The top 10 members of The Guardians Of The Galaxy are still missing from the MCU

The audience was invited back into the vast cosmos of the MCU in the wonderfully heartwarming and festive atmosphere The Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas Specialto prepare viewers for their big return Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 next summer. According to James Gunn, the third film should not only end his time, but also the team’s time in the MCU. While he’ll embark on exciting new ventures as head of DC Studios, it’s making fans nervous about their favorite group of cosmic villains.

The team has grown and developed a lot over the decade since its debut in Guardians of the Galaxy, which introduces new members like Mantis, Kraglin and Cosmo the Spacedog. Looking ahead, both Adam Warlock and Nova will be joining the MCU soon, though perhaps not as members of the Guardians. While Gunn’s comments about the impending demise of the team could mean some of her missing teammates from the comics will never appear in the MCU, others still have ways of getting in. Whatever the case, these are still the most powerful and coolest Guardians awaiting incorporation into the MCU.

Phyla Vell

In 2008, the modern Guardians of the Galaxy team came together in the comics, but they’re still missing a founding member in the MCU. Phyla-Vell is a prominent cosmic heroine, daughter of Mar-Vell – played by Annette Benning in Captain Marvel – and sister of Genis-Vell. She is a strong team member who can absorb and release energy.

Phyla follows in the footsteps of her father and brother and becomes the fourth Captain Marvel before Carol Danvers takes over the title. She also briefly becomes Quasar with the Quantum Bands, but has since assumed a far more austere character as Martyr, the avatar for the cosmic entity Oblivion. Given her family connection and history with the team and Adam Warlock in particular, Phyla could still be featured The wonders or Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Big Victory

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 featured some special guest appearances from the original Guardians of the Galaxy roster from the comics as Ravagers honoring Yondu at his funeral. They consisted of Starhawk, Aleta Ogord, Charlie-27 and Martinex T’Naga and were joined by Mainframe and Krugarr. Interestingly, like Phyla-Vell, one founding member of this team was missing – Vance Astro aka Major Victory.

He’s an unexpectedly complex character – a powerful psychokinetic mutant astronaut who was lost in space for a millennium and eventually differentiated himself from Captain America. Vance further complicates his life by going back in time and interacting with his younger self, motivating him to stay on Earth and setting the stage for his evolution into the Justice of the New Warriors hero. He’s not a main character, but he’d be a cool addition to the future, whether as a Major Victory among the Guardians or the Ravagers or Justice.

insect

Unfortunately, a popular member of the modern day Guardians of the Galaxy is someone that fans shouldn’t expect to see in the MCU at all. Bug was first introduced as a member of the Micronauts, a team of heroes based on the toy line of the same name – his name at the time was Galactic Warrior. While Marvel will continue to release comics featuring Bug as a member of the Guardians, his film rights still reside with Hasbro, so the MCU isn’t in his future.

Interestingly, the trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania suggests that there may be a group of characters resembling the Micronauts in the Quantum Realm. Perhaps, conversely, some variation of Bug is involved. It’s a shame because Bug is a cool and beneficial addition to the team that could help tie different stories together.

Jack flag

Major Victory isn’t the only character associated with Captain America among the Guardians. There is also Jack Harrison aka Jack Flag. He was an aspiring crimefighter and put on a patriotic face to honor his hero, Captain America, and face the Serpent Society. Jack was exposed to some chemicals made by Mister Hyde – played by Kyle MacLachlan in Agents of SHIELD — and he gained similar powers to Captain America.

He finds his way from Earth and joins the modern day Guardians to help them defeat Thanos, Blastaar and the Magus. As his story doesn’t have to be limited to just the Guardians, Jack could still have a future in the MCU as an ally of Sam Wilson joining the fight Captain America: New World Order.

moon dragon

If there’s one huge Guardian fan you’d expect to see in the MCU by now, it’s Moondragon. Heather Douglas has a tragic but strange backstory as her parents were murdered by Thanos and then she was taken to Titan by his father Mentor. Interestingly, her father’s soul would find a new body – that of Drax the Destroyer – so they have a complex connection that would have been interesting to unwrap in the MCU.

