincible Iron Man Vol. 1, #55 (February, 1973)

Joined Team In: Secret Defenders Vol. 1, #23 (January, 1995)

Before becoming the Destroyer, Drax was a human man named Arthur Douglas. Along with his wife and daughter, Douglas was killed by Thanos, thinking his existence had been revealed to Terrans who'd seen him. (He would later learn that his daughter actually survived the accident and became the Avenger known as Moondragon.)

After his death, Douglas was resurrected into a stronger body (by the Titanian god Kronos) for the sole purpose of killing Thanos, newly christened as Drax the Destroyer.

For many years following, Drax remained a staple of the cosmic Marvel Universe, most notably appearing in The Infinity Gauntlet and Annihilation. Drax was then drafted to the new Guardians of the Galaxy in 2008, and has more or less remained a stalwart member of the team since then, barring the occasional death.

Drax has appeared often in other media, most notably within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Portrayed there by former WWE superstar Dave Bautista, this version of the character is vastly simplified from his comic book counterpart. He made his debut in 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), reprising the role in its 2017 sequel, and then again in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War.


Drax appears in:

Notable Comic Books

Film

Animation

Video Games


Drax provides examples of:

  • Amazing Technicolor Population: After becoming the Destroyer, Drax's skin became green.
  • Badass Pacifist: In the 2019 Guardians, he apparently started to become a pacifist. However, whatever caused it was enough that when two eldritch abominations try to mindrape him, he turn the table by showing them something that made them flee in terror.
  • The Berserker: Especially after his resurrection, he is prone to going into berserk furies in battle, which heightens his resemblance to the Hulk.
  • The Big Guy: Shares this role in the Guardians with Groot, courtesy of his immense strength. During the 1990s, he was actually the guardian of the Power Gem for a time as part of the Infinity Watch.
  • Brainwashed and Crazy: Being made into a Phalanx Select during Annihilation: Conquest. Drax wasn't terribly happy about that.
  • Came Back Wrong: When first introduced in the 1970s, Drax was fairly intelligent. However, during the early 1990s, Moondragon went evil and killed him with her Psychic Powers. When subsequently resurrected in the 1993 series "Warlock and the Infinity Watch", he still retained some degree of the brain damage inflicted by her lethal psychic attacks, which reduced him to a child-like, violent-tempered Dumb Muscle character.
  • Character Check: During Guardians Infinity, Drax mostly still acts like his post-2012 idiot characterization, but momentarily stops the fighting and tells everyone to calm down, prompting Rocket to express amazement. Then Drax angrily yells "shut your hole" at him, and goes back to being an idiot.
  • The Chosen One: He's the Avatar of Life, to serve as Thanos' position as Avatar of Death. He is compelled by the universe itself to kill Thanos.
  • Combo Platter Powers: When first introduced in the 1970s, Drax's power set consisted of: Super-Strength, Super-Speed, Super-Toughness (borderline Nigh-Invulnerable), Flight, Hand Blasts and Telepathy. Presently, he retains only the first three powers, all to a lesser degree than he had in his original body, but has picked up a low-grade Healing Factor and a heightened sense of smell.
  • Death is Cheap: He has died several times, but they don't tend to stick.
    • Moondragon killed him when she went evil. He got resurrected.
    • He dies at the end of his own series, just before Annihilation, but resurrected moments later, with the addition of getting his brains back.
    • Thanos supposedly kills him completely dead for real in The Thanos Imperative, but in 2012 he popped up again alive and well.
    • In Infinity Wars, he sacrifices himself to stop the cosmic entity Devondra, but he was back up again in a year.
    • Heck, he's even one of the victims in his own origin story.
  • De-power: 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.
  • Determinator: During Annihilation, his drive to kill Thanos ramps up into overdrive. In order to accomplish it, Drax storms through the nigh-unstoppable Annihilation Wave, with nothing more than a pair of knives, and he still makes it to Thanos.
  • Dual Wielding: A pair of big knives.
  • Dumb Muscle: After his resurrection in the '90s, he was basically an overgrown child in a super-strong body. He briefly became a lot smarter when he spontaneously mutated into his current body, which is notably smaller than the one he had in the 90s, but then in the Bendis run of the Guardians, he want back to being a dim-witted brute.
  • Expy: For most of the 1990s and early 2000s, he was the Hulk but IN SPACE. Later on, in his new body he's moved away from this.
  • Facial Markings: Drax has some that are evocative of his ally, Gamora. At least in his previous body, they appeared to be make-up and therefore optional.
  • Flying Brick: He was this before his current body, he had even a cape.
  • Good Is Not Nice: Drax is the champion of Life, opposed to Thanos. He's also brusque, and perhaps too fond of violent and direct solutions, even before his resurrection as a brain-damaged monster.
  • Golem: Technically, he is a living soul, but his body is anything but. He seems to be physically built out of the soil of Saturn's moon Titan. That said, this overlaps with Artificial Human and Our Homunculi Are Different, as he does have (artificial, non-functioning) bodily systems — just not made of living material.
  • Hidden Depths: While he's quite fond of killing things with knives or his bare hands, he occasionally dabbles in philosophical or existential musings and retains his past life's fondness for playing jazz music. And while it doesn't come up terribly often these days, he's had a lot of experience with the cosmic higher-ups.
  • Horrifying the Horror: As Jack Flag remarks in the final issue of Guardians vol 2, if something can unnerve a guy called The Destroyer, that's not good.
  • Hulk Speak: In the '90s, as a result of his brain damage.
  • Implacable Man: If he wants to kill someone, he will kill them, and not even Galactus can stop him.
  • It's Personal: Thanos killed Arthur Douglas and his wife just for witnessing him. Nevertheless, it stopped being personal a long time ago, when Drax stopped seeing himself as Arthur Douglas.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Maybe not gold, but a precious metal, definitely.
  • Manchild: As a result of retaining psy-fried neurons when resurrected, Drax acted like a child in the body of a hulking superhuman during the 1990s. He began growing out of this eventually, but did not fully recover until the build–up to Annihilation. Even then, Flanderization set in in the run up to the movie, and he has never quite been either as intelligent or as serious since.
  • Mentor Archetype: Briefly served as one for Richard Rider in Annihilation, helping him keep a lid on all the Nova Force he had inside him, with the additional caveat that if Rich started going nuts, Drax would destroy him.
  • Multi-Melee Master: He tends to favor knives, but has also used swords, axes … even rifles and landmines. That said, he averts Hyperspace Arsenal, as all of his current weapons will always be visible on his body, and he has had to actively access hidden caches of weaponry to update his load out.
  • Murder Is the Best Solution: 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.
  • My Significance Sense Is Tingling: In his original incarnation, one of Drax's powers was Telepathy which he could use to track Thanos across vast distances. After his second reincarnation, Drax loses his telepathy but possessed the ability to either sense Thanos or other beings who have been in recent contact with Thanos, alongside a precognitive ability to sense when beings will be in contact with Thanos in the near future.
  • Names to Run Away from Really Fast: The Destroyer.
  • One-Man Army: He's called the Destroyer, and it shows. When chasing Thanos, he ploughed his way through the Annihilation Wave to reach him.
  • Papa Wolf: Even if he is estranged from them, and emotionally distant when he is there, don't hurt Cammi or Moondragon.
  • Red Baron: "The Destroyer".
  • Red/Green Contrast: He has red tattoos on his green skin.
  • Resurrective Immortality: But only as long as Thanos is alive. If Thanos is on this side of the great divide, then so is Drax. No ifs, ands, or buts. Once, when he had been dead for over six years, just the act of Thanos coming back to life was enough to wake Drax back up.
  • Reverse Grip: Drax's preferred method of Dual Wielding.
  • Roaring Rampage of Revenge: It was basically his raison d'être until he finally managed to kill Thanos in Annihilation.
  • The Stoic: This was his primary character trait during his original depiction in the 1970s.
  • Super-Senses: He can smell whether Thanos is alive or not.
  • That Man Is Dead: Arthur Douglas was killed by Thanos years ago. Drax is actually surprised when an act of Mind Rape awakens what little was left of his former self.
  • Theseus' Ship Paradox: Come 2020, between his various deaths and resurrections and the involvement of the Soul Stone, Drax has some existential angst over whether he's the same Drax, or a new version, and whether he owes anything to his "prior" selves.
  • Third-Person Person: When he's dumb, Drax speaks like this.
  • Took a Level in Jerkass: During The Thanos Imperative, thanks to a mix of Thanos' resurrection, and being in the Cancerverse. Since he's compelled to kill Thanos, and is the chosen avatar life, being in a place where life rules the roost starts overriding him, driving him into a berserk need to utterly kill Thanos, regardless of the situation.
  • Touch Telepathy: It isn't used very often, but Drax has displayed this on occasion.
  • Unexplained Recovery: Thanos killed him dead in The Thanos Imperative, 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. To be fair, he has a habit of doing that.
  • Walking Shirtless Scene: His look between Annihilation and The Thanos Imperative.
  • Was Once a Man: Before being revived by Chronos.
  • Xtreme Kool Letterz: His name is spelled with an X and in a fashion that puts the vocal emphasis on said X.

