10:00-15:00
Peter manages to escape.
On the ship is Bereet. She is played by Melia Kreiling.
Bereet comes from the comics. She is an artist from Krylor, and had dealings with the Hulk. In the film she remains a Krylorian, although in the MCU, they have pink skin.
Kreiling is a Swiss model and actress.
Note she is wearing the T-Shirt Peter had when he left Earth.
Then we hear Go All The Way by the Raspberries. It’s the biggest hit by the band, taken from their debut album Raspberries, released 10th April 1972. Americans who loved British Invasion, their singer Eric Carmen would score major hits as a solo artist.
We hear over the, er, radio?, we hear news on the Kree, Xandar and Nova Prime. We will talk about all of them as we meet them, but they are all important references.
He gets a call from Yondu. He’s played by Michael Rooker.
Yondu is from the comics. He’s from Centauri IV, and the last of his race. A warrior, he was a founding member of the original Guardians Of the Galaxy – from the future. In the comics he is blue with a very distinctive red fin on his forehead. He also shot arrows in a conventional manner – with a bow. A new Yondu is now in the comics, based of the character from this film, who is tied to Peter Quill. For a film with a lot of weirdness, they took away Yondu’s fin, but it looks like it will be used in future films.
He first appeared, along with the original Guardians Of The Galaxy, in Marvel Heroes #18 (January 1969). He was created by Arnold Drake and Gene Colan.
Rooker has played lots of tough character roles, in films like Cliffhanger (1993) and the TV series The Walking Dead. He is also one of James Gunn‘s regular players. Rooker told Collider:
I knew [James Gunn] was writing something for me, but he didn’t say what. And then, all of a sudden, it just started happening. At first, I couldn’t do Guardians of the Galaxy because I was on The Walking Dead. Literally, three-quarters of the way through The Walking Dead, I found out that I was gonna be part of the dead. So right away, I was like, “Hey, man, what’s up? Are we still on for this?” I ended up being a very fortunate, very lucky actor.
What’s the original Guardians Of the Galaxy? The Guardians name was first used in 1969 for a team of heroes set in the future, with none of the characters in the Guardians team here. Although they interacted with heroes in our time, especially in large cosmic crises. The team that formed in 2008 has very loose ties to the 60s team, are set in our time but are also cosmic misfits.
Rooker refers to Terra and Terrans. He basically means Earth and Earthlings. It’s Latin.
Yondu and his team of Ravagers are on Morag. They were created for the film, and later introduced into the comics.
He grabs one of his team by the sleeve. This Kraglin Obfonteri, played by Sean Gunn.
There is an alien called Kraglin in the comics that bears no resemblance whatsoever to this character.
Gunn is perhaps best known for his role in Gilmore Girls. He was also the human performer for Rocket Racoon. He’s the brother of James Gunn.
The other arguing Ravager is named Horuz. He’s played by Tom Proctor. Proctor has appeared in plenty of great TV shows from Westworld to Brooklyn Nine Nine to True Detective. He also appeared in films such as 12 Years A Slave.
Then in space, we see a ship called the Dark Aster. Its a Kree Warship. It was created for the film. Apparently it is bigger than 11 Empire State Buildings.
Ronan The Accuser emerges. He’s played by Lee Pace.
Ronan was one of the first Kree to ever appear in the comics. He’s a member of Kree royalty and a fearsome warrior. He’s fought most of the Marvel universe. The film retains his iconic headgear as well as his hammer weapon.
He first appeared in Fantastic Four #65 (August 1967). They were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
Pace is one of the most mercurial actors around. He can play the sweet charming man on network TV with shows like Pushing Daisies and turn into an authoritative elf in The Hobbit series and whatever else in between.
Let’s talk Kree. They are one of the most prominent alien races in Marvel comics. The Kree have produced both heroes and villains that have clashed with Earth’s mightiest. They are a warrior race, who span the Kree Empire. They play a big role in origins of Captain Marvel and the Inhumans, and have dozens of memorable storylines, usually with the while race going to war. Their skin is distinctively light blue (mostly).
