Guardians Of The Galaxy: The Biggest Differences Between The Characters In The Movies And The Game

At this year's E3 event, Square Enix revealed their all-new Guardians of the Galaxy game, a single-player story where players become the rebellious Star-Lord, a heroic ex-pirate turned heroic outlaw. Leading the band of outlaws, Star-Lord and his Guardians are relatively new to the hero business in this universe.

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The Square Enix Guardians are highly influenced by their Marvel Cinematic Universe counterparts, as well as the huge amount of the Marvel comics lore the characters are a part of. Yet, despite their aura of recentness, there's a lot of information about the Square Enix Guardians. Some of these differences set them vastly apart from their movie versions, essentially making them brand new people.

10 Everyone's Looks

Guardians of the Galaxy Square Enix Game attires

The attires and physical looks for each Guardian seem to be embracing the comics and movies, while also remaining unique and interesting. Characters like Peter Quill and Rocket Raccoon are definitely more MCU inspired, though they also manage to have some unique additions. Rocket's awesome beard and Star-Lord's incredibly bright helmet definitely come to mind, but small details like Peter's colorful pins also make them that much more interesting.

Gamora is heavily inspired by her comic book armor, and her shorter hair alongside her green and black skin make her stand out. Groot has extra armor, which is a unique new touch. Drax also seems inspired by his MCU look, while having a much more desaturated color palette. MCU diehard fans have no need to worry though; the MCU costumes will also be available in the game.

9 The Rise of The Blood Brothers

The Blood Brothers were once pretty well-known members of Marvel's cosmic scene. They were enforcers, working for a variety of beings, most notably the Mad Titan, Thanos. Often times they came in conflict with heroes such as The Avengers, The X-Men, and even the Guardians of The Galaxy. As time went on, their popularity waned, and now their appearances are rare.

This universe's Blood Brothers seem to remain powerful brutes, yet now they are businessmen. Star-Lord, ever the witty opportunist, tries to make a deal with the brothers in the game's trailer, which doesn't exactly work out. It's unclear if Square Enix's Blood Brothers have any ties to Thanos, but it's certain that they are not in the MCU, at least for now.

8 Gamora: Deadliest Softie In The Galaxy

Gamora is a no-nonsense warrior with a heart of gold, in all of her iterations. The jaded heroine distanced herself from family and fun until the Guardians became a part of her life. The MCU's Gamora warmed up to her comrades, and despite her romance with Quill, she remained a stranger to fun and games for quite some time.

Square Enix's Gamora seems to be on the same path, however, she has a secret soft side; she's a figurine collector. In the gameplay first look video, Rocket advises selling her collection for cash, an idea that infuriates Gamora. Despite her softer side, it doesn't seem like Gamora has any romantic interest in Star-Lord like her MCU counterpart, though only time will tell if these aggravated coworkers will fall for each other.

7 A Rocky Relationship With The Nova Corps

The MCU's Guardians weren't always beloved, often having more enemies than allies in the galaxy. The intergalactic peacekeeping force known as The Nova Corps weren't exactly fans of the band of outlaws, but after their heroic exploits, the Guardians won the favor of the corps.

So far, it doesn't seem like Square Enix's Guardians have any interest in being buddies with the Nova Corps. The game's trailer showed the team arrested by the corps before Star-Lord is seen battling officers using his elemental guns. Hopefully, the most popular Nova powered superheroes, Richard Rider and Sam Alexander, can make appearances in the game, something that is yet to happen in the MCU.

6 They're In Debt Already

It's not surprising to think about the Guardians owing people money, especially given how carefree and reckless their leader can be. Within the origin of the MCU's Guardians, the team managed to conquer a galaxy-ending threat. This gained them the favor of the Nova Corps, who bought them uniforms and a new ship, saving them from expenses. The Square Enix Guardians aren't so lucky.

According to gameplay's first look, the team is already in debt. Specifically, they are in need of 6963 units just to keep the ship they're in. With cash running low and options running out, the profit-seeking Guardians plan to sell one of their own to Lady Hellbender in order to make some money, something the MCU Guardians would never think of doing at this point.

5 A Whole New Mantis

The MCU version of Mantis can be described as a naive, innocent, and sweet member of the team. That's not so in the comics, as comic book readers know the heroic Mantis to be much more wise, responsible, and driven. From what has been confirmed, the Square Enix Mantis will be a blend of both versions of the hero.

Executive narrative director for the game, Mary DeMarle, has confirmed that Mantis is a unique spin on both the comic and movie versions, acting as a much more unique entity. While her look is definitely inspired by her MCU version, fans are expecting a much different adaptation of Mantis to aid the team in this universe.

4 The Guardians Have Contracts

Like a variety of other heroes for hire, the Guardians are constantly on the hunt for profit and financial balance. The MCU's Guardians of The Galaxy come together seeking wealth, simply planning to split their earnings once they sell The Orb. Unlike their MCU counterparts though, Square Enix's Guardians seem to have a more organized way of making money and sticking together.

These members of the Guardians have their own contracts, forcing them to tolerate and work alongside each other to make some cash. Gamora seems to be most bothered by this, as she still wants to kill Rocket in the game's trailer. Drax, on the other hand, seems to have ignored the concept of contracts, just like his MCU counterpart ignored the idea of getting paid.

3 They've Been Together For Less Than A Year

The MCU's Guardians of The Galaxy seem to be going through their 5th year now, following their unfortunate split at the hands of Thanos. The team is more of a family now, caring for each other despite their flaws and attitudes. While not always firing on all cylinders, they're an experienced group that know each other well.

Not so for the Square Enix band of outlaws, who seem to be in their first year together as a team. No wonder they're constantly squabbling and arguing; they barely know each other, let alone trust one another. The team seems to be more interested in profit for now, and according to the Square Enix website, the game's journey begins after a bet starts a catastrophic chain reaction.

2 Their Connection To Lady Hellbender

Lady Hellbender is a pretty recent addition to the world of Marvel Comics, allowing her to have a very unique presence in this game. Marguerite Hellbender is a monster queen, hunter, and warrior, capturing monsters across the galaxy. She's come face to face with many of Marvel's heroes and villains, including Venom, She-Hulk, and Amadeus Cho.

Lady Hellbender seems to be an antagonistic figure in this game. The team is found in the demo trying to sell monsters to her in exchange for units, before eventually battling Hellbender and her monsters. Meanwhile, the MCU has not yet introduced Lady Hellbender, although she could easily fit in with the Guardians, or even with the wild planet of Sakaar.

1 The Trauma Of The Galactic War

According to Square Enix's website, one of the biggest factors that have impacted the Guardians' worlds was the 'Galactic War'. The event occurs 12 years ago, ravaging worlds and altering people (like the Guardians) forever. This lineup for the Guardians are said to be trying to escape the trauma of the galactic war, trying to work towards a fresh start.

Drax is said to be a war hero and outlaw in this universe, which means his past will probably have the most ties to the war. With such a grand-scale event, there's no telling who was impacted in which way, and how this war influences their current personalities. The MCU meanwhile, has gone through a variety of battles and wars, but it's unclear if this elusive galactic war has ever occurred in its past.

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