The 25 Most Powerful Guardians Of The Galaxy, Ranked (original) (raw)
Many fans are familiar with The Guardians of the Galaxy thanks to the recent entries into the MCU. If your knowledge of the GoTG is limited to the characters seen on screen, you may not be aware that dozens of people who have proudly stood as members of the team. The folks we have seen on screen are based on those introduced in Annihilation: Conquest #6, written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning with pencils by Tom Raney and Wellington Alves in 2008. As it happens, more folks than Peter Quill and Rocket Raccoon can lay claim to the planet we all call home when you expand the roster out to include those characters who debuted with it in Marvel Super-Heroes #18, written by Arnold Drake and penciled by Gene Colan in 1969.
With so many people involved in the team, we thought it was high time we gave them an official ranking. In our ranking decision, we took into account the character's overall power, what they have done while affiliated with the team and what their power potential is outside the team. Some of the characters relate to their on-screen depictions while others remain associated only with the printed page. Odds are, you won't agree with all of our choices, so sound off in the comments and let us know who you think is the most powerful of these 25 members of the Guardians of the Galaxy!
25 ROCKET RACCOON
Rocket Raccoon has been brilliantly portrayed on screen by the vocal talents of Bradley Cooper and the motion-capture abilities of Sean Gunn, but the character has been around Marvel Comics for a long time. He originally debuted back in Marvel Preview #7, written by Bill Mantlo and penciled by Keith Giffen in 1976. He is a recent addition tot he Guardians of the Galaxy, having joined up in the same issue alongside Gamora and others in Guardians of the Galaxy #1 in 2008. Rocket is an anthropomorphic raccoon, but he is far more than he appears, which is saying something if you've seen the movies.
Rocket started out working as the chief law enforcer of Halfworld, where he protected the colony there from various external threats. He has been genetically modified with human levels of intelligence and speech —otherwise, he would be little more than a furry little raccoon. With his intelligence enhanced, Rocket is a brilliant military tactician and weapon-smith capable of crafting a deadly weapon out of pretty much anything he can get his hands on. He is also an expert marksman and starship pilot. Rocket's greatest strengths on screen and on the page revolve around his intelligence. He may look like a rabbit according to Thor, but he is far more than he appears... like most of the characters on this list.
24 STAR-LORD
Thanks to the MCU, there are two very different versions of the character Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord. Chris Pratt's portrayal in the MCU has a different origin, which makes him far more powerful than his comic book counterpart. In The Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 2., it was revealed that his father was Ego, a Celestial, which made Peter essentially half-god. He even demonstrated a limited use of the abilities inherent in his lineage before killing his father and losing them. Because of the vast differences in power over the comic book and film version, we decided to focus more on the comics for this entry.
Star-Lord first appeared in Marvel Preview #4 back ion 1976 alongside Rocket and others. He joined the Guardians in Guardians of the Galaxy #1 in 2008 alongside the other modern members of the team. He was born on Earth, but his father is an alien member of the Spartoi named J'son. Unlike his onscreen depiction, he doesn't have superhuman traits but relies on his expertise in hand-to-hand combat, his marksmanship abilities and his jet boots/guns/helmet to get around and fight in space. He led the team before leaving to take his father's place and has been shown to be an effective leader and expert combatant.
23 BUG
Bug made his debut in the Marvel Universe back in 1979 with the publication of Micronauts #1, written by Bill Mantlo and penciled by Michael Golden. Originally, Bug was called Galactic Warrior, a name derived from the associated Micronauts toy line owned by Takara Co., Ltd. Marvel had a deal with the company to publish characters based off the toys, but decided to take ownership and rename him "Bug" when someone pointed out the character they were publishing looked nothing like the one made into a toy. Bug has powers similar to Spider-Man's though he is enhanced thanks to his special helmet.
Bug joined up with the Guardians in Guardians of the Galaxy #7, written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning with pencils by Paul Pelletier in 2009. He was asked to join the team by Rocket after the rest of the team disbanded. He remained a member of the team to help stop the War of Kings conflict between the Shi'ar and Kree. In terms of powers, Bug isn't the heaviest hitter the GOTG has had on its roster. His ability to sense danger alongside his heightened agility and enhanced sight make him effective, but not the most valuable player to have joined the team over the years.