They also first appeared in Fantastic Four #65 (August 1967). They were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
He’s captured someone. He’s played by Max Wrottesley. He appeared in films like Hugo (2011).
We will talk about the Nova Corps when we see more of them. But he says he is from Xandar, the home of the Nova Corps.
Behind him is Nebula. She’s played by Karen Gillan.
Nebula is from the comics, the grand daughter of Thanos and a major player in the Infinity War saga. She has mostly been a villain, with blue skin and quite a full head of hair actually. She has been changed to being a daughter in the film.
She first appeared in Avengers #257 (July 1985). She was created by Roger Stern and John Buscema.
Gillan is best known for her wonderful role as Amy Pond in Doctor Who. This was her first bog role after that breakout performance.
Korath gives his report.
Watching on is Gamora. She’s played by Zoe Saldana.
Gamora is another important part of the Marvel cosmic universe. She’s from an alternate dimension future, the last member of a race that refused to bow to a powerful religion. As a child she was saved by Thanos, but found herself battling him various times, including in the Infinity Gauntlet series. She did join the Guardians Of The Galaxy much later. A lot of the complicated stuff about religion and future timeline seems to be eliminated from her story.
She first appeared in Strange Tales #180 (June 1975). She was created by Jim Starlin.
Saldana had already scored several high profile action roles in films like Avatar (2009) and the rebooted Star Trek series.
Other actresses in the running for the role included Olivia Wilde, Rosario Dawson, Kristanna Loken, Moon Bloodgood, Gina Carano, Rachel Nichols and Adrianne Palicki. Palicki would appear in Agents Of SHIELD.
A deleted scene here showed more of the rivalry between Gamora and Nebula.
And we go to Xandar. It’s a CGI creation. Marvel didn’t make a planet.
Someone is dissing the locals.
The ladies man is Stan Lee in his Stan Lee cameo.
We see the speaker. It’s Rocket Racoon. His motion capture was performed by Sean Gunn. He is voiced by Bradley Cooper.
Rocket Racoon has a bit of a convoluted origin. It involves a faraway planet, where animals were genetically altered to be carers, and ended up taking to space and meeting The Hulk. What he really was was one of those Marvel 70s ideas (like Howard The Duck) that probably just looked interesting on a comic cover in a newsstand. Even the name, a play on the Beatles song Rocky Racoon, was designed to ring familiarity. He was pretty much pulled from obscurity when he joined the Guardians of the Galaxy in the late 00s.
He first appeared in Marvel Preview #7 (June 1976), but the modern version really first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #271 (May 1982). He was created by Bill Mantlo, Sal Buscema and Keith Giffen.
Bradley Cooper is an award winning star of many films – Hangover, Silver Linings Playbook, The Place Beyond The Pines and more.
With him is Groot. His motion capture was performed by Kristian Godlewski. Additional motion capture and his voice was supplied by Vin Diesel.
Groot, pretty much as he stands, first appeared as a one dimensional monster and a villain. He was a tree, and he could only say ‘I Am Groot’. He’s really just an alien, and only had a handful of appearances in the comics. He was essentially reinvented (as a hero) for the late 00s Guardians Of the Galaxy.
He first appeared in Tales To Astonish #13 (November 1960). He was created by Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and Dick Ayers.
Godlewski has very few screen credits to his name.
Vin Diesel has had quite a few screen credits. He’s an action blockbuster star with credits leading XXX, Riddick and the Fast And The Furious films.
They’ve found a target – Quill.
Quill looks to offload the orb. He goes to see the Broker, played by Christopher Fairbank. Fairbank is a British character actor with hundreds of roles and many you’ve seen, from Tim Burton’s Batman and The Fifth Element.
Broker backs out and Quill encounters Gamora. They fight.
And then Rocket and Groot also fight.
20:00-25:00
They are captured by the Nova Corps. The arresting Nova Corp is played by Sharif Atkins. He’s best known for long running roles in ER and White Collar.
Who are the Nova Corps? It all started with hero called Nova. He was a high school kid named Richard Rider, and he was chosen to be the last of an intergalactic space force known as the Nova Corps (because it was the 70s and this happened a lot). He really took a star turn when he joined the New Warriors in the 90s and the history and mythology around the corps was greatly expanded.We don’t see Rider is this film.
