1.2020273-903459735
Image Credit: Supplied

Peter Quill/ Star-Lord (Played by Chris Pratt)

The half-human, half-alien outlaw was taken away from earth as a young boy, after the death of his mother. Abducted by a gang of space mercenaries called the Ravagers, he was raised in space for 26 years. His Sony Walkman and mother’s playlist are his only ties to his home planet. One particular
job involving a hunt for an artefact, referred to as the Orb, lands Quill in the middle of a conflict between Ronan the Accuser and planet Xandar’s Nova Corps. Joining forces with the Nova Corps, the Guardians of the Galaxy, with Quill as their leader, successfully prevent Ronan and his army from destroying Planet Xandar.

Gamora (Played by Zoe Saldana)

Nicknamed “the deadliest woman in the whole galaxy”, Gamora is an assassin who was adopted, tortured and trained by Thanos, the power-hungry ruler of Titan, who also incidentally killed her parents. The first movie saw Gamora and her half-sister Nebula sent to Ronan by Thanos to help him steal the Orb, a magical artifice. But in an attempt to get away from Thanos, Gamora accepts an offer by The Collector to give him the Orb instead. The failed escape plan leads her to meet the people who would eventually become her Guardians team-mates.

Rocket (Voiced by Bradley Cooper)

Rocket, or 89P13, is an anthropomorphic raccoon who is the Guardians’ technical expert and pilot. He is one half of a wanted bounty hunter duo; the other is Groot. Having served in 22 prisons, Rocket has had a lot of experience in escaping them and devises the Guardians’ escape route from the Kyln prison. He also pilots a Ravager ship and provides Quill with the weapon that he uses in their final battle against Ronan the accuser.

Groot (Voiced by Vin Diesel)

First introduced as Rocket Raccoon’s partner in crime, Groot is a tree-like creature whose personality is shown to change throughout the film. Initially portrayed as an emotionless, repetitive muscle-creature, Groot eventually displays a softer side. At the end of the first movie, Groot creates a shield around the rest of the Guardians to protect them from a deadly force and sacrifices his life in the process. Towards the end of the movie, Rocket recovers a twig from Groot which grows into adorable Baby Groot, who we will meet in Vol. 2.

Drax the Destroyer (Played by Dave Bautista)

Drax first meets the Guardians at the Kyln prison. He is an alien with a desire for revenge against Thanos, who killed his family. Gamora’s association with Thanos results in Drax trying to kill her in the prison, only stopping when Quill and Rocket intervene. Upon finding out about Gamora’s history with Thanos and her desire to get away from him, Drax decides to join the rest of the members in their fight against Ronan.

Yondu Udonta (Played by Michael Rooker)

He is the leader of the Ravagers and was the one who made the decision to keep Peter Quill after he kidnapped him as a child, instead of delivering him to his father. For the most part of the movie, Yondu is hunting Quill down after finding out that he stole the orb instead of bringing it back to him. Eventually, he makes a deal with the Guardians to help them defeat Ronan in exchange for the Orb. Vol. 2 sees Yondu join the Guardians team.

Nebula (Played by Karen Gillan)

She is the adopted daughter of Thanos and Gamora’s half-sister. A cyborg with mechanical arms, she chooses to assist Ronan in his quest to obtain the Orb as per his deal with Thanos. Nebula’s relationship with her sister is shown to be bitter in the first film, as she leaves Gamora to die in space. Later in the
movie, when she is offered help by Gamora, she rejects it and chooses to severe her arm instead in order to capture a ship and flea. Gillan has said that the second volume will give viewers further insight into the sisters’ troubled relationship.

Kraglin (Played by Sean Gunn)

Krraglin Obfonteri is a member of the Ravagers and Yondu’s first mate. He is seen accompanying Yondu more often than the rest of the Ravagers. He helped Yondu and the Guardians fight against Ronan to save planet Xandar in exchange for the Orb. Kraglin is shown standing next to Yondu when they realise they’ve been deceived by Peter once again.

Mantis (Played by Pom Klementieff)

Created by writer Steve Englehart, Mantis was first introduced in Avengers #112. In the comics, she is the half-Vietnamese, half-German daughter of Gustav Brandt who leaves her in Vietnam at the Temple of the alien Priests of Pama. She is known for her martial arts abilities and psychic powers, which are displayed in the film. These include her empathetic abilities which means she can sense other people’s emotions when she makes contact with them. Introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Mantis is portrayed as a naive and endearing character.

Taserface (Played by Chris Sullivan)

Taserface was created in 1990 by Jim Valentino and made his appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy #1. An alien member of the Stark race, Taserface became a cyborg in the comics after being defeated by the Guardians and returning with upgrades and a new name- Overkill. In the film, he is the leader of a rebel group within the Ravagers who stage a mutiny against Yondu Udonta. He has been described by the director of the film, James Gunn, as “a real dumbass” but a “very powerful guy”.

Stakar Ogord/Starhawk (Played by Sylvester Stallone)

Starhawk first made his appearance in 1975. Stakar became Starhawk due to an accident in which he merged with Aleta Ogord. In the film, Starhawk is a high ranking member of the Ravagers and through their interaction, it is shown that he has some kind of negative history with Yondu Udonta. Gunn has spoken about how his character is a very important part of the Marvel universe but it is not yet known if he will be a part of the third volume of the series.

Ego (Played by Kurt Russell)

Ego was first introduced in Thor issue #132. At the 2016 San Diego Comic Con, Gunn revealed that Ego is the father of Peter Quill. He is a sentient planet and a very powerful being. He hails from the Black Galaxy and developed intelligence and a consciousness. He also has the ability control to his own mass. In the film, Ego takes the form of a humanoid rather than sticking to his true form as that of a planet, portrayed in the comics and other forms of media. He is also the being that raised Mantis.

Ayesha/Kismet (Played by Elizabeth Debicki)

She first appeared as Her and Paragon, then as Kismet and finally as Ayesha in different comics. Ayesha appeared for the first time in Fantastic Four Vol. 3, #11. She is the ruler of a race of genetically perfect people called the Sovereign and leads the Priestesses of the Sovereign. In an interview with NZHerald, Debicki spoke about her character: “One of the things that really appealed to me is that within the context of the film she is quite a villainess…She believes so truly in what she’s doing for her people and follows through so thoroughly that there was a lot of humour to be had. There’s an interesting rage in her that’s seething all the time. That’s quite fun to play as well."

Don’t miss it

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 releases in the UAE on May 4.