22 JACK FLAG
Jack Flag is one of those characters you would never expect to be associated with the Guardians of the Galaxy and his entrance onto the team's roster is somewhat unusual. During the "Civil War" event, Flag helped a woman escape a group of gangsters, which landed him on the Thunderbolts' radar. He was stabbed in the spine by Bullseye and paralyzed, but remained true to his abilities when he helped the prisoners in the Negative Zone fight Blaastar's army, from a wheelchair no less. He ended up on Knowhere after the Guardians helped him out and was cured of his spinal injury after only a couple of minutes. He opted to remain on the space station instead of returning to Earth where he would be a fugitive.
Eventually, he decided to join up with the Guardians in Guardians of the Galaxy #9, written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning with pencils by Carlos Magno to help out during the "War of Kings" crossover event. Flag's power-set and abilities are comparable to Captain America though his were acquired after he was drenched in chemicals. He is incredibly strong and possesses superhuman agility, stamina and durability. Additionally, he is an exceptional athlete and martial artist, which makes him a powerful member of the team.
21 COSMO
Moviegoers first saw Cosmo the Spacedog as an "item" in the Collector's collection on Knowhere in Guardians of the Galaxy, but the character has been around since 2008's Nova #4, written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning with pencils by Wellinton Alve. Cosmo was originally a test animal used by the Soviets during the Space Race between the Soviet Union and the United States in the 1960s. He was launched into orbit around Earth but drifted a bit off course and found himself in Knowhere with some psychic powers thanks to coming into contact with cosmic rays. He worked on the space station/Celestial head as its chief of security before lending a paw to and eventually joining the Guardians.
Cosmo became an official member of the team in Guardians of the Galaxy #12, written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning with pencils by Wes Craig in 2009. After the team disbanded, Star-Lord charged Cosmo with rebuilding the team as the Annihilators. He succeeded by recruiting Gladiator, Beta Ray Bill, Quasar, the Silver Surfer and Ronan the Accuser. In terms of powers, Cosmo has enhanced telepathic and telekinetic powers. He can create shields and deflect energy-based attacks as well as project "mind blasts" at enemies. His telekinetic powers are much more powerful than you might think to look at him, but he has gone toe-to-toe against Adam Warlock, which is why he is so high on this list.
20 NIKKI
Nicholette Gold, aka Nikki, is one of the founding members of the original Guardians of the Galaxy. She joined the team in Marvel Presents #4, written by Steve Gerber and penciled by Al Milgrom in 1976. Nikki was genetically modified to live on the planet Mercury. She has the ability to withstand intensely powerful levels of heat and radiation. She doesn't have any hair atop her head and instead releases low-level heat and radiation, which has the effect of looking like flaming hair. In addition to her abilities to withstand extremes temperature and radiation, Nikki is also a skilled acrobat and sharpshooter thanks to her enhanced abilities to see even in the brightest lights imaginable.
Nikki joined up with the Guardians after they rescued her from an abandoned spacecraft making her the sixth member of the team. She went on to fight alongside the team against the likes of Taserface and Korvac. In terms of powers, Nikki's have advanced from primarily defensive to slightly offensive. She is a skilled martial artist and often carries a specialized neuronic frequency gun as well as other weapons of various lethality. She is certainly an effective fighter but doesn't rank highly when compared to other characters who have served alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy.
19 YONDU
Fans of the films likely shed a tear thanks to Michael Rooker's performance as Yondu in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but his character is vastly different from the one originally presented as a member of the team in Marvel Super-Heroes #18 in 1969. For this list, we decided to focus on the comic book version instead of Yondu solely due to the on-screen version's OP arrow, which made him one of the deadliest characters in the films. The comic book version was introduced in 1969 and became a member of the team, but wasn't primarily featured until the books published between 1990 until 1995. Throughout that time, he was an integral member of the team.
Yondu is a Centaurian spiritual warrior who can control his arrows via sound waves though he does require a bow to fire them. Unlike the film, he normally carries 20 arrows instead of reusing a single one. Normally, he does this via whistling so you can see the translation into film. In addition to being a skilled archer, Yondu also has an empathic relationship with any life form he encounters. As a fighter, you can't get much better than classic Yondu. The guy was definitely someone you wanted on your side in a battle, but in comparison to some of the strengths found on this list, he remains comparatively low on our ranking of Guardians.
18 GAMORA
Gamora was first introduced in 1975 with the publication of Strange Tales #180, written and penciled by Jim Starlin and it would be some time before she joined up with the Guardians of the Galaxy. She officially joined the team in Guardians of the Galaxy #1, written by Abnett and Lanning with pencils by Paul Pelletier in 2008 joining the "modern" roster for the team. Initially, she was a member of the Infinity Watch and only came onto the team following the "Annihilation: Conquest" crossover event. Gamora is the last of her species and the adopted daughter of the Mad Titan, Thanos.
