117 Fun Facts About Guardians of the Galaxy

Who plays Peter Quill, alias Star-Lord, in the Guardians of the Galaxy films?

Chris Pratt landed the part in February 2013 after a long search, and he later visited Children's Hospital Los Angeles in his Star-Lord costume for a special screening.

Which actor provides the voice of Rocket?

Bradley Cooper voiced Rocket, though early drafts of the script left the raccoon out for fear he would come across as cartoonish.

Who voices Groot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Vin Diesel also recorded Groot's few words in several other languages for the film's foreign releases.

Which former professional wrestler plays Drax the Destroyer?

Dave Bautista called James Gunn's 2018 firing 'nauseating' and said a Guardians film without Gunn was not what he had signed up for.

Which actress plays Gamora, the green-skinned adopted daughter of Thanos?

Zoe Saldaña: in Vol. 3 she plays a Gamora from an alternate 2014 who never joined the Guardians and runs with the Ravagers instead.

Which former Doctor Who actress plays Nebula, the blue-skinned sister of Gamora?

Karen Gillan's Nebula is part machine because Thanos had a piece of her replaced with a cybernetic part every time she lost a fight to Gamora.

Who plays the blue-skinned Ravager captain who raised Peter Quill?

James Gunn wrote the film's version of that Ravager captain with Michael Rooker in mind, a regular in Gunn's films since Slither.

Who plays Mantis, the empathic Guardian introduced in Vol. 2?

Pom Klementieff's Mantis made it into Vol. 2, but Gunn cut Adam Warlock, originally a major character, as one character too many.

Which Infinity Stone is hidden inside the Orb that Peter Quill steals in the first Guardians film?

The Power Stone destroys all but the most powerful beings who hold it, so the Guardians survive it only by sharing its energy, which they turn on Ronan.

Which Hollywood action star plays Ravager leader Stakar Ogord in Vol. 2 and Vol. 3?

Sylvester Stallone: his Stakar had exiled an old friend from the Ravagers for trafficking children, yet honours that friend with a Ravager funeral after his sacrifice for Quill.

Who plays the High Evolutionary, the villain of Vol. 3?

Chukwudi Iwuji: his High Evolutionary experimented on the baby raccoon who became Rocket, trying to engineer animals into a perfect society.

Which actor plays the golden Adam Warlock in Vol. 3?

Will Poulter: he first auditioned for an untitled character, and Marvel only drip-fed him details of the being he was trying to portray.

Which company distributes the Guardians of the Galaxy films, as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Walt Disney Studios: Disney bought Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion in 2009, and Marvel Studios now operates as part of Walt Disney Studios.

In July 2018, what got James Gunn fired as director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?

Old tweets: he had already finished the script, and after a mass public appeal he was rehired in March 2019.

While fired from Marvel, James Gunn made which Warner Bros. film before returning to finish Vol. 3?

The Suicide Squad: Warner Bros. hired him to write and direct it after the firing, and in 2022 he became co-head of its comic-book film studio.

In the first Guardians film, why does Ronan arrive on Knowhere?

Drax summons him: a drunken Drax wants revenge for his murdered family, but Ronan easily defeats him while Nebula leaves Gamora floating in space.

How does the Nova Corps reward the Guardians in the first film?

Expunged records: the team had just stopped Ronan from destroying Xandar, the capital of the Nova Empire.

Besides Visual Effects, which Oscar category was the first Guardians film nominated in?

Makeup and Hairstyling: the makeup turned Drax from the comics' bright green to a muddier grey so that he would not look like the Hulk.

In Vol. 2, Ego admits he caused the death of Peter Quill's mother by giving her what?

Brain tumor: Ego killed her despite his love for her, and the confession snaps Quill out of Ego's brainwashing.

On which abandoned planet does Peter Quill steal the Orb at the start of the first Guardians film?

Morag: Ronan's henchmen, led by Korath, ambush Quill there, and once he escapes Ronan sends the assassin Gamora after the Orb.

What is the name of Peter Quill's ship in the first two films?

