There are times when something really different finds it’s way into popular culture. A fringe idea, never really intended to be anything particularly outstanding has an unlikely run of luck. Somehow, the guardians of the galaxy, a relatively new team consisting of a universal magician, a cosmic warrior, two master assassins, a former paraplegic, a wise cracking ex-galactic hero, a psychic dog, a transcendental psychokinetic, a walking tree king and a talking raccoon with a penchant for heavy weaponry look like they’ve found their way to the big screen alongside iron man, Thor, cap and the rest of the avengers.
Rumours spreading like wildfire across the internet is that Marvel is about to announce a Guardians of the Galaxy movie. If, as we expect it to, it turns out to be true, then Marvel are really intending to take risks and reap the benefits in the coming years. With a stall of literally hundreds of characters to reveal, from Nova to Namor they could’ve kept thing’s earth bound.
However, we here at beyond the bunker anticipate an Avengers / Guardians crossover for what would’ve been the next Avengers movie. The reasons behind this are numerous.
In terms of available content, Marvel still haven’t got control of many of their greatest and most famous creations. Spider-man still remains under contract with Sony and 20th Century Fox show no signs of releasing the now well established X-men franchise with separate Origins and First Class arcs remaining potential money spinners. Strangely, this means that while Marvel can’t present all of it’s most successful characters together (Wolverine and Spider-man unable to join the current Avengers) these things still mean that Marvel associated projects rule Hollywood. In the next three years we’re likely to see Spider-man, X-men, Wolverine, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Avengers and now Guardians of the Galaxy. There’s barely enough space in the movie calendar to sustain them and some Marvel projects will inevitably crossover. However, with the success of all of the Avengers movie and the fact that every adaptation has more than made it’s money back there is absolutely no sign of the marvel juggernaut stopping (even if he was played badly by Vinnie Jones).
However, this spread between film companies with Marvel franchises (of which Marvel is only one) leaves Marvel with a dearth of possible projects to bring to the big screen. Even the Avengers movie had to concede the use of Skrull warriors ( later to appear as the Chitauri in the film) – most likely because the Skrull copyright went over when the Fantastic Four were sold.
Blade’s been done beautifully (excluding part three) and will be hard to follow, Ghost Rider has met with considerable negative press but has made enough money to remain viably locked where it is, the Punisher never seems to work on the big screen after a couple of botched attempts but is unlikely to fall back into Marvel’s hands. Ant man remains in development and no one wants to try Howard the Duck again. The new warriors are a little too passé, X-factor, X-force, Excalibur, Cable and mystique belong to 20th Century Fox. So where do you turn…?
Marvel went cosmic immediately with Avengers. Natural plot devices that connected the characters inevitably led that way – cosmic cube in Captain America, pretty much every aspect of Thor, it was clear where they were going with it. The Ultimates (Marvel’s cinematic reinterpretation of the Avengers, central to the alternate Ultimate Universe) acknowledged the conscious plan to bring their one remaining credible franchise to the big screen, as X-men and Spider-man tore up the multiplexes elsewhere. The higher ups in Marvel would’ve known that the combined funds from licensing the Ultimate names was building coffers that would allow them to go alone as Marvel entertainment. The most amazing thing is the 20 year plan Marvel have demonstrated here. Mark Millar’s Ultimates revealed the Skrulls present in Nazi forces, crossing Cap’s timeline before presenting a big enough threat to justify the avengers 60 odd years later. This was the precursor to the films that have culminated the same way. However, it’s Thanos that it all hinges on.
Revealed at the very end of Avengers as the true threat, Thanos has represented the greatest danger to the Marvel universe throughout it’s history. Mythic and modern in equal measures, Thanos is an endearingly flawed demi- god figure and a logical threat for the Avengers to face. However, Thanos’ reveal at the end of the Avengers has made clear that the future for Marvel was space.
It’s most successful non- web/mutant/avengers franchise in comic books has been Marvel Galaxies, the culmination of many disparate races and characters developed in the background of other marvel titles. Having exhausted almost every popular earth- based creation they have Marvel had no choice but to look to the stars.
Following the surprisingly engaging Annihalation series and having the foresight to give editorial duties to Warhammer and scifi veterans (and friends to the Bunker) Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, the star spanning Marvel Universe has provided some of Marvel’s most engaging storylines in recent years. Through the Annihalation crossover and War of Kings storylines, one team stood out among all the others and absorbed all the best and most interesting figures in the Galactic Marvel section. Guardians of the Galaxy , brain child of Abnett and Lanning, kicked off with so much spit and gusto that it inevitably became a fan favourite.
This is here because we love this picture!!
With Thanos’ arrival in it’s pages, launching a further crossover that brought together the Annihalators – the most powerful figures in the galaxy – the relevance of Guardians of the Galaxy to the plot of the Avengers was cemented. Mostly killed off in that storyline, the notoriety of the Guardians has lost almost no momentum, rocket raccoon and Groot continuing to fight on in the back pages of the Annihalators.
Led by a disgraced and disillusioned galactic hero called Starlord – now a gun toting wisecracker, the Guardians represent the founding ideas that made comics great, combining it with Stan Lee’s philosophy for Marvel. Strong characters mix with unrelentingly uncompromising science fiction in a mix that is wry, exciting and fun.
With Iron Man 3, Thor and captain America 2 and Avengers 2 coming up in the next two years Marvel will be looking for a new card to play. We think that Marvel intend to make the Avengers movie another benchmark movie making it not only a repeat of an enormous crossover of successful films in their own right but are planning to add another to the mix. We anticipate that we are looking at a Guardians of the Galaxy / Avengers crossover in less than 3 years with an introductory movie for the star team appearing before hand.
All we need is Bob Hoskins to voice the part of Rocket Raccoon – to match the rugged cockney accent Marvel gave Rocket in the Marvel vs Capcom game and maybe Brian Blessed on Groot.
So when inevitably Thanos puts on his infinity Gauntlet to impress Lady Death in the next Avengers movie, two teams will ride out to face him. Don’t know about you but we can’t wait.
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Beyond the Bunker 