Gamora has no inherent superpowers to speak of, but she still manages to outclass most of the people on this list. She does have an edge over humans with enhances strength and agility as well as accelerated healing, but her real strengths lie in her hand-to-hand combat abilities and her proven record as an assassin. She was raised and trained by Thanos for the sole purpose of assassinating Magus (Adam Warlock). Eventually, she realized the man who raised her was a significant threat to the universe and she rebelled against him. Zoe Saldana's depiction of the character in the MCU mirrors the comic book character in many ways so if you aren't familiar with the comics but are with the movies, you know her pretty well.
17 KITTY PRYDE
Kitty Pryde officially joined the team in Guardians of the Galaxy #1, written by Brian Michael Bendis and penciled by Valerio Schiti in 2015, but she began hanging out with them in issue #26 from the previous volume. She came onto the team after working alongside them to save Jean Grey from the Shi'ar Empire. Kitty and Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, begin flirting, which evolved into a full-blown relationship when she was once again brought into space to steal the Black Vortex. She ends up submitting to it and attains supreme cosmic power. Peter later proposes marriage to Kitty and she accepts, but Peter has to take over leadership of Spartax, which leaves Kitty to pick up his role as Star-Lord for the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Eventually, Kitty leaves the Guardians (and Peter) after their ship is destroyed and they are stuck on Earth. Kitty went on to lead the X-Men and has enhanced abilities thanks to the Black Vortex. Initially, Kitty could only phase her body and anything she touched through solid matter. With her enhanced cosmic abilities, she has been able to phase an entire planet through amber and can pass between the planes of the multiverse. She is also able to survive in the vacuum of space and can alter her appearance into an intangible, gaseous form. She has become immensely powerful but is also a technological genius, pilot, martial artist and leader.
16 MANTIS
Mantis is a relatively new member of the Guardians, having come on board officially in Guardians of the Galaxy #7. She began with the team as an adviser in issue #1, but ended up joining the team a short while later. Fans of the films know her from Pom Klementieff's portrayal, but she has been around much longer than the movies or her inclusion onto the team. Mantis first appeared in The Avengers #112, written by Steve Englehart and penciled by Don Heck in 1973. She has been a card-carrying member of the Avengers and has also worked for the Knowhere Corps before coming on board with the Guardians.
In terms of powers, Mantis has more than have been shown on screen. She is an expert martial artist, can project energy as well as herself astrally, she can manipulate plants, communicate telepathically with the Cotati (a species of telepathic plant life) and she has powerful empathic abilities. In the films, she was shown to control a Celestial (Ego) as well as Thanos for some time, which is saying something seeing as he was in possession of four Infinity Stones at the time. She may not seem like the most powerful character on the team, but don't let her appearance fool you: she is able to take on some powerful foes of the Guardians and is one of their most powerful members.
15 DRAX
Drak the Destroyer is another character who has been kicking around Marvel Comics for years prior to joining up with the Guardians of the Galaxy. He made his first appearance in The Invincible Iron Man #55, written by Mike Friedrich and penciled by Jim Starlin in 1973. Originally, Drax was a human named Arthur Douglas who was killed alongside his family by Thanos. His spirit was resurrected by Kronos into the body of Drax to become a being powerful enough to take out Thanos. In his new body, he was far superior to a human with the ability to fly, project energy blasts from his hands, he possesses enhanced strength and could heal from most wounds.
While the comic book character is certainly powerful, we wanted to focus instead on Dave Bautista's version from the MCU. Drax from the movies is an expert at hand-to-hand combat and is highly skilled in the use of knives. His origin story was altered, though he still seeks to destroy Thanos whom he considers responsible for the death of his family. He is a highly skilled fighter and certainly a source of comic relief in the films due to his inability to understand metaphors and innuendo. In contrast to his comic book inspiration, he is far less powerful, but certainly a more memorable character.
14 CHARLIE-27
Charlie-27 is another original member of the team having made his debut appearance back in 1969's Marvel Super-Heroes #18. Charlie-27 is a genetically engineered human who was modified to live in Jovian gravity. He was born in Galileo City, Jupiter and as a result, he has 11 times the muscle mass an ordinary human would have were they born on Earth. Like the other members of his team, he has traveled to the past from the 31st Century and has been involved in numerous crossover events over the years. You might not recognize him from the picture if you are only familiar with his depiction on screen. Actor Ving Rhames portrayed him in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and with any luck, he will make a further appearance in the next film in the series.