The Milano: it was wrecked in the battle over Xandar, and the Nova Corps rebuilt it for the team as a token of gratitude.

The Nova Corps capture the future Guardians and lock them in which prison?

The Kyln: inside, Gamora reveals she has betrayed Ronan, and the others agree to break out with her and split the payment for the Orb.

In the first Guardians film, what does Peter Quill fight a prison guard to get back?

His Walkman: when the guard starts listening to Quill's mixtape, Quill leaps at him, shouting that the song belongs to him.

Who plays Ronan the Accuser, the villain of the first Guardians film?

Lee Pace: Ronan turns on Thanos once he learns the Orb holds an Infinity Stone, planning to destroy Xandar himself.

What is the name of Ronan's flagship in the first Guardians film?

The Dark Aster: when it crash-lands on Xandar, Groot wraps his branches around the team and dies shielding them from the impact.

Which surprise Marvel character joins the Collector and a space dog in the first Guardians film's post-credits scene?

Howard the Duck: he mocks the Collector in the ruins of his museum, wrecked when the servant Carina grabbed the Stone.

Stan Lee's cameo in the first Guardians film credits him as what?

A Xandarian Ladies' Man: in Vol. 2 he returns as an informant to the Watchers, nodding to the fan theory that all his cameos are one character.

Which song plays as Peter Quill dances through the opening of the first Guardians film?

Come and Get Your Love: Gunn designed the opening around 'Hooked on a Feeling' until he found the Redbone track and thought it a better fit.

Whose version of 'Hooked on a Feeling' was used in the first Guardians film's trailer?

Blue Swede: their cover borrowed the 'ooga chaka' chant from Jonathan King's 1971 version and became a US number one in 1974.

In Vol. 2, which famous nanny does Quill say Yondu looks like?

Mary Poppins: Yondu floats down clinging to his arrow, and soon afterwards he gives his own life to save Quill in space.

Which actor appears, uncredited, as Thanos in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film?

Josh Brolin: he took over the role from Damion Poitier, who had played Thanos in a 2012 credits scene.

Which Electric Light Orchestra song opens Vol. 2 as Baby Groot dances through a monster fight?

Mr. Blue Sky: Gunn performed Baby Groot's dance himself, filming a full day of it on a soundstage from five angles for the animators.

Which coach on The Voice voices Mainframe, a member of Stakar's old team, uncredited in Vol. 2?

Miley Cyrus: Gunn decided to cast her after admiring the tone of her voice while watching her coach on the show.

Which Fleetwood Mac song plays as Quill fights Ego in Vol. 2?

The Chain: the band spliced it together from pieces of different takes, which is why it is the only song credited to all five members of the Rumours lineup.

Vol. 3 opens with an acoustic version of which Radiohead song?

Creep: Vol. 3's songs come from the Zune Quill received at the end of Vol. 2, so they are no longer limited to 1970s hits.

Which Florence and the Machine song closes Vol. 3 and the trilogy?

Dog Days Are Over: the Guardians share a joyous dance to it, and the 2008 song climbed back onto the charts almost 15 years after its release.

Mission: Breakout!, the 2017 Guardians ride, replaced which California attraction?

Tower of Terror: its drop-tower ride system was reused, and Rocket now recruits riders to free the Guardians from the Collector's fortress.

Which race hires Yondu to recapture the Guardians in Vol. 2 after Rocket steals their batteries?

The Sovereign: their High Priestess Ayesha had hired the Guardians to kill a monster in exchange for Nebula, and after the theft her drone fleet attacks their ship.

Which Ravager leads the mutiny against Yondu in Vol. 2?

Taserface: Gunn decided the character had given himself the name, and he dies when Yondu's escaping crew blow up the ship.

In a Vol. 2 credits scene, who practises with Yondu's arrow?

Kraglin: remorseful over the mutiny, Yondu's lieutenant had helped Groot free Yondu and Rocket from the Ravagers' ship.

Which real-life star does Ego shape-shift into in Vol. 2, in a cameo as himself?

David Hasselhoff: Weta first tried morphing Ego into live-action footage of him, but it did not hold up, so it built a partial digital double.