    Quasar/Martyr 

Quasar/Martyr

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/8af94888f06742aec7da74b1ea2eac7b.jpg

Alter Ego: Phyla-Vell

Notable Aliases: Captain Marvel, Holy One, "Little Miss Goody Two-Bands", Phy, "Protector of the Universe", Quasar, Martyr

First Appearance: Captain Marvel (Vol. 5) #16 (January, 2004) note ; Captain Marvel (Vol. 5) #19 (March, 2004) note ; Annihilation: Conquest - Quasar #1 (September, 2007) note  Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 2) #12 (May, 2009) note 

Phyla-Vell first appeared in Captain Marvel vol. 6 #16 (December, 2003), created by Peter David and Paul Azaceta. Formerly Captain Marvel, she is a daughter of Captain Marvel and Elysius and the sister of the late Genis-Vell. She acquired the Quantum Bands at the end of Annihilation, and became the new Quasar in Annihilation: Conquest Prologue #1 (August, 2007).

Now in possession of the Quantum Bands, Phyla-Vell uses her new powers to help the people who survived the 'Annihilation Wave'. Later, Phyla hones her skill with the Quantum Bands during Annihilation: Conquest - Quasar series, eventually defeating the evil android Super-Adaptoid and taking up Quasar's mantle for the first time. After Conquest, Quasar joins the new Guardians of the Galaxy.

Phyla-Vell's time as Quasar is short-lived, coming to an end after losing the Quantum Bands to the resurrected Maelstrom. Forced to make a deal to save Moondragon, her lover, Phyla agrees to become the new avatar of Oblivion, afterwords adopting the name Martyr; meanwhile, Wendell came back from the dead and reclaimed the Bands from Maelstrom, by cutting them off his hands in a very familiar manner. Phyla was later killed during the resurrection of Thanos.

For the alternate universe version of her, see Phyla-Vell 18897.


  • Abusive Mom: Her mother was very harsh and demanding towards her, often unfavourably comparing her to her brother Genis.
  • Affirmative-Action Legacy: Phyla-Vell is a lesbian.
  • Artifact of Power: Her Quantum Bands, which she eventually loses, and declines to take back when given the chance.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: Phyla-Vell is normally a nice, cheerful and amiable sort. Just don't hurt or manipulate Moondragon, because she will try and smash your head in.
  • Boyish Short Hair: Her hair is usually kept short.
  • Bury Your Gays: Killed instantly by a revived Thanos.
  • Butt-Monkey: Treated with less and less respect throughout Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, up until her death.
  • Cool Sword: The Quantum Sword, one of Phyla's favorite constructs, her go-to creation when wielding the Quantum Bands. When she becomes Martyr she gets a different one, forged with death-magic, and even capable of doing the Magus some injury.
  • The Corruption: Phyla learned that Annihilus corrupted the Quantum Bands during Annihilation: Conquest. She was nearly consumed with evil after defeating the Super-Adaptoid, but Wendell Vaughn's spirit returned in time to purge the darkness from the Quantum Bands.
  • Dark Age of Supernames: Much ragging is made of her change of name to "Martyr", her teammates commenting how ominous it is, and the Magus essentially calling it a cry for attention.
  • Deal with the Devil: She made a deal with Oblivion in exchange for saving Heather from the Dragon of the Moon, where she had to kill Adam Warlock before he became the Magus. She flubs it, and so Maelstrom leads her to Thanos as a way of "firing" her.
  • Deadpan Snarker: When written by Keith Giffen. Less so under Abnett and Lanning.
  • Discard and Draw: Phyla is a natural Flying Brick whose other abilities have varied over the years. Initially she possessed the Nega-Bands, which allowed her to absorb energy and granted a limited form of cosmic awareness. Both of these vanished after she acquired the Quantum Bands. Then the Quantum Bands were drained in Annihilation: Conquest, leaving her with only her strength, flight and her Quantum Sword. After her deal with Oblivion she got powers that were never truly defined before she was killed again by Thanos.
  • Dropped a Bridge on Her: Phyla is unceremoniously fried instantly by Thanos in the second to last issue of Guardians of the Galaxy vol 2, with Mantis later confirming that she found what was left of her later. As of 2020, she hasn't returned.
  • Energy Weapon: She can create many of these with her Quantum Bands.
  • Hair-Trigger Temper: After becoming Martyr.
  • The Heart: The most compassionate member of the Guardians, up until she became Martyr.
  • I Have Many Names: Captain Marvel, Quasar, Martyr
  • In the Hood: Consistent throughout all her outfits are hoods.
  • Interspecies Romance: Phyla, a half-Kree half-Eternal starts a relationship with Moondragon, a human.
  • Killed Off for Real: At the very end of the second volume of Guardians of the Galaxy.
  • Legacy Character: To Captain Marvel, her father, and to Quasar. She suffers a lot of self-doubt over it.
  • Linear Warriors, Quadratic Wizards: Phyla's approach to using the Quantum Bands was very different from Wendell's. While Wendell tended to be versatile and creative with his constructs, Phyla's use was mostly limited to energy blasts and forming swords. This was a reflection of their backgrounds and personalities; Wendell was a S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy graduate who was deemed unfit for field work due to his refusal to use lethal force and he followed a standard operating procedure of "contain, drain and attack". Phyla by contrast was a trained Kree soldier who had no problems with lethal force but lacked Wendell's versatility.
  • Male Might, Female Finesse: Inverted. See Linear Warriors, Quadratic Wizards above.
  • More Deadly Than the Male: Wendell had a rule against killing. Phyla has no such rule.
  • Most Common Super Power: Though given she's on the same team as Gamora, it can be hard to tell.
  • Mystical White Hair: Quasar who has energy manipulation and flight powers and certainly looks the part.
  • Odd Friendship: She's about the only Guardian who gets on with Drax in vol 2.
  • Super-Strength: Phyla-Vell, thanks to her half Kree/Eternal biological makeup.
  • Took a Level in Dumbass: Her decisions and temper become much worse once she's Martyr, 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.
  • Took a Level in Jerkass: When she became Martyr.
  • Unscrupulous Hero: As Martyr.
  • Unwitting Pawn: For Oblivion. Her making that deal with him was all part of a plan of his.

    Groot 

Groot

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/10b8f5411ac5bc3b6f36f81f893e6ecf.jpg

"I am Groot
Groot, Whenever he speaks

Groot is a Marvel Comics character created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales to Astonish #13 (November, 1960).

Groot is an extraterrestrial, sentient tree-like creature, and the monarch of Planet X. He is a founding member of Star-Lord's Guardians of the Galaxy, and is known for his longtime friendship with Rocket Raccoon.


See: Groot.

    Mantis 

Mantis

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/a15345f569a6298feb5737b5e3e4e9a5.jpg
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mantis_tropes.jpg

Mantis is a Marvel Comics character created by Steve Englehart & Don Heck, first appearing in The Avengers #112 (dated June 1973).

To describe Mantis as having one of the weirdest, most complicated histories in all of superhero comics would be an understatement. Originally introduced as the title character of the Celestial Madonna storyline in The Avengers, Mantis is a Vietnamese martial artist raised by Kree monks to become the savior of a plant-like alien race called the Cotati. After becoming an Avenger and joining them on some of their adventures, she eventually departs the team to realize her destiny as the so-called "Celestial Madonna."