That’s not to say the bald, telepathic prodigy will never show up. It could just mean that their origins are not considered in the context of Drax. She would still be a logical inclusion in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, as her story could develop beyond the team – including her relationship with Phyla-Vell, her tenure with the Defenders and the Avengers, and/or her ability to transform into an actual dragon. Also, to be honest, Moondragon is a badass character that many fans would quickly fall in love with.

kitty pride

It might surprise casual fans that Kitty Pryde from the X-Men was also a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. In fact, she joined the team to take over for her then-fiancé Peter Quill, even using his nickname Star-Lord for a time. This all happened in advance of the second civil war run, but in the end Kitty decided to stay on Earth as the new leader of the X-Men and to end her engagement to Peter.

More and more mutants will appear within the MCU, so the days must be numbered until Kitty Pryde appears. She would be high on the list for the X-Men’s first list for many fans, but her storyline will likely never lead to her joining the Guardians like she did in the comics.

Marvel boy

Another Guardians member most commonly associated with another team is Marvel Boy. In his case, it’s the Young Avengers. He’s one of the few remaining members of the teenage superhero squad awaiting his induction into the MCU, though Marvel Boy’s time like Hulkling must come soon. He could certainly come into play soon The wondersbut he might just be saved for an actual one Young Avengers project occurs – if at all.

He is currently on the Guardians roster along with his new friend Hercules who has been introduced Thor: Love and Thunder, played by Brett Goldstein. It’s interesting to think about whether the MCU will build on that relationship, or focus on him and Kate Bishop instead – although it would be best to present him as a powerful bisexual hero overall.

Nicky Gold

Nicholette “Nikki” Gold is another member of the original team, a child who was genetically engineered to live on Mercury. She is best known for her flaming hair and acrobatic skills, and despite her presence in the team’s early comics, she has not appeared often since the new team’s inception. Even though Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy included her as a major character, so there’s hope that she can garner some attention in the MCU as well.

Since Sylvester Stallone and Michael Rosenbaum will star as Stakar Ogord aka Starhawk and Martinex, respectively Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, maybe Nikki could be broken in a bit. At least it would be cool to have some sort of reference to them along the way.

angela

With Thor temporarily joining the Guardians afterward Avengers: Endgamethought many Thor: Love and Thunder could end up partially adapting the Asgardians of the Galaxy arc. In the end, the Wardens were sent on their merry way fairly early in the film, but there may still be hope of a great missing Asgardian, Angela. She is Thor’s half-sister who joined the Guardians immediately after joining Marvel Comics.

Interestingly, Angela was an original Image Comics creation, but she was sold to Marvel by Neil Gaiman. Given Hela’s backstory Thor: Ragnarok of the long-lost sister, Angela’s introduction would include some superfluous story elements. However, if there is a way for them to still appear in live action, they should pursue it. Like Valkyrie and Sif, Angela is a fierce and powerful warrior, and her story could go beyond Thor or the Wardens.

gladiator

Just as the Avengers had the Dark Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy were also faced with the Dark Guardians. They were created by Starfox – introduced in eternal, played by Harry Styles – and consisted of Nebula, Cosmic Ghost Rider, Gladiator and Wraith. Their goal was to stop the return of Thanos from beyond the grave, using dark and drastic measures to do so. Of those awaiting her appearance, Kallark aka Gladiator has the best prospects in the MCU.

He is a Strontian and one of the numerous comps for Marvel Comics’ Superman. Importantly, he is linked to the Shi’ar Empire as the leader of their Imperial Guard, who in turn are crucially linked to the X-Men. With the MCU sure to continue exploring the cosmos after the conclusion of the Multiverse saga and with the X-Men finally becoming flesh and blood, Gladiator has great potential to appear.

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