Guardians Of The Galaxy is one of the less well-known properties in the Marvel universe, so to give newcomers a helping hand, the studio has released a handy set of character bios to bring you up to speed.

PETER QUILL (Chris Pratt)
Peter Quill is an interstellar adventurer who was abducted from Earth at a young age. After recovering an ancient artefact, Quill must rally an unlikely team of cosmic misfits to prevent a powerful villain from destroying the galaxy.

GAMORA (Zoe Saldana)
Gamora is an orphan from an alien world who was raised by the mysterious Thanos to become the perfect weapon. As Thanos’ personal assassin, Gamora has earned a reputation as a formidable warrior. Gamora now seeks redemption for her past crimes.

DRAX (Dave Bautista)
A physical brute, Drax has a personal vendetta against Ronan, who killed his family. Now fuelled by pure rage, Drax will stop at nothing to take his revenge on the most dangerous being in the galaxy.

GROOT (Vin Diesel)
Groot descends from a race of walking flora and resembles a sentient tree. Despite his strange appearance and limited communication skills, Groot proves to be a valuable ally and a loyal friend—not only to his fellow bounty hunter Rocket but to the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy as well.

ROCKET (Bradley Cooper)
Rocket is a bounty hunter and mercenary whose mastery of weapons and battle tactics make him a formidable warrior, despite being a genetically altered, cybernetically enhanced, talking raccoon. The result of traumatic biological experimentation, Rocket is a genuine gun-toting badass and mechanical genius who has a huge chip on his shoulder.

RONAN (Lee Pace)
A Kree radical, Ronan continues to fight an ancient war between his people and the Xandarians. Ronan has struck a bargain with the Machiavellian Thanos — retrieve a mysterious artefact, and in exchange Xandar will finally be eradicated. Ronan leads his army to hunt down Peter Quill and the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy when they come between him and his genocidal goal.

YONDU (Michael Rooker)
Blue-skinned Yondu is an interstellar bandit who has a less-than-perfect paternal relationship with Peter Quill. As leader of the outlaws known as Ravagers, Yondu and his cohorts pillage their way through the galaxy, taking whatever they want for solely their own benefit.

NEBULA (Karen Gillan)
A blue-skinned deadly assassin, Nebula is a loyal lieutenant in Ronan and Thanos’ employ. Her advanced skill set and cybernetic enhancements make her a valuable asset but her resentment of Thanos’ adoptive daughter Gamora may prove to be her Achilles heel.

KORATH (Djimon Hounsou)
Korath, a powerful ally of the villainous Ronan, is a feared intergalactic hunter. Korath is a pursuer who is dedicated to the kill and focuses only on one thing—his target.

RHOMANN DEY (John C. Reilly)
Rhomann Dey is a Corpsman in the Nova Corps, the planet Xandar’s military force. Dey is a loyal and trusted officer but his by-the-book attitude takes a detour when he develops an unlikely rapport with Peter Quill.

NOVA PRIME (Glenn Close)
Nova Prime Irani Rael is in charge of Nova Corps operations throughout the galaxy. From her base of operations on Xandar, the principled and efficient Nova Prime leads her forces with confidence. She defines her mission above all to protect the citizens of Xandar and keep peace.

THE COLLECTOR (Benicio Del Toro)
Taneleer Tivan, aka The Collector, is the obsessive keeper of the largest collection of interstellar fauna, relics and species in the galaxy. An enigmatic figure, The Collector operates out of a place in space aptly named Knowhere. When he encounters Peter Quill and his band, The Collector attempts to strike a dubious bargain.


Source: Collider and TotalFilm