They have the ability to fly, are pretty strong and impervious to basic harm. And one of the best costumes ever. We don’t see Rider is this film. Xandar has three suns. The symbols on the Nova Corp’s chests are a nod to that. The comic version of Nova also has three suns on his chest.
The Nova Corps first appeared in Fantastic Four #205 (April 1979). They were created by Marv Wolfman and John Buscema. (Nova himself appeared earlier in 1976 – he was also created by Wolfman and Buscema).
The one who recognises Quill is Rhomann Dey. He’s played by John C Reilly.
Rhomann Dey is very different from the comics. In the comics, he’s was apparently the last of the Nova Corps, and the one who chooses Richard Rider to take over the Nova mantle, beginning his long adventure. He’s character is one of a leader and a very straight up good guy. Here, he’s but a mid ranking every man of the Nova Corps.
He first appeared in Nova #1 (September 1976). He was also created by Marv Wolfman and John Buscema.
Reilly is, simply put, the best. From memorable small roles on PT Anderson films, to headlining major comedies like Step Brothers, he’s a force to be reckoned with. We love his music too. He was brilliant in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.
We then go to the Nova Corps HQ. And we see Nova Prime. She’s played by Glenn Close.
Although there have been other heads of the Nova Corps, this version was created for the film.
Close is a legend. She hot fame in the 80s with a run of films that included The Big Chill and Fatal Attraction, going on to star in films as diverse as 101 Dalmations to Albert Nobbs.
The Kree Ambassador. He’s played by Tomas Arana. He’s appeared in films such as The Bourne Supremacy and Limitless.
With Nova Prime are two other members of the Nova Corp. The tall man in Denarian Saal. He’s played by Peter Serafinowicz.
He could be the loose MCU version of Garthan Saal. In the comics, Saal was an evil Nova Corps member who took the name Super Nova. He has a very different fate here.
Serafinowicz has long been one of the best actors in British comedy. From his own show to his work with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (such as Shaun Of the Dead) to just his random impersonations (he does a brilliant McCartney). He also starred as Darth Maul’s voice in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.
With him is another Nova agent. She’s played by Mikaela Hoover. She worked with James Gunn before, on the film Super.
These screening with the characters, with their rap sheets.
Gamora is listed as the last of the Zehoberei people. Its a nod to her comics origin where she was part of a race known as the Zen-Whoberis.
Rocket is listed as from Halfworld, same as the comics. His two associates are Groot and Lylla. Lylla is from the comics, comes from Rocket’s homeworld. She’s also an otter.
Quill’s rapsheet says he has a translater in his neck. Explains a lot.
Lots if this scene was used in the first Guardians of the Galaxy trailer. However, it included Drax, with Dey saying all five were picked up on Xandar, and that they were already called the ‘Guardians Of the Galaxy’. We can only assume this was a reshoot to give a stronger introduction, and they decided to include Drax and the blatant Guardians line because they knew marketing could use it.
There’s also a deleted moment here, featuring a bit of comedy between Dey and Saal.
The off to the Kyln. Its also an intergalactic prison on the comics. It has completely been redesigned for the film.
Quill makes a couple of references to film MacGuffins. Shiny blue suitcase is a reference to Kiss Me Deadly (1955). Ark of the covenant was the MacGuffin in Raiders Of The Lost Ark. The Maltese Falcon was in, well, The Maltese Falcon.
The humour and irreverence of this film is great, but this line definitely stuck out as one for the audience, and would make no sense in the scene. He might as well be saying he is Groot.
Escorting everyone is a prison guard played by Emmet J Scanlon.
Playing with Quill’s Walkman is a guard played by Dominic Grant.
He’s listening to Hooked On A Feeling by Blue Swede, released in 1973. The original performed by BJ Thomas in 1968. Swedish band Blue Swede scored a hit with it in 1974, and named the album after it. It peaked at number 1 in the US. It was put to great use in that first trailer.
They fight, leading to a montage.