And then she winds up in The DCU as a character named "Willow," following co-creator Steve Englehart's move to the Distinguished Competition in 1977. While she is never explicitly identified as Mantis in those particular comics, it is very much implied to be the case. She then appears as "Lorelei" in the Eclipse Comics Scorpio Rose, before finally returning to the Marvel Universe under Englehart's pen in 1987, now with green skin and an upgraded power set that includes invulnerability, empathy, chlorokinesis, self-healing, and precognition.

She would remain a background player in the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe for quite a while until the Annihilation event series, which then segued into a regular role in the reboot of Guardians of the Galaxy in 2008. Because of her new empathic abilities, she mostly served as a support player for the team, helping mediate all the different personalities onboard their roster, but she did spend time on the field with the rest of them throughout the run.

Perhaps because of her convoluted nature in the comics, a streamlined version of Mantis appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, portrayed there by Pom Klementieff. Debuting in 2017's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, this iteration is an alien woman of unknown origin with empathic powers who serves as the ward (and servant) of Ego. Though initially loyal to him, she soon defects to the Guardians of the Galaxy, and aids them in defeating Ego before he can colonize the entire universe. She appears again in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War, now having been a full member of the team for a number of years when the story begins, and plays an instrumental role in helping prevent Thanos from completing the Infinity Gauntlet.


Mantis has appeared in the following works:

Notable Comic Books

Live-Action Film

Rides

Western Animation

Video Games


Mantis provides examples of the following tropes:

  • Action Girl: She's a woman who can kick ass.
  • Action Mom: Having her son Quoi didn't slow her down.
  • Amicable Exes: She and Kang have a "history". Or did, or will. Well, Mantis is amicable, at least. Kang is just indifferent to her presence. And he might not have a history with her. ... Kang is complicated like that.
  • Asian Hooker Stereotype: It's no coincidence that when the (German-)Vietnamese woman had to go into the world to gain experience in a 1970s series she winds up... becoming a prostitute.
  • Astral Projection: To travel in space, Mantis projects her astral form from her body, allowing her to travel interplanetary distances. She'd then recreate a body for herself out of the destination planet’s local vegetation.
  • Because Destiny Says So: Becoming the Celestial Madonna.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: Normally, Mantis is one of the calmest, sweetest and friendliest people around. In combat, however, she's utterly ruthless. And she's not above Brainwashing for the Greater Good.
  • Blessed with Suck: 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.
  • Brainy Brunette: She is highly intelligent, with intuition and deductive skills rivaling those of Vision's (in his own words, she has a "remarkable mind").
  • But Not Too Foreign: Half-Asian (Vietnamese, specifically), half-white (German).
  • Catchphrase: "Strength is as nothing against skill".
  • The Chosen One: This one is the Celestial Madonna.
  • Dragon Lady: She is initially introduced like this, as an enigmatic Eastern seductress with a shady agenda. Subverted, in that she turns out to be a good character.
  • The Empath: This enables her to sense the emotions of others, which she feels as psychic "vibrations" which she also uses to communicate with the plant-like Cotati.
  • Green-Skinned Space Babe: Not at first, and something of an inversion. She was originally a normal human who, through alien foster care, was chosen as the Celestial Madonna, developing psychic powers and a new body with green skin.
  • Green Thumb: She's very fond of her plants. Both the sentient and the non-sentient ones.
  • Interspecies Romance: With a member of the Cotati race (read: a living tree). She also flirted with Yondu one time.
  • Kick Chick: in battle scenes, usually shown kicking, showing off her long legs since she fights in something resembling a grass skirt.
  • Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter: Her father was the original Libra of the Zodiac (although as of Avengers Forever, he's not quite a villain anymore).
  • Magical Asian: Is half-Vietnamese, and was raised in an Oriental Temple of the Priests of Pama where she became an adept of Eastern mysticism and also a martial arts master. She is that rare case when ethnic stereotypes do not spoil the character: she is seductive, she goes barefoot (bearing association with Asian martial arts), and almost always refers to herself in the third person (which is also a common practice in Eastern religions), but nonetheless, she is a very smart, independent and strong-willed character whose depiction is not in the least patronizing.
  • Martial Artists Are Always Barefoot: She is almost always barefoot. This has to do with her upbringing at the Vietnamese Temple of the Priests of Pama where she became an adept of Oriental mystic practices and a master of martial arts (Asian martial arts are frequently associated with barefooting), as well as her connection to nature.
  • Mission Control: In as much as the Guardians have anyone who can keep them in line and tell them what to do, Mantis is this during vol. 2.
  • New Powers as the Plot Demands: During the Annihilation: Conquest - Star-Lord mini-series, she suddenly gains an immunity to being detected by Phalanx tech, out of nowhere.
  • Parental Neglect: She has not been a tremendous presence in her son's life, which he was... ah... just a little tetchy about on their reunion in Empyre.
  • Plant Person: She can control the growth of plants, which is used to bring down the Phalanx Babel Spire.
  • Playing with Fire: 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.
  • Proverbial Wisdom: When she's first introduced, she tends to speak in a very flowery fashion, sprouting koan-like aphorisms like "He who fears the bee's sting will never taste the honey". This probably has to do with her upbringing in a mystic temple and her "Mysterious Asian Lady" image in general.
  • Psychic Powers: Mantis has repeatedly demonstrated Telepathy as well as a variety of other mental powers.
  • Put on a Bus: Isn't a member of the team come vol 3, with only one appearance so far. As of Volume 4, it's revealed that she and some of the other former Guardians are part of a new team called the Knowhere Corps.
  • Raised By Aliens: Plant aliens, at that.
  • Second Love: For Silver Surfer, after Alicia Masters and before Nova (Frankie Raye)
  • Ship Tease: Between her and Peter. Nothing ever comes of it, though.
  • Superpower Lottery: Mantis possesses telepathy, empathy, pyrokinesis, plant control, astral projection and can sense and attack weak points.
  • Tastes Like Purple: According to Cosmo, her thoughts smell of flowers.
  • Third-Person Person: Always refers to herself in the third person as "this one"; this probably has to do with her upbringing by the Priests of Pama, an Oriental pacifistic sect of alien origin whose teachings bear a considerable similarity to real-life Eastern philosophy (which has referring to oneself in the third person as a common practice of "distancing oneself from the ego"). Her husband (the Cotati in Swordsman's body), who spent a significant part of his life at the Temple, also speaks like this, implying that this speech pattern is a custom of the Priests.
  • Twofer Token Minority: Half-Vietnamese, half-German.
  • Verbal Tic: "This one".

    Cosmo 

Cosmo the Spacedog

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/250px_cosmo_the_spacedog_5.jpg

Originally a test animal for the Soviet Space Program, Cosmo eventually drifted to Knowhere and would be mutated into an intelligent dog with telekinesis and telepathy. He is chief of security of Knowhere and a steadfast ally of the Guardians and other Cosmic heroes.


  • Badass Adorable: 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.
  • Barrier Warrior: He can use his telekinesis to create walls of force and block incoming attacks.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: Incredibly friendly and good-natured, but upset him, and the fangs come out.
  • Curb-Stomp Battle: Against the Cancerverse Hulk of all people. Cosmo swiftly kills the Hulk (temporarily) by using his psychic powers to make him have a stroke.
  • Funny Animal: He's a telepathic dog who can be very fun to talk to.
  • Furry Reminder: Unlike Rocket, Cosmo isn't anthropomorphic, he's an Earth dog who's become sapient. He still enjoys squeaky toys, chasing squirrels, mentions he'd have dealt with Annihilus by going for the throat, and can't stand Rocket because he's a raccoon.
  • Really 700 Years Old: In dog years, at least; he was sent to space in the first years of the Space Race, which means that Cosmo has been living three to four times longer than any other average dog.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: He's the head of security for Knowhere, and the only being there who doesn't try to rake the Guardians over the coals.
  • Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: To Rocket. They hate each other. Because they're a dog and racoon.
  • Telepathy: Being, well, a dog, this is how he communicates.
  • Unexplained Accent: His thought bubbles speak in stereotypical Russian dialogue. Even though he was a regular dog by the time he was shipped into space and who hasn't even been in Russia since the 1960s.

Members from Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning's run

    Major Victory 

Major Victory (Vance Astro)

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

See Guardians of the Galaxy (Original) for more info.

