7 Potential Guardians of the Galaxy

With James Gunn off the movie and Kevin Fiege being tight-lipped about Phase 4 of the MCU, details feel a little up in the cosmos with Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3. Yet, although we can only speculate about who it will be, we can bet on at least one new character added to the team.

Adam Warlock was teased in the post-credits sequence of GotG 2 and it’s thought his Magus persona will serve as the villain, so he’s off our list. Similarly, the original 31st century Starhawk team was already teased via Sylvester Stallone and that seems like a rival faction, rather than full-fledged team member.

Angela would be interesting, but she’s perhaps best used in association with Thor. Phyla-Vell is a quantum bander, but not the best known. We’re cutting down the list. So, who is left?

7 Potential Guardians of the Galaxy

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Cosmo

The cosmic telepathic pooch has already been teased in cameos. Perhaps it’s time he joins the team.

To catch us up, Cosmo is a telepathic Soviet dog who served as the security chief of the space station Knowhere. Created by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning during their epic run on the Guardians of the Galaxy, Cosmo became a member of the team.

No, like…Cosmo is a telepathic dog that wears a space suit. I feel like I needed to say that again. A former test animal of the Soviet space program, Cosmo was launched into Earth’s orbit as part of an experiment but he drifted off into space where he was mutated by cosmic rays. Drifting to Knowhere, he met Nova.

Read the above lines one more time and tell me you don’t want to see that character in GotG 3, interacting with Rocket and Groot.

Darkhawk

We talk about Darkhawk a lot in our Nerds on Earth Slack channel and no one is a bigger fan that Nerds on Earth writer Brandon. I asked him to tell you why Darkhawk should join the Guardians of the Galaxy:

“Darkhawk shouldn’t be in the new Guardians of the Galaxy because he has spent the better part of the last two years as a quirky internet joke gone wrong. Darkhawk actually has a solid connection to Marvel’s cosmic side for the last decade. He made appearances in Nova during Secret Invasion, War of Kings, Realm of Kings, and Infinity Countdown. It’s definitely time for a brighter spotlight.”

That didn’t go as expected.

Moondragon

Moondragon is a telepath and telekinetic, master martial artist, and geneticist. Moondragon’s most notable physical characteristic is her shaved head, and she is known for achieving excellence in virtually every area of human accomplishment by pushing herself to the very peak of human performance.

Sadly, pretty much most of Moondragon’s story has been co-opted in some way by current Guardians of the Galaxy. Mantis has mind powers, so it’s unlikely you’d want another character on screen where it was difficult to exhibit what they do. Gamora is already the martial artist of the group. And Mantis has sort of stood in for the relationship that Mooondragon and Drax had in the comics. The shaved head is even covered by Nebula.

Still, she’s a notable character in the comics, so it would be great to see her on the big screen.

Quasar

Several heroes have used the name Quasar, so I should note that I’m talking about Wendall Vaughn, the first to use the name and the person who had the mantel the longest.

Quasar’s powers come from the pair of Quantum Bands that are permanently affixed to the wrists. The Quantum Bands are linked to their wearer’s nervous system and grant very powerful energy manipulation, even as far as absorbing and redirecting cosmic energy.

The bands were originally created by a Celestial named Eon to be worn by his designated Protector of the Universe. But the origin could easily be adjusted so that they were created long ago by Kurt Russell and have simply been worn as jewelry by Goldie Hawn before Wendall Vaughn took them up. Or something.

Bug

In the comics, Bug was originally a member of the Micronauts only to later join the second incarnation of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Bug can cling to walls and has exceptional agility. He has extraordinary sight, with enhanced peripheral vision gained by wearing his helmet. His antennae enable enhanced communication and sensory awareness. Bug fought alongside the Guardians as they attempted to stop the Shi’ar-Kree interstellar conflict.

But the interesting thing about seeing him on the big screen would be how his association with the Micronauts could potentially be a tie-in with Ant-Man and the Quantum realm.

Nova

While there have been many Novas, there is only one Richard Rider, the one true Nova as far as I’m concerned. While the character goes back even further than his 70s solo series A Man Called Nova, the character was really tattooed onto nerds’ hearts when he became a member of the New Warriors.

Nova gets his powers from an energy source called the Nova Force, which all Nova Corps members wield. The Nova Force gives Rider various powers including flight, enhanced strength, speed, and durability, as well as the power to absorb energy directed against him to then release it back. Nova’s uniform also affords him boosts, such as damage resistance and the ability to survive in outer space.

Nova’s inclusion in the Nova Corps provides an excellent tie to Carol Danvers, making Nova a likely candidate to appear in the upcoming Captain Marvel movie. Then it is just a small step to the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Jack of Hearts

While Jack of Hearts is a deep cut, but there is an actually an Easter egg in the movies that allows for a plausible entry for him: the planet Contraxia. Seen in GotG 2, Contraxia was the planet where Yondu and his Ravagers visit a brothel. That planet is the birthplace of spacefaring Avenger Jack of Hearts.

Jack of Hearts’ powers are as a result of “Zero Fluid” combined with the alien genes from his Contraxian mother. He has superhuman stamina and durability, plus the ability to generate “zero energy” within his body and project it as force or heat.

The left half of Jack of Hearts’ body has turned purplish-black from direct exposure to “Zero Fluid” and his left eye has an opaque white membrane that is an aspect of his half-Contraxian genetics. While he’d be a deep cut, he’d be an interesting new member of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

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