Where in the United States was Vol. 2 filmed?

Atlanta, Georgia: the cockpit set of Quill's ship, built for the first film and then stored in London, was shipped there for the sequel.

In Vol. 3, what is the name of the company run by the High Evolutionary?

Orgocorp: it built a kill switch into Rocket, so the Guardians' med-packs can't heal him and they must raid its headquarters for the override code.

Rocket's childhood friends in Vol. 3 were an otter, a walrus and a rabbit; what was the otter called?

Lylla: the High Evolutionary killed her when Rocket tried to rescue his friends, and years later she tells a dying Rocket his time has not yet come.

The High Evolutionary's society of uplifted animals in Vol. 3 lives on a planet called what?

Counter-Earth: when Quill calls it imperfect, the High Evolutionary agrees and bombards the whole planet, killing its Humanimals and Ayesha.

Who voices Cosmo the Spacedog in the Holiday Special and Vol. 3?

Maria Bakalova: Gunn changed Cosmo from the male dog of the comics to a female for the films.

In Infinity War, what does Groot provide to finish Thor's new axe, Stormbreaker?

Its handle: with Thor near death from the forge, Groot grabs the red-hot metal and uses his own arm as the handle, cutting it off.

Which theme park is home to Cosmic Rewind, the Guardians roller coaster?

EPCOT: a 1994 Marvel contract with Universal keeps the Marvel name out of the ride's title and advertising.

In the Holiday Special, which actor do the Guardians kidnap from Earth as a Christmas present for Quill?

Kevin Bacon: Mantis and Drax are let down to learn he's just an actor, but he stays on Knowhere and sings at the Christmas party.

In the 1969 comics and the films, how does Yondu steer his arrows?

By whistling: in the comics his arrows are made of yaka, a sound-sensitive metal found only on his home world, Centauri IV.

Which Best Actress Oscar winner cameos in Vol. 2 as the Ravager captain Aleta Ogord?

Michelle Yeoh: Gunn cast her out of his love for 1990s Hong Kong films.

Rocket Raccoon's name was inspired by a 1968 song by which band?

The Beatles: creators Bill Mantlo and Keith Giffen took his name from 'Rocky Raccoon', and a 1982 Hulk story revealed Rocky was short for Rocket.

In the comics, why do most beings hear Groot say only 'I am Groot'?

His stiff larynx: Maximus the Mad claims every 'I am Groot' is really a different sentence that listeners miss.

Who plays the Collector, Taneleer Tivan, in the first Guardians film?

Benicio del Toro: the Collector first appeared in Thor: The Dark World's credits scene, where Sif and Volstagg entrust him with the Aether.

Which writer-artist created both Gamora and Drax the Destroyer in the 1970s, along with Thanos himself?

Jim Starlin: Marvel let him build an elaborate Thanos saga that spread across several of its titles.

In the first Guardians film, where does Ronan embed the Infinity Stone he takes from the Orb?

Warhammer: while Quill distracts Ronan, Drax and Rocket destroy the hammer, and Quill grabs the freed Stone.

Nebula was created in 1985 by Roger Stern and John Buscema in which comic?

The Avengers: the space pirate seized Sanctuary II, Thanos's old warship, until a reborn Thanos came back to reclaim it.

After leaving Marvel, Mantis creator Steve Englehart slipped her into which rival publisher's comics?

DC Comics: he renamed her Willow in Justice League of America, making it as clear as copyright allowed that she was Mantis.

Knowhere, the Guardians' base, is built inside what?

The severed head of a Celestial: the symbiote god Knull later claimed he cut it off, using the head as a forge for his Necrosword.

In the comics, Cosmo the Spacedog holds what job on Knowhere?

Security chief: Cosmo gives out 'passport' bracelets that let visitors teleport from Knowhere to anywhere in the universe.

In Vol. 3, Adam Warlock acts like a newborn because he has just emerged from what?

Cocoon: sent after the Guardians, Adam critically wounds Rocket, yet by the end he saves Quill from dying in space.

In the comics, the High Evolutionary shaped the origin of which Marvel twins?

Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch: a 2015 story revealed they were not mutants but ordinary children his experiments had empowered.

James Gunn's brother Sean, a regular in the Guardians films, played Kirk on which TV series?

Gilmore Girls: he first guest-starred as Mick, a DSL installer, before the show brought him back as the eccentric Kirk.

In Infinity War, Thanos sacrifices Gamora on Vormir to obtain which Infinity Stone?

The Soul Stone: its keeper, Red Skull, tells Thanos he can only take it by sacrificing someone he loves.

Which actress plays Nova Prime, leader of the Nova Corps, in the first Guardians film?

Glenn Close: her Nova Prime works for peace with the Kree, and that peace treaty is what drives the fanatic Ronan to attack Xandar.

Before Guardians, the actor who plays Star-Lord was best known as Andy Dwyer on which sitcom?

Parks and Recreation: the show gave him leave to film Guardians in London, and Andy spent part of season six in England.

Which comedy star plays Nova Corps officer Rhomann Dey in the first Guardians film?

John C. Reilly: Dey's Nova Corps first arrest Quill's group, then fight beside them and the Ravagers to save Xandar from Ronan.

Which actor plays Ego the Living Planet, the villain of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2?

Kurt Russell was digitally de-aged for the opening scene. The effects team studied his face in the 1980 comedy Used Cars to get the younger Ego right.

Marvel's Cosmo the Spacedog, a telepathic dog on Knowhere, was sent into orbit by which country?

The Soviet Union launched Cosmo as a test animal in the 1960s. Writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning created the dog as a tribute to Laika, the first animal to orbit Earth.

The Guardians' new ship in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is named after which British rock star?

David Bowie lends his surname to the Bowie, whose interior was built as a four-storey set. It succeeds the Benatar, named after the American singer Pat Benatar.

The first Guardians of the Galaxy film, set on distant planets, was shot mainly in which country?

England hosted the shoot, based at Shepperton Studios from July to October 2013. London's Millennium Bridge even appears on screen, doubling for part of an alien world.

What did the actress cast as Nebula do to her own hair for the first Guardians of the Galaxy film?

She shaved it all off, then studied the ancient Spartans and trained for two months to play the cyborg assassin. For Vol. 2 she only had to shave half of her head.

The Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack was the first to top the Billboard 200 made up entirely of what?

Previously released songs made up the whole album, hits from the 1960s and 1970s with nothing newly recorded. It reached number one in August 2014.

Before Guardians of the Galaxy, James Gunn wrote which 2002 live-action film of a cartoon?

Scooby-Doo was his first major Hollywood screenplay, and he came back to write its 2004 sequel, Monsters Unleashed. He also composed songs for both films.

At the start of Endgame, Nebula is stranded in deep space aboard the Guardians' ship with which hero?

Tony Stark and Nebula drift in the damaged ship for more than three weeks before Carol Danvers finds them.

Drax the Destroyer joins the Guardians of the Galaxy seeking revenge on Ronan for murdering whom?

His wife and daughter died when Ronan led Thanos's forces against his homeworld. After Ronan falls, Drax decides the Accuser was only a pawn and turns his revenge on Thanos.

Ronan the Accuser, the villain of the first Guardians of the Galaxy film, belongs to which alien race?

The Kree are a blue-skinned, militaristic alien empire, and Ronan is a zealot even by their standards. His ally Korath, the hunter sent after the Orb, is one of them too.

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Stan Lee's cameo shows him telling stories to which cosmic beings?

The Watchers hear him recall his time as a FedEx delivery man, a nod to his cameo in Captain America: Civil War. In a later scene they walk off, tired of his stories.

Which Cat Stevens song does Peter Quill listen to during Yondu's funeral in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2?

Father and Son plays over the final scene, as Quill mourns the adoptive father he had spent years resenting. The song dates from 1970.

Which actress plays Ayesha, the golden High Priestess who hunts the Guardians of the Galaxy in Vol. 2?

Elizabeth Debicki wore platform shoes that lifted her to 6 ft 7 in for the role. James Gunn said he knew right away she was the one when his casting director suggested her.