    Bug 

Bug

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

Part of the squad that Star-Lord leads against the Phalanx, Bug was not asked to join the Guardians at first, something he holds against Peter Quill. Eventually, he would be asked to join. Originated in Marvel's Micronauts comic.


  • Animal-Themed Superbeing: Just Bug.
  • Chick Magnet: 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.
  • Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Bug is a goofy, wisecracking sort, but he is lethal with that staff of his.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Very snarky.
  • Dude, Where's My Respect?: 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.
  • Jumped at the Call: Was perfectly happy to join the team again, mainly because Rocket forgot to mention the whole brainwashing thing.
  • Kid-Appeal Character
  • Put on a Bus:
    • Wasn't present during the team's founding, and it wasn't made clear where he'd gotten to.
    • He was briefly in the Marvel NOW! 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 Bat Family Crossover for Scarlet Spider and Venom. As of Volume 4, it's revealed that he and some of the other former Guardians are part of a new team called the Knowhere Corps.
  • Raised by Wolves: Plant aliens, at that.
  • Speaks Fluent Animal: His antennae enable communication with others bearing antennae.
  • Spider-Sense: He has his own version.
  • Super-Senses: Has extraordinary sight, upgraded by his helmet.
  • Verbal Tic: "Tik".
  • Wall Crawl: His bug-like physiology means he can do this.

    Jack Flag 

Jack Flag (Jack Harrison)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jackflag_5.PNG
"I hate cosmic stuff..."

See Captain America: Supporting Characters for more info.


    Moondragon 

Moondragon (Heather Douglas)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2006_10_16_185844_moondragon.JPG

Moondragon is a powerful telekinetic and telepath, as well as the daughter of Arthur Douglas (better known as Drax). She once possessed the Mind Gem, one of the six Infinity Gems. Although she is a cold, shrewd loner at heart, she was almost always a member of a superhero team.


  • Ace Pilot: She is a skilled starship pilot.
  • A God Am I: Has her moments.
  • Arrogant Kung-Fu Girl: She is a superb alien hand-to-hand combatant, trained by the Titanian monks of Shao-Lom who were veteran practitioners in martial arts. Douglas is well versed in pressure points.
    • And even after barely winning her fight with The Dragon of The Moon, she still remained arrogant. After several rounds of trauma and Demonic Possession, this has subsided.
  • Back from the Dead: Revived by Drax and Phyla halfway through Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2.
  • Bald Mystic: A powerful psychic who underwent monastic training and shaves her head, preferring to be bald, though has worn short hair in the past.
  • Bury Your Gays: Much like Phyla-Vell, Heather has been killed off not once but twice. The first time, after she was infected with mutated spores and started to die the Dragon of the Moon appeared and told her it could save her life, but only if she agreed to be its host. She accepted, and, now an evil being, battled the Defenders, until four of them sacrificed themselves to kill both her and the Dragon. The second time, her death ended up being barely acknowledged and eventually turned out to be not the case.
    • Back from the Dead: Heather's soul managed to survive, and, now free from the Dragon again, contacted a cousin of hers; through her, she was able to obtain a new body for herself, a clone created on Titan.
  • Combat Stilettos: Her team uniform for the Guardians of the Galaxy is the only one to have heels.
  • Demonic Possession: She has a history with this.
  • Doppelmerger: During Guardians of the Galaxy (2020) she merges with her Earth-18897 counterpart, becoming a single Moondragon.
  • Dropped a Bridge on Him: Supposedly died, off-screen, around the time of Infinity Wars. Come 2020, it turns out Heather actually is very much alive and well, and pretty damn irritated that nobody bothered to check on her.
  • The Engineer
  • Evil Costume Switch: Heather tends to wear green outfits (except during Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, where she wears a modified version of the shared team uniform). On her return in vol. 5, she's switched to an all-black outfit.
  • The Gift: Moondragon is a classic case of this. Orphaned by the renegade Thanos of Titan, she was brought up on his homeworld and instructed in physical and mental disciplines for which she proved to have considerable talent. She got proud enough to challenge the Dragon in the Moon and apparently proved good enough to destroy it, which did not help. At her best she is insufferably arrogant (being almost That Damned Good to boot), and when the DitM's influence surfaces she lapses into full-blown Megalomania. Life with her new girlfriend seems to have mellowed her... somewhat.
  • Interspecies Romance: With Phyla-Vell. She's a human, and Phyla's half-Kree, half-Eternal.
  • It's Personal: Thanos killed her father, her mother and her lover. It's very personal.
  • More than Mind Control: While she insists she's no longer susceptible to the Dragon of the Moon's control, it uses her resentment and anger at her life to provoke her into going after her counterpart.
  • Navel-Deep Neckline: Her costumes before joining the Guardians went all the way to her navel.
  • Not Quite Dead: After being presumed dead during Infinity Wars, she reappeared to reconnect with her father during Guardians of the Galaxy (2020).
  • Omnidisciplinary Scientist: Douglas is an expert in various advanced Titanian sciences as well as Earth human sciences.
  • Psychic Powers: Heather Douglas was one of the most powerful human born telepaths ever. Her telepathic abilities include mind-control, mental attacks, mental shielding, personality alteration, memory erasure, memory modification. Douglas telepathic range is virtually limitless, as she is able to contact minds scattered throughout a solar system without enhancement devices such as Xavier's Cerebro.
    • Heathers' most notable psychic actions were the complete mental enslavement of an entire warring planet of people, psionically stalemating the sorcerer supreme Doctor Strange for an extended period of time, and mentally killing a clone of Thanos endowed with psionic powers greater than Professor X, as well as being able to pierce the mental barriers of Galactus and even enabling Thanos to almost overwhelm the devourer's mind when channeling her powers. All feats well beyond that of Xavier (save possibly during the Krakoan era) and most other noted human and human mutant psychics (a.k.a. all those not related to Jean Grey or Xavier himself, and possibly Exodus thanks to his Psycho Active Powers).
  • Put on a Bus: Didn't come back for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. As of Volume 4, it's revealed that she and some of the other former Guardians are part of a new team called the Knowhere Corps.
  • Raised By Aliens: When she was little, she was found by Thanos' father, Mentor, who took her to his home world, Titan, to be raised. 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).
  • The Resenter: Not unreasonably, she intensely dislikes her other-dimensional counterpart for being so much better and happier than she is, along with being Happily Married to her version of Heather's dead girlfriend. It gets so bad she falls victim to the Dragon of the Moon and, under its influence, tries to kill her.
  • Scaled Up: Was only able to turn into a dragon once but she made it count. Of course, said scaling was because of the Dragon of the Moon, and had Heather not died, it would've taken over her again.
  • Stalker with a Test Tube: To Quasar. Her Coming-Out Story 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.
  • Stripperiffic: Most of her outfits before the Guardians tended to show off a lot of skin. Her uniforms in the team are more conservative than her usual wardrobe.
  • Trauma Conga Line: The entire second half of the second volume of Guardians, and The Thanos Imperative are one for her. She gets saved from being the chew-toy of an Eldritch Abomination by her girlfriend, and then scarcely a few weeks later her girlfriend is apparently killed by a mad god. A few months later, she finds out said girlfriend is alive, but by the time she gets to her, Phyla's been killed for real by Thanos. Then the war with the Cancerverse also manages to kill her father as well.
  • Twofer Token Minority: Amongst the Eternals, she's a bisexual human.

Members from Brian Michael Bendis' run

    Iron Man 

Iron Man (Anthony "Tony" Stark)

Genius billionaire playboy philanthropist and founding Avenger. Tony joins the Guardians as Earth's representative, at least for a time, but his duties cause him to leave the team, appointing Flash Thompson as his replacement. See Iron Man for more info.


    Angela 

Angela (Aldrif Odinsdottir)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/angela_00.jpg

Daughter of Odin and sister of Thor, Angela hails from the tenth realm of Heven. Found adrift in space by the Guardians of the Galaxy, she joins the team for an extended period before returning to her homeworld. See Angela for more info.


    Captain Marvel 

Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers)

See Carol Danvers for more info.


    Agent Venom 

Agent Venom (Eugene "Flash" Thompson)

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

Former high school bully of Peter Parker, later war hero. After losing his legs in Iraq, Flash Thompson would become a super soldier for the U.S. Government, using the Venom symbiote for covert operations. Eventually going rogue, Flash would join the Avengers, and would later be appointed Earth's representative on the Guardians of the Galaxy. See Marvel Comics: Flash Thompson for more info.