In terms of strengths, Charlie-27 has them in spades; after all, having 11 times the normal strength of a human makes you pretty powerful. Along with his superhuman strength, he also has enhanced levels of stamina and durability. Additionally, he's an experienced spaceship pilot and is trained in hand-to-hand combat. He also served as a Captain in the United Lands of Earth Space Militia, which gave him experience in battle and leadership. He may not quite have the strength levels of someone like The Thing, but he was an integral member of the original team's makeup.
13 ANT-MAN
Tony Stark isn't the only super-intelligent human with an amazing suit to have joined the team over the years — Ant-Man can also call himself a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Scott Lang joined the team in All-New Guardians of the Galaxy #12, written by Gerry Duggan and penciled by Rod Reis in 2017. Lang joined the team after the events of the "Secret Empire" crossover event when the Guardians came to Earth. Scott's reputation suffered a bit due to his actions during the "Secret Empire" storyline when he joined up with HYDRA and was found to be a double-agent (for good reasons). Not wanting to put up with the issues, he decided to join the Guardians when they left Eart,h making him their newest member of the team.
Thanks to his use of Pym Particles, Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man, can reduce or increase his size at will. His ability to shrink to sub-microscopic size has given him the ability to enter several of Marvel Comics' subatomic universes, which have made him an integral aspect of several story arcs over the years. His abilities in and out of the suit make him an excellent addition to the team — it doesn't hurt that he is also a master thief. He is also genius and master electronics technician, able to maintain and modify his equipment to suit his needs. His penchant for stealing also makes him an ideal candidate for the team.
12 FLASH THOMPSON
That's right, we said Flash Thomson: the guy who treated Peter Parker like garbage all through high school was a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Of course, by this time, he was going by the name Agent Venom thanks to his joining with the symbiote, which made him a powerful addition to the team. Agent Venom joined up in Guardians of the Galaxy Free Comic Book Day from 2014, written by Brian Michael Bendis and penciled by Nick Bradshaw. Venom was placed onto the team by the Avengers to work as an envoy between the Earth and the rest of the cosmos. Through their adventures, the true origin of the symbiote is revealed (it was insane), but it is finally healed and Flash becomes able to tap into its full potential.
Because the Venom symbiote has the ability to retain the superpowers of anyone it has bonded with, it has a slew of superpowers by the time Flash bonds with it. In addition to many of the powers possessed by Spider-Man, it also affords Flash the ability to produce toxins, camouflage, form two legs to replace Flash's amputated ones, create weapons out of itself and many more. Initially, Flash has trouble controlling the Symbiote in space, but once it's finally cured, he only becomes more powerful and a vital member of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
11 MOONDRAGON
Moondragon joined up with the team in Guardians of the Galaxy #12 alongside Cosmo the Spacedog, but only after dying first. During the events of the "Annihilation: Conquest" event, Moondragon is killed when Ultron shoves his arm through her chest. In order to resurrect her, Phyla and Drax are killed by Mentor so they can travel to the realm of the dead and retrieve her. Phyla was able to save her just in time and the three return to the land of the living. Moondragon then returns to Knowhere with Phyla and Drax where she is accepted as a member of the team.
Moondragon's origins make her a unique member of the team. She began life as Heather Douglas, a human, but through rigorous training under the tutelage of the Titanian monks of Shao-Lom, she learned powerful psionic abilities. After dying and returning to life, her psionic abilities have increased making her even more powerful than Cosmo and Mantis. She is also an experienced geneticist and engineer, has low-level telekinetic abilities, she's a master of numerous forms of martial arts and she is an experienced starship pilot. Moondragon is a character who can take command, pilot the ship and jump out to kick some serious butt should the need arise, which is why she finds herself as high on this list as we placed her.
10 THING
The Ever-Lovin' Blue-eyed Thing may have started out as a member of the Fantastic Four, but he joined the team in Guardians of the Galaxy #1, written by Brian Michael Bendis and penciled by Valerio Schiti in 2015. Ben Grimm, aka The Thing, joined up with the Guardians for a fairly simple reason; he wanted to fulfill his lifelong dream of being an astronaut. If you look back to the very first appearance of the Thing in Fantastic Four #1, written by Stan Lee and penciled by Jack Kirby in 1962, it's clear Ben is all about space travel. He piloted the vessel that took the Fantastic Four into space where they came into contact with the Cosmic Rays that changed him. While he was able to do some piloting in the Negative Zone throughout the years, he never really fulfilled his dream until he joined up with the Guardians of the Galaxy.