Which James Gunn regular, heard as an inmate in the first Guardians film, plays Master Karja in Vol. 3?

Nathan Fillion plays the sentry nine years after lending only his voice to a prison inmate in the first film. This time he appears on screen in person.

Which Jeff Goldblum character, the Collector's comic-book brother, dances in the Guardians Vol. 2 credits?

The Grandmaster footage was shot on the set of Thor: Ragnarok, which reached cinemas later that year. Marvel's studio head said they simply thought it would be fun to put it in.

In the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Nebula gives Rocket which stolen Christmas present?

Bucky Barnes's metal arm is the gift. Rocket had asked its owner for it in the middle of a battle in Infinity War and, turned down, vowed to get it one day.

At the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Drax and Nebula stay on Knowhere to raise whom?

The rescued children had been the High Evolutionary's next batch of test subjects. They escaped to Knowhere through a tunnel that Cosmo built with telekinesis.

The first Guardians of the Galaxy film lost the Visual Effects Oscar to which other science-fiction film?

Interstellar took the award at the 87th Academy Awards, from a field of five that also included Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

In the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Mantis reveals she is which relation to Peter Quill?

His half-sister, because Ego is parent to them both. She had hidden it for years, afraid of reminding him of Ego's misdeeds, and he is delighted by the news.

Which animal-rights group honoured Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 for its portrayal of animal testing?

PETA called it the best animal rights film of the year and gave James Gunn its Not a Number Award. The story turns on the experiments that created Rocket.

Which actor auditioned for Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy but quit, fearing typecasting as a brute?

Jason Momoa felt the part was too similar to roles he had already played. Chadwick Boseman was also considered for Drax before the role went to a former wrestler.

In the first film's climax, how do the Guardians of the Galaxy survive holding the Infinity Stone?

By sharing its burden, Quill, Gamora, Drax and Rocket control the stone just long enough to vaporise Ronan. Quill then hands the real stone to the Nova Corps and gives Yondu a decoy.

The original 1969 Guardians of the Galaxy comic was conceived as a science-fiction take on which war film?

The Dirty Dozen had reached cinemas only two years earlier. Writer Arnold Drake and artist Gene Colan launched their team in Marvel Super-Heroes #18.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special was Marvel's second TV special, after which Halloween one?

Werewolf by Night came first and runs 53 minutes. Both were billed as a Marvel Studios Special Presentation.

Which studio, maker of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, developed the 2021 video game Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy?

Eidos-Montréal built it on the engine of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. Players control only Star-Lord, issuing commands to the other Guardians in combat.

James Gunn began his career at which low-budget studio, whose co-founder cameos in the first Guardians film?

Troma Entertainment gave him his start on Tromeo and Juliet in 1996. Co-founder Lloyd Kaufman, whom Gunn calls his old boss, plays a prison inmate in the film.

Which composer scored the first two Guardians of the Galaxy films and cameos in the first as a Ravager pilot?

Tyler Bates wrote some of the score before shooting began, so that James Gunn could film scenes to the music rather than have it added afterwards.

Which writer began the first Guardians of the Galaxy script in 2009, years before James Gunn came aboard?

Nicole Perlman joined Marvel's screenwriting programme in 2009 and was offered several lesser-known comics to adapt. She picked the Guardians because she loved space and science fiction.

Peter Quill, the future Star-Lord, was abducted by the Ravagers as a boy from which US state?

Missouri is where he was born, in the town of St. Charles, and where he goes back to at the end of Vol. 3. The comics put his family home in Colorado instead.

In the first Guardians of the Galaxy film, how does Star-Lord distract Ronan during the final showdown?

A dance-off is his whole plan: he sings and dances at the baffled villain, buying the seconds his teammates need to strike.

In the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, what did Yondu once give young Peter Quill for Christmas?

A set of blasters was his gruff peace offering, and they are still Quill's main weapons. Yondu had first smashed the boy's Christmas tree and thrown away his presents, then relented.

In Marvel's animated What If...?, which hero do the Ravagers abduct instead of Peter Quill?