  • Costume Evolution: After joining the Guardians, Flash changes his appearance from one resembling military body armor to a more exoskeletal appearance with a Jagged Mouth. After the Venom symbiote is cleansed by the Klyntar Hive-Mind, he takes on a bulky form resembling sci-fi armor, but can revert to his original appearance if he so-chooses.
  • Fish out of Water: 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 and 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.
  • Legacy Character: The fourth person to wear the symbiote and operate under the identity of Venom.

    Kitty Pryde 

Star-Lord (Katherine "Kitty" Pryde)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dbd2626f0e2186766282ab91d8a7b0fd.jpg

The then headmistress of the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning, Kitty Pryde spent most of her life as an X-Man. Upon meeting the Guardians of the Galaxy and becoming involved with Peter Quill, she would join the team.

For tropes relating to Kitty's appearances prior to taking up the Star-Lord mantle, see the Kitty Pryde page.


  • Author Appeal: Happens to join the team and become leader when Brian Bendis, well-known for his fondness for Kitty, was writer. This is lampshaded in a crossover with Gwenpool.
  • Cool Helmet: As Star-Lady, she wears a version of Star-Lord's helmet.
  • Legacy Character: Takes over her fiancé Peter Quill's mantle after he becomes Emperor of Spartax.
  • Official Couple: With Star-Lord, to whom she was engaged. It doesn't last and she returns to Earth.
  • Took a Level in Badass: Started out as a naive, teenage newcomer in the X-Men books. Now, after many, many years and books worth of character development and achievements as a member of the X-Men, she's the current first lady of Spartax, and current holder of the mantle of Star-Lord (or Star-Lady to be more precise) while still cosmically powered thanks to the events of The Black Vortex.

    The Thing 

The Thing (Benjamin "Ben" J. Grimm)

Founding member of the Fantastic Four and protector of Yancy Street.


Members from Gerry Duggan's run

    Ant-Man II 

Ant-Man (Scott Lang)

The second Ant-Man, sneaking aboard Star-Lord's ship to get off world while he was a fugitive back on Earth. The team had no issues with letting him stay with them and admitted him onto the team.


  • Butt-Monkey: Scott finds himself getting the short end of the stick quite frequently during his brief tenure on the team.
  • Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Though perhaps not as extreme, Scott's role on the team was quite similar to Jack Flag's, being a fish out of water in the highly advanced cosmic and mostly staying on the team since he believed he was a fugitive back on Earth.
  • No-Respect Guy: Though the team was willing to let him stay with them, unlike Deadpool who they kicked off the ship immediately, it was clear that a lot of them showed little respect for Scott. Cosmo even went as far as calling him everyone's least favorite Avenger.

Members from Donny Cates' run

    Beta Ray Bill 

Beta Ray Bill

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/beta_ray_bill_earth_12131_from_marvel_avengers_alliance_0001.png

Bill is a steadfast ally of Thor and wielder of Stormbreaker. Bill is present when Thanos' will is read and after a string of events that put him at odds with the Dark Guardians, a team looking to kill anyone who Thanos may be possessing, Bill joins the Guardians of the Galaxy. See Beta Ray Bill for more info.


    Phyla-Vell (Earth-18897) 

Phyla-Vell of Earth-18897

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/phyla_vell_earth_trn707_from_infinity_countdown_vol_1_4_001.jpg

Alter Ego: Phyla-Vell of Earth-18897

Notable Aliases: Captain Marvel

First Appearance: Infinity Countdown #4

After the death of the 616-version of Phyla-Vell, another version from Earth-18897 appeared during Infinity Countdown. She and her wife, Moondragon, came to Earth-616 in search of the Reality Stone, which they needed in order to defeat their version of Requiem. Once they get the stone, they depart back to their own reality.

Unfortunately, things don't go well in their reality and it's destroyed by Requiem, which Phyla and Moondragon as the only survivors, having been thrown back into the 616 as a last resort. They joined together with other superheroes in stopping Gamora from doing the same thing in this universe during Infinity Wars (2018) and then both ended up joining Star-Lord's new Guardians of the Galaxy in Guardians of the Galaxy (2019). She and Moondragon both end up staying with the Guardians in Guardians of the Galaxy (2020), although they do have a rough patch when Moondragon decides to merge with her 616 counterpart.

She goes by the name Captain Marvel and she and Moondragon are often referred to as "superheroes from a superhero dimension."


  • The Big Guy: Shares this role with Bill. She was able to easily one-shot Proxima Midnight, who has beaten the Hulk. Later on, she manages to go toe-to-toe with Olympians and live.
  • Boisterous Bruiser: She likes fighting.
  • Fish out of Water: As time goes on, she gets increasingly angry with the new universe she and her wife have wound up in. Heather merging with her counterpart doesn't help with this.
  • For Want Of A Nail: Aside from not being dead, she became Captain Marvel in her universe, not Quasar, never joined the Guardians, and is evidently a hell of a lot tougher than regular Phyla ever was.
    • Her battle form resembles the cosmic form of her brother Genis-Vell and isn't an ability Phyla-616 ever possessed, so this could be related to why she is generally much more powerful than the original Phyla ever was.
  • Game Face: By default, she's a pink-skinned Kree. When she goes into a fight, her skin takes on the star-pattern of someone using Cosmic Awareness.
    • This star-pattern form is something Phyla-616 never had, but it was associated with her brother Genis, its possible this Phyla developed powers like those possessed by Genis under relatively similar circumstances.
  • Happily Married: To her reality's Moondragon. At least, at first.
  • Jumped at the Call: When Rich came looking for someone to help with the reborn Olympians, Phyla immediately stepped up.
  • Last of His Kind: She and Heather are the only survivors of their universe, which got eaten by the cosmic entity Devondra.
  • Lighter and Softer: Doesn't have any of the angst of 616 Phyla and is more often than not very cheerful, despite losing her universe.
  • Mind Link Mates: She and Heather are constantly psychically connected.
  • Navel-Deep Neckline: In formal situations, tends to favor a business suit with a plunging neckline.
  • Suspiciously Similar Substitute: She basically takes the place of 616 Phyla.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: Is (understandably) massively pissed when her wife goes and merges with her other-dimensional counterpart without even telling her about this beforehand, and refuses to speak to her.

    Moondragon (Earth-18897) 

Moondragon (Heather Douglas) of Earth-18897

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/heather_douglas_earth_trn707_from_guardians_of_the_galaxy_the_prodigal_sun_vol_1_1_001.jpg

An alternate universe version of Heather Douglas, hailing from a universe where Loki is heroic. She was brought to Earth-616 during Infinity Wars along with her universe's Phyla-Vell, and the two are present for the reading of Thanos' will. After a chain of unfortunate events, Heather joins the Guardians of the Galaxy alongside her wife.


  • All-Loving Hero: Doesn't have any grudge against her counterpart, even trying to save her when 'our' Heather just wants her dead and gone.
  • Animated Tattoo: A major different between her and 616!Heather is she has tattoos which she can turn into actual dragons, which she uses to attack people.
  • Doppelgänger Gets Same Sentiment: She's treated exactly like 616-Heather, despite their vast differences. 616 Heather is very annoyed by this.
  • Doppelmerger: Merges with her Earth-616 counterpart in an attempt to rescue her from the Dragon of the Moon.
  • For Want Of A Nail: Evidently in her universe she was never corrupted by the Dragon of the Moon. Her life has been less generally sucky, and she's much more pleasant than Heather tends to be.
  • Happily Married: To her universe's Phyla. At least at first.
  • Loss of Identity: A complaint Phyla has about her merger is that it's hard for her to tell which Heather she's interacting with.
  • Suspiciously Similar Substitute: She basically takes the place of 616 Heather. Everyone acts as if the two are one and the same. The native Heather is not too happy about this, adding another reason for her to dislike her alternate counterpart.
  • Synchronization: She can use her telepathy to give Phyla a boost in fights.

    Lockjaw 

Lockjaw

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lockjaw_6.png

The teleporting dog of the Inhuman Royal Family. Lockjaw joined the Guardians during the Thanos resurrection incident, and is usually seen alongside his friend Beta Ray Bill. See The Inhumans for more info.