In terms of powers, the Thing is one of the strongest characters in the Marvel Universe. He has faced off with the Hulk multiple times and survived (he even won once with the help of his friends) and has consistently clobbered the Fantastic Four's enemies time and time again. In addition to his strength and durability, Grimm is an expert pilot and military tactician. While brute strength has its benefits, there are other members of the team who outclass even Ben Grimm, which is why he is not higher on the list.
9 MAJOR VICTORY
Vanco Astro, aka Major Victory, was one of the founding members of the Guardians of the Galaxy having made his debut appearance alongside the rest of the team in Marvel Super-Heroes #18 in 1969. He is a mutant with psychokinetic abilities, which allow him to alter matter with his mind. He manifests these powers in "psyche-blasts" he uses to disrupt his target's synapses within their brain. For most of the character's publication, he was encased in a special copper-alloy bodysuit, which covered all of his skin. It was said that a breach in the suit would cause him to age 1,000 years, which made for some problems for the Marvel writing team. He was eventually "cured" of this requirement thanks to a special blood transfusion.
Major Victory is an expert at hand-to-hand combat, a starship pilot and a military leader. For a time, he carried Captain America's shield, which he used in conjunction with his mental abilities to propel the shield in any direction he wished. His greatest strengths lie in his tactical leadership abilities, which are superior to many members of the team. Throughout his publication history, Major Victor has been affiliated with the Guardians of the Galaxy from the past as well as the future, the Avengers and the United States Air Force.
8 IRON MAN
We all know Tony Stark's Iron Man is a founding member of the Avengers thanks to the comics and the MCU, but it turns out that isn't the only team he has been affiliated with. Tony joined up with the Guardians in Guardians of the Galaxy #1, written by Brian Michael Bendis and penciled by Steve McNiven in 2013. Stark joined the team when all eyes in the cosmos turned to Earth and it became necessary for him to take his avenging to the stars. His armor was modified with a new AI named P.E.P.P.E.R. and aligned himself with the Guardians to better protect Earth.
Tony Stark has gone through a variety of changes over the years. When he first appeared in Tales of Suspense #39, written by Stan Lee and Larry Lieber with pencils by Jack Kirby and Don Heck, he was an injured human with superior tech skills. Over the years, his intellect has increased and he has even gained superhuman abilities thanks to the Extremis Virus, which have come and gone multiple times. He is able to create a technologically superior suit of armor to suit any possible need and has numerous enhanced abilities as a result of his armor and enhancements. He is consistently one of the most powerful humans in the Marvel Universe, often finding himself in the midst of every major crossover event published over the years.
7 GROOT
Groot has a complicated history in Marvel Comics having first appeared in Tales to Astonish #13, written by Stan Lee and penciled by Jack Kirby in 1960. Originally, Groot was a villain who came to Earth with the intent of capturing humans to experiment on them. If you've seen the character in the MCU, you know he got a bit of a character upgrade thanks to the animators working at Marvel Studios and the voice acting of Vin Diesel. He was redesigned into the more heroic character we know and love today in 2006 during the "Annihilation: Conquest" crossover event. He made his way onto the team in Guardians of the Galaxy #1 in 2008.
As a sentient tree, Groot has a number of superhuman qualities that make him a vital member of the team. He can manipulate plant life and has the ability to grow his limbs to suit his needs. His ability to do this helps to increase his mass whenever necessary, which also helps to increase his durability. This further allows for rapid healing/regrowth whenever he is damaged or separated parts of himself to accomplish a task. The character on screen is similar to the one in the books so we are considering them the same for this list. As you saw from the movies, he was instrumental in saving the rest of the Guardians towards the end of the first film and he provided the handle for Stormbreaker in Avengers: Infinity War, which effectively saved Thor's life.
6 STARHAWK
Starhawk, otherwise known as Stakar of the House of Ogord, is an enhanced human who became instrumental in the formation of the Guardians of the Galaxy. He was first introduced in The Defenders #27/28, written by Steve Gerber and penciled by Sal Buscema in 1975 as a human who was raised as an Arcturan who was cursed to re-inhabit his infant body and relive his life over and over again. When he did this, he would be reborn with his past knowledge intact, which led to him referring to himself as "One who knows," though much of his past memories would manifest in a more precognitive sense rather than full-blown memories. He was depicted, though not so extravagantly, by Sylvester Stallone in Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 2.
His undying curse would eventually be lifted and he became a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. His powers are not fully known, but he is believed to be immortal -- or at least able to live for an unknown period of time. He can also manipulate light into solid forms and fly at light speed. He is also able to survive in the vacuum of space, possesses superhuman strength and durability and has more knowledge than any living being should have thanks to his undying curse.