T'Challa is taken from Wakanda by mistake and turns the Ravagers into Robin Hood-style heroes, flying a ship named the Mandela. Peter Quill stays on Earth and becomes a Dairy Queen janitor.

On which ruined world do Star-Lord, Drax and Mantis join Iron Man to ambush Thanos in Infinity War?

Titan is the destroyed homeworld of Thanos. The ambush is nearly working when Quill, hearing that Gamora is dead, lashes out and breaks the hold Mantis has on their enemy.

At the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Peter Quill returns to Earth to reunite with whom?

His grandfather is played by Gregg Henry, who first took the role in the 2014 film. Before leaving, Quill names Rocket the new captain of the Guardians.

The actor who plays Star-Lord has called Peter Quill a mix of Han Solo and which other film hero?

Marty McFly, the time-travelling teenager of Back to the Future, was his other touchstone. He at first turned the part down, having given up on leading action films.

During the time heist in Endgame, which hero knocks out the 2014 Peter Quill as he dances?

War Machine knocks him out cold so that the time travellers can take the Orb before he does. The scene replays the first film's opening from an onlooker's point of view.

In Marvel comics, Star-Lord is the son of J'son, a prince of which alien empire?

Spartax's prince J'son crash-lands on Earth in the comics and is taken in by a local farmer, Peter's future mother. The films swapped him for Ego.

The actress who plays the green Gamora joked that she had already been blue in which film?

Avatar had cast her as the blue-skinned Neytiri in 2009. Gamora, by contrast, was created on set rather than through performance capture.

Which actress declined the role of Gamora, put off by the hours it took to turn green each day?

Amanda Seyfried also doubted that the film would be a hit. Lupita Nyong'o auditioned for the part as well before it was cast.

In Infinity War, which Captain America villain meets Thanos and Gamora on Vormir as the stone's keeper?

Red Skull tells Thanos that the stone can only be won by sacrificing someone he loves. Thanos, in tears, throws Gamora from the cliff.

When Gamora is left drifting in open space in the first Guardians film, what does Peter Quill give her?

His helmet keeps her alive while he floats unprotected beside her, having called Yondu for help first. The Ravagers pick the pair up before he freezes.

Growing up, Gamora always beat Nebula in combat; after each loss, what did Thanos do to Nebula?

He replaced a body part with a cybernetic one after every defeat, slowly turning her into a cyborg. The two sisters finally make peace in Vol. 2.

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Gamora and Nebula reconcile after Gamora pulls her sister from what?

Her burning spaceship had crashed during an attack on Gamora, who dragged her attacker clear. The sisters part on good terms as Nebula sets off to hunt Thanos.

Which young actress, later seen in Barbie, played the child Gamora in Infinity War?

Ariana Greenblatt appears in the flashback where Thanos first meets Gamora, and again in the dreamlike scene that follows his snap.

What is the name of the sword wielded by Gamora in Marvel's comics and films?

Godslayer is the blade she carries in the comics as she sets out to rebuild her name as the deadliest woman in the universe.

In Marvel comics, Gamora is introduced as the last survivor of which alien species?

The Zen-Whoberi were exterminated, leaving the child Gamora alone until Thanos took her in. The films call her people the Zehoberei and have Thanos wipe out half of them himself.

Gamora made her first comics appearance in 1975 in an issue of which Marvel series?

Strange Tales #180 introduced her, and she was back in the very next issue before moving over to the Warlock series.

In Infinity War, what does Gamora make Peter Quill promise to do if Thanos ever captures her?

Kill her, she insists, because she alone knows where a stone that Thanos needs is hidden. Quill tries to keep his word, but Thanos uses the Reality Stone to stop him.

In Avengers: Infinity War, why does Thanos adopt young Gamora after invading her world?

He admired her courage when the child stood up to him as his forces cut down half her people. He then trained her as an assassin beside Nebula.

Star-Lord, later of the Guardians of the Galaxy, debuted in 1976 in which black-and-white comics magazine?

Marvel Preview #4 introduced him as an unpleasant loner, far from the charmer of the films. A later writer reworked him with adventure science fiction in mind.