Members from Al Ewing's run

    Nova 

Nova (Richard Rider)

Richard Rider is the original Human Rocket and one of Star-Lord's closest friends. Though he played a major role in the founding of Star-Lord's team after Ultron's conquest of the galaxy, he wouldn't join the team proper until years later.


    Marvel Boy 

Marvel Boy (Noh-Varr)

A Kree super soldier from an alternate universe.


See: See Noh-Varr.

    Hercules 

Hercules Panhellenios

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

The legendary hero of myth, long-standing Avenger and Prince of Power. After a his Olympian family was slaughtered by the primordial goddess Nyx, Hercules dedicated himself to selflessly helping others, and joined forces with the Guardians of the Galaxy when they rescued him from the reincarnated, malevolent Olympians.


    Blackjack O'Hare 

Blackjack O'Hare

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blackjack_guardians_of_the_galaxy_3_cover_0.jpg

A genetically uplifted cyborg rabbit mercenary from Halfworld. Blackjack has been Rocket Raccoon's rival since his earliest adventures. He spent decades alternating between opposing and teaming up with Rocket depending on the situation. He joins the Guardians as a member of their West Spiral Arms team.


    Prince of Power 

The Prince of Power

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/7467189_rco004_1594822540.jpg

A mysterious disgraced royal who keeps his past a secret to all but his closest allies, preferring to simply be referred to as "the Prince". He spent his recent years under the tutelage of Blackjack O'Hare whom he has great respect for as a mentor. He joins the West Spiral Arms team along with Blackjack.


  • Be Careful What You Wish For: He wanted to be just as impressive as his more talented brother, and thanks to the Infinity Stone he got it... at the cost of his world and everyone on it.
  • Boisterous Bruiser: He can hit like a truck and will likely be just as loud as one too.
  • Brains and Brawn: Has this dynamic with Blackjack, and anyone else he partners with really, because he's too dumb to have any direction on his own.
  • Brought to You by the Letter "S": Has the initials "P.O.P" on his sash, belt, vambraces, and forming the head of his hammer.
  • Call-Back: Serves as one to two of his teammates. As mentioned below, his appearance, title and personality are all based on Hercules pre-character development. In addition his super strength is drawn from swallowing the Power Stone much like Drax did back when he was on Adam Warlock's Infinity Watch.
  • Dumb Muscle: Which he'll freely admit to... admittedly, he's so dumb he doesn't realize this isn't actually a positive. He was slightly smarter before he ate the Power Stone, but he was perfectly happy with the trade-off.
  • Fallen Prince: Blackjack addresses him as "your highness" and comments that he's a disgraced aristocrat. Judging by him sharing an old escape pod with Blackjack as living space when the series opens he certainly fits the bill. Rocket later confirms that he is indeed of Royal lineage. He was one of the Princes of the planet Muscula... until he blew it up.
  • Flowery Elizabethan English: He affects this type of speech.
  • Ignorance Is Bliss: In his own words, if he thought about how he destroyed his entire planet he'd go mad with grief and if he thought about how someone smarter would use his power he'd go mad with fear. So he doesn't think about either of those things and maintains an airheaded optimism, because it's safer to be stupid than mad.
  • I Just Want to Be Special: He grew up a little resentful of his far more attractive, likable and successful brother's exploits, and angrily asked the universe why he couldn't be the impressive one. At which point the Power Stone showed up.
  • Incoming Ham: His first proper introduction really hammers it all in.
    "I have the strength of of a thousand men - A thousand big men! I have never known doubt or fear or any other thing! I can hold my breath for ten minutes! And my name... is the Prince of Power!."
  • Last of His Kind: Because he blew up everyone else. By accident.
  • Metaphorically True: When asked about the origin of his powers, Otherone claimed they were given to him by a wizard, while at first glance this seems to be a simple lie, this statement actually true in broad strokes.
    • It was revealed in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 6 #12 that he is the soul-bonded wielder of the Power Stone, Adam Warlock was the one who used the Soul Stone to bond the Infinity Stones to various beings across the universe. So Warlock's actions are essentially responsible for the Power Stone coming into the possession of Otherone.
    • In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 6 Annual, the wizard Answeros explained to Otherone that the capabilities of the Power Stone are restricted by the user's intelligence and level of understanding and he learned to truly tap into the power of the gem by reading a meditation for dummies book that he stole from the wizard's library.
  • Meditation Powerup: With the way the Power Stone works now, more potential is tapped depending on the mental acuity of the wielder. So far, he's managed to unlock the ability to give a massive power boost to another person, after literal learning meditation to empty his head. Easy enough.
  • Mike Nelson, Destroyer of Worlds: He got carried away with impulsiveness and ended up wiping out his own planet.
  • Power Makeover: Literally; the power of the Power Stone turned him from a nebbish, brunette office drone into a bleach blonde, square-jawed paragon of power and muscley might.
  • Shout-Out: His homeworld of Musclar is a homage to Eternia, the home of the Masters of the Universe. His own brother Majestar is an Expy of He-Man.
  • Spare to the Throne: Years ago, the Queen of Noblor had her courtly mages work their magic to create a child of pure might and heroism. They succeeded... and also created a spare because the Queen didn't want to take any chances, who was much less mighty, much less heroic, and smelled vaguely unpleasant. The queen, not terribly unimpressed, told them to put him somewhere. They named him Otherone. That's this guy.
  • Stepford Smiler: He is, at least, a little bit aware his backstory, if taken seriously, would drive him mad with guilt. So he tries not to think about it, and since he's good at not thinking about it, he often doesn't. But a brief heart-to-heart with Hercules has him admit he's feeling some, not to mention a bit of angst about the source of his powers.
  • Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Is very obviously based on a pre-Character Development Hercules, down to being known as "the Prince of Power", Hercules' long-time Superhero Sobriquet. He also shares some traits with Herc's rival The Mighty Thor, wielding a hammer that returns to him after being thrown. When the two end up fighting each other Hercules is initially taken back by how much the Prince reminds him of his old self before taking advantage of this.

    Super Skrull 

Super Skrull (Kl'rt)

The original Super Skrull, a genetically enhanced shapeshifter armed with the combined powers of the Fantastic Four. He is one of the very first recruits to the team during the New Age of Space.


See Skrulls for more info.

    Quasar I 

Quasar (Wendel Vaughn)

The original Quasar. See Quasar for more info.


  • One-Steve Limit: Averted. After the Guardians expand into a more official galactic peacekeeping force, he joins alongside the third Quasar, who unlike Phyla Vell and Richard Rider, is still using the codename.

    Quasar III 

Quasar (Avril Kincaid)

The third Quasar. See Quasar for more info.


    Dr. Doom 

Dr. Doom (Dr. Victor Von Doom)

Monarch of Latveria, arch-enemy of the Fantastic Four, and the most surprising new addition to the Guardians of the Galaxy, even to himself. See Doctor Doom for more information.


  • Trading Bars for Stripes: A variation. While the Guardians and the Kree / Skrull alliance ponder if they could even contain him in one of thier prisons, Star-Lord instead opts to have Doom give his word to join and help the team in exchange for Moondragon returning his consciousness back to his body, knowing Doom's pride and sense of honor will bind him much more effectively than any prison cell would.
  • Unexpected Character: His silhouette on the preview art was the final one to be unveiled. Before then, most people expected the mystery caped figure to be Adam Warlock or Beta Ray Bill. Nobody expected Doom to join the team.

The Dark Guardians

A cosmic hit squad formed in response to Thanos' posthumous revelation that he is now possessing an unknown person. The group is determined to kill any possible candidates.

    Starfox 

Starfox (Eros)

Brother of Thanos with a hatred of his brother. He forms the Dark Guardians after the chaos that the reading of Thanos' will causes.

See The Eternals for more info.

    Cosmic Ghost Rider 

The Rider (Frank Castle)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cosmic_ghost_rider_thanos.png

An alternate future-based version of the Punisher who became the Spirit of Vengeance, Herald of Galactus and then Herald of Thanos. Powered by the forces of Hell and the Power Cosmic, he is the most powerful of the group. He was killed by his universe's Silver Surfer, but was restored to life and sent to the present of Earth-616 by Odin, essentially kicked out of Valhalla. He attempted to kill and then raise a baby Thanos, but this proved fruitless. He is present for the reading of the modern Thanos' will, and is adamant about killing whoever Thanos may be possessing.


  • Bait-and-Switch: It was implied both on the cover of the first issue of the 2019 series and its conclusion that he would join the Guardians of the Galaxy. He does not.

    Gladiator 

Gladiator (Kallark)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5633688_czfaajoxuae6bgf_copy.png

Leader of the Shi'ar Imperial Guard and Majestor of the Shi'ar Empire.

See Shi'ar for more info.


    Wraith 

Wraith (Zak-Del)

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

Orphaned as a child, Wraith is a Kree wanderer. As a child he was sucked into a black hole and empowered by the Exolon, becoming a member of the Nameless. After killing the Nameless' leader, he escaped his prison and aided the cosmos during the second Annihilation War, but would afterwards continue his hunt for those that killed his parents. He is present for the reading of Thanos' will, but is only aiding Starfox because he was promised information regarding dark god Knull in order to remove his Exolon powers and regain his soul.


  • A Death in the Limelight: Web of Venom: Wraith centers around him, his backstory, and he ends up dying when Knull reaps out his Exolon Symbiote and leaves him for dead in space.
  • Almost Dead Guy: Detecting Eddie Brock's Symbiote, he manages to teleport to Earth and warn him of Knull's coming before dying. Unfortunately, Eddie doesn't understand the significance of the message.
  • The Bus Came Back: He only ever appeared in Annihilation: Conquest and his joining the Dark Guardians in 2019 marks his first reappearance in over a decade.
  • Casting a Shadow: His Exolon powers allow him to do wreathe an area in darkness by causing them to swarm.
  • Expy: Zak-Del was based on Clint Eastwood's character of the Man With No Name from Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy, with a number of Shout Outs being found in the Annihilation: Conquest - Wraith series.
  • Healing Factor: He heals very quickly and cannot die. Knull changes that by removing his Symbiote and leaving him to die in space.
  • Nothing Personal: Admits to not wanting to hurt Richard Rider, but he wants the information Starfox promised him.
  • The Symbiote: As a child, Zak-Del was bonded to an Exolon, a parasitic creature made of living darkness. ''Web of Venom: Wraith reveals that the Exolon were essentially prototype symbiotes that were discarded by Knull, who deemed them failures.
  • Too Kinky to Torture: The Phalanx-controlled Ronan brutalizes Zak-Del while interrogating him, but Zak-Del laughs it off.
  • There Is Another: Before dying, he realizes there is a primordial god of Light that opposes Knull, and tells Eddie Brock about it. Unfortunately, Eddie doesn't comprehend his message.
  • "Uh-Oh" Eyes: Zak-Del has black sclerae and red irises due to the Exolon bonded to him.

    Nebula 

Nebula

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nebula_marvel_7.jpg
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nebula_8.png

Nebula is a Marvel Comics character created by Roger Stern and John Buscema, first appearing in The Avengers #257 (dated July 1985).

Introduced as a villain of The Avengers, Nebula was a space pirate later revealed to be the granddaughter of Thanos, the Mad Titan. That was generally the extent of her characterization for a while, occasionally popping up as a minor antagonist in the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe.

She received major emphasis, however, during the original Infinity Gauntlet storyline in 1991. Nebula had a major role in helping the heroes take down Thanos, briefly even wielding the Gauntlet for herself. Following her arrest on (and escape from) Titan, Nebula was turned into the Cyborg that she later become infamous for.

Outside of minor role in the 2006 Annihilation event, Nebula mostly remained in the background figure in the cosmic Marvel Universe in the following year, but her appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (as portrayed by Karen Gillan) have seen a renewed interest in the character that's spread back into the comics, with her first solo series hitting in February 2020.


Nebula has appeared in:

Notable Comic Books

Film

Animation

Video Games


Nebula provides examples of:

  • A God Am I
    • Once The Avengers restored the universe destroyed by the infinity union, they accidentally got it to start working the way Nebula wanted it to and turned her into giant god who could beat up The Stanger and torture The Avengers to her heart's content. Though she was defeated once The Stranger accepted the need to work alongside The Anvengers.
    • When she wields the Infinity Gauntlet, intending to use it for selfish (and vindictive) reasons.
  • A Lighter Shade of Black: She rose up against Annihilus when he oversaw the construction of a space ship fleet he called "The Annihilation Wave" for the purpose of destroying the universe.
  • Amazing Technicolor Population: Has blue skin, a trait among her race of people.
  • Arch-Enemy: She has claimed several different ones at various points, and several others have claimed her. Some cases are more onesided than others. The Nova Corps give Nebula their highest threat rating, even though a single Nova, Richard Rider, was able to defeat her entire crew when she sneak attacked him, because they're a bit salty about Nebula blowing up their homeworld with Sanctuary II.
  • Archnemesis Dad: Or rather, Granddad in the comics, regarding her antagonistic relationship with Thanos.
  • Bald of Evil: Originally wearing long hair in her earliest appearances, Nebula has since become known for her bald head in her most contemporary portrayals. In the MCU, baldness among Luphomoids is considered canon. In the comic book universe Nebula became slightly less evil after going bald, but the hair loss was a direct result of her own actions coming back on her.
  • Bat Man Can Breathe In Space: She was awarded with the ability to survive in a vacuum after passing the Three Witches trial.
  • Bounty Hunter: Became one when she saw there was a bounty on Gamora's head. It wasn't really about the money, she lost some hiring a Chitauri army to help her get the bounty. It was just about humiliating Gamora.
  • Cybernetics Eat Your Soul: Inverted by her comic book counterpart, who was already morally dubious when she got her cybernetic enhancements. After having her brain repaired she actually showed a surprising degree of gratitude(she saved the man most responsible while using the rest of her crew as a diversion and then incinerating them).
  • Cyborg: She becomes this after The Infinity Gauntlet, when cybernetic implants are needed to save her brain from trauma in prison, and the criminal surgeon decides to give Nebula some upgrades for giggles on top of it.
  • Dark Action Girl: As a female, cybernetic space pirate.
  • Determinator: She's been on the wrong end of several curbstomp battles against the likes of Starfox, Thanos, Silver Surfer, Ronan The Accuser and Nova. Gamora even broke her down while Nebula was wearing Stellaris Armor, which was made from Celestial technology, able to make Thor sweat, and could detonate entire galaxies. Even when she has the power to back up her bluster, Nebula will never be as good a fighter as she claims to be, but no matter how many times Nebula gets slapped down, she just won't give up. At best she'll just run away to try again later.
  • Diabolus ex Machina: Nebula and her crew are able to escape justice for what they did to the Skrull Empire because The Beyonder teleported them out of the Andromeda galaxy. He thought he was doing The Avengers a favor, and in a round about way he kind of was, but it took a long time and a lot more mayhem from Nebula before his decision bore any good fruit.
  • Disguised Hostage Gambit: How she and her crewman Geatar conducted her first escape from the Anvil on Titan.
  • Enemy Mine: She joined forces with Gamora's Graces(Stellaris, Spirit, Tana Nile and Cerise), none of whom had anything in common, as well as with Ronan The Accuser, who wanted to kill all Graces before for being associated with Tana Nile, to stop the Annihilation Wave from the destroying the universe.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: During the time she was claiming Warlord Zorr as her father, Nebula launched a raid on Earth to kill Richard Rider of the Nova Corps, since he killed her "dad".
  • Evil Is Hammy: This panel from The Infinity Gauntlet pretty much sums it up.
  • From Camouflage to Criminal: The Skrull Governor Gorth hired Nebula and her crew to create a mercenary army that would reunite the Skrull Empire under his leadership. Nebula did a great job building that army, amassing outcasts and criminals from thousands of worlds. But she spent most of her time engaging in acts of piracy and her ultimate goal was to claim the Skrull galaxy for herself. Gorth was simply a means of funding her ambitions.
  • Galactic Conqueror: In her first appearance, sends her pirate crew to hijack Sanctuary II, which she warps to the Skrull Empire, which is in disarray after Galactus eats the planet its capitol is located on. She proceeds to use the stations power to beat the Skrulls into submission, but The Avengers decide to save the devil they know from the much more destructive one they just discovered.
  • Green-Skinned Space Babe: Defied. Unlike Gamora, who's typically shown as tough and sexy, Nebula isn't typically treated the same way. That's not to say she isn't attractive to some people, but Nebula's most recent interpretations emphasize her deadliness over looks.
  • Hostage Situation
    • She was able to keep Silver Surfer at bay when he first attempted to send her back to prison by having her crew take hostages and threatening their lives. Surfer wasn't her only opposition though, and hostages were not enough to make Jack Of Hearts negotiate.
    • She had The Mighty Thor kidnapped because after stealing so many artifacts of from Asgardian or related world tree origin realms, she fully expected Asgard to come after her and decided to get a bargaining chip ahead of time.
  • I Just Want to Be Special: Nebula's deepest desire is to be feared, not even respected necessarily. Without understanding this, her motives seem as inconsistent as the tall tales she tells about her past.
  • Kick the Dog: Xandar isn't part of Skrull space and simply going to it was just a waste of time and resources during Nebula's campaign, but she had to go all out and destroy it just because it was the Nova Corp home world and they had apparently interfered with her pirating before.
  • The Mole
    • Captain Marvel was on what was supposed to be a low risk mission to Sanctuary II when Nebula's Crew got in and warped it out of the galaxy. Captain Marvel opted to join Nebula's crew until she could find out how to get back home, but ended up sabotaging them when she saw havoc Nebula was wreaking on the Skrull Empire. Nebula was planning on killing Captain Marvel anyway, and in fact shot in the chest when they met to see if Captain Marvel could really prove useful. Nebula made no effort to have a loyal, if temporary crew mate.
    • Nebula had Dr. Druid act as a mole within The Avengers for the purpose of discrediting Captain Marvel. When Captain America and The Wasp ceded leadership of The Avengers to Captain Marvel, it resulted in Druid destroying the team's confidence in her to the point it dissolved, but they caught on and reassembled later.
  • Multiple-Choice Past
    • For one example, there have been at least two different flashbacks that show Nebula's childhood involving two different fathers. Was he a violent warlord who raised Nebula to be the way she is? Was he a physically and sexually abusive deadbeat who drove Nebula to a life of crime? Are the contradictory stories of Nebula's past lies, delusions or just misconceptions? It doesn't help that "grandfather" Thanos denies and confirms Nebula's claims with equal inconsistency.
    • Starfox has read Nebula's mind and given her a DNA test. He confirms neither method was able to determine anything conclusive about Nebula's origins.
  • Mysterious Past: Unlike her cinematic counterpart, much of Nebula's backstory in the comics is unknown. Her relationship with Thanos in particular has never really been explored to the extent it has in the MCU.
  • Nice Job Fixing It, Villain
    • When she claimed the Infinity Gauntlet, her second order of business was undoing everything Thanos had been doing all day, not realizing the consequences of doing so, allowing Adam Warlock to take it from her in the ensuing confusion.
    • When she learned her apparent uncle's plan to kill Thanos, which she was totally onboard with, involved stealing a phoenix egg from Terrax, she executed Thane on the spot. For some reason this resulted in the egg hatching with Thane as the next phoenix force host.
    • After her second prison break, Nebula sucessfully managed to disguise herself and go into hiding. That It's All About Me attitude of hers ruined this though, as she encounted The Silver Surfer at a Nightclub with Genis-Vell, assumed Surfer was tracking her, and turned all her weapons on him in an attmept to "escape". All this did was get Surfer's attention and put her behind bars once more.
  • Night of the Living Mooks: She stole Naglfar Beacon from Loki. It is a horn that allows her to summon the soul less bodies of gods recurrent gods such as the Asir who have not yet been reborn. This wouldn't be all that impressive if not for the fact her Empty Shell ghost pirates are still gods, and Nebula is perfectly content with plundering the mortal realm...after she crushes Gamora.
  • Omnicidal Maniac: Subverted, in that she claimed she wanted to destroy the universe, just like her supposed grandfather after reading about him on Sanctuary II, but after stealing the infinity union from The Stranger, Nebula got upset when she found out it did just that, leaving her in an empty building surrounded by a lot of nothing. Luckily for her, some of The Avengers survived due to being in that building and sought to reverse its affects. Nebula still made it more difficult than it needed to be by attacking them.
  • Our Zombies Are Different: All but one of Nebula's crew turned on her when Thanos came back for Sanctuary II, and that one crew mate gave Nebula the necessary medical treatment to survive after getting fried by Thanos's eyebeams. Since killing Nebula did nothing to impress Mistress Death, Thanos tried turning Nebula into a zombie only capable of random shuffling instead. He deemed it a mockery of life sure to please Death(it didn't)
  • Pet the Dog: She occasionally rewards loyalty, such as with her crewman Geatar, who got her the surgery that restored her ability to think coherently. She also saved The Champion Of The Universe's life in repayment for saving hers, and even had a one night stand with him despite not liking him very much and refusing to start dating.
  • Retcanon: Like a lot of characters, her appearance was adjusted to align with her adaptations in the Marvel movies.
  • Rogues' Gallery Transplant: Nebula was created to serve as the arch nemesis of the second Captain Marvel, but as that Captain Marvel faded into obscurity Nebula defaulted to Firelord, since she destroyed his home world with Sanctuary II. Thanos's brother Starfox convinced Firelord to let go of his grudge after Nebula went to prison. She was broken out of prison, sent back three times by The Silver Surfer, then she faded into obscurity herself before resurfacing to clash with Loki, who was attempting to reform where she rejected the chance. The Guardians Of The Galaxy got their own movie, making her their villain in general, and the nemesis of 'Aunt' Gamora specifically.
  • Sanity Strengthening: No one was really sure if Nebula was a compulsive liar, simply believed things that couldn't possibly be true due to delusion, or had lied so long she started believing them. The brain surgery has made her views of reality much more in line with her peers however.
  • Space Pirate: How she was introduced. She even seized control of Thanos' Sanctuary II ship at one point.
  • Spanner in the Works: Thanos hated Nebula when he found her using his base of operations and claiming to be his granddaughter, but he turned her into a wandering zombie instead of killing her outright because he subconsciously hated himself even more. After he had "won" and crushed all known opposition with the gauntlet, zombie Nebula aimlessly wandered around until she reached Thanos, took the gauntlet and used it to restore herself to life, robbing Thanos of its power in the process.
  • Statuesque Stunner: She stands at a meter and eighty five centimeters, or an imperial 6'1. Became a little less stunner, if more striking, after she required surgery from an experience in a Titan jail called The Anvil.
  • Super-Strength: How strong she was originally was not so clear, but after getting cybernetic enhancements she became roughly as strong as Luke Cage. She then underwent a trial in the God Quarry after being left behind by Thanos, which made her even stronger than that
  • Supervillain: How she's usually portrayed in the comics. Her main drives are territory to rule and money to be made, which makes it pretty easy to tell stories where Nebula works alongside superheroes even when she doesn't have motives they approve of. In Captain Marvel Volume 7, Carol Danvers sees an alternate reality where Nebula leads a galactic peace keeping force sanctioned by Thanos The Just, and she wants to kill Gamora not out of spite, but because Gamora is a space pirate who rejects father Thanos's desires for peace and harmony.
  • Teleporter Accident: After Valkyrie broke Nebula's axe, she commanded the dwarf Urzuul to fix it, but he changed it's nature so that it now teleports Nebula to where she doesn't want to go.
  • Villain: Exit, Stage Left: Especially in her early appearances, where Nebula didn't have much in the way of superpowers, relying on guns, fleets of spaceships and well paid mercenaries to defend herself. Direct encounters with super powered beings were best handled by turning the craft around and warping somewhere else.
  • You Have Outlived Your Usefulness
    • Once Nebula no longer needed Gorth's help to recruit soldiers and get spacecraft, she simply killed him.
    • Once Captain Marvel bypassed a planetary defense shield Nebula couldn't think of a way around, Nebula launched a torpedo after her to kill Captain Marvel. By that point Marvel was expecting a betrayal and faked her death to strike back at an opportune moment.
    • After her crew broke her out from a prison on Titan, Nebula killed them to help her keep Silver Surfer and Jack Of Hearts from sending her back. Except Geatar, whom she still had use for.

Alternative Title(s): Mantis Marvel Comics, Drax The Destroyer, Gamora, Nebula Marvel Comics, Nebula, Mantis

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