Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy tells a huge, original story that takes the titular team across the galaxy. Along the way, they'll encounter characters, items, and locations from Marvel's rich cosmic history: easter eggs that hint at all sorts of new adventures for the Guardians to embark on.
As a game based on over 80 years of comic lore, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is stuffed with references to stories and people from classic comic storylines. Some are small, cheeky nods to iconic characters while others hold the promise of even bigger challenges yet to come for the ragtag team of misfits. Here are a few you might have missed.
10 The Watcher's Eye
The Collector's Empirum is stuffed with all sorts of baubles that Taneleer Tivan has procured in his many millennia of existence, but Uatu the Watcher's eye is quite possibly the most potent in his collection. It functions as a repository of information, a collection of all the knowledge Uatu had accumulated in his countless years of observation.
It's also a reference to the Original Sin event series that Marvel released back in 2014. In this storyline, Uatu murdered and his eye stolen in a universe-wide mystery. The event, co-created by Jason Aaron and Mike Deodato, was a game-changer for the Marvel universe.
9 Thor's Long Lost Sister
Among the many fearsome weapons in the Collector's menagerie, the Blade of Ichor is among the most deadly. Wielded by Angela, an angel of Heven, this deadly tool can transform into a variety of different bladed weapons.
Angela was first introduced in the Image Comics series Spawn, before joining the Marvel Universe at the end of the Age of Ultron event. Her true lineage as the daughter of Odin and long lost sister of Thor was revealed during the events of the 2014 event series Original Sin.
8 Stan Lee's Cameo
Stan Lee is arguably the most famous comic writer in history, and his legacy at Marvel is undeniable. Toward the end of his life, he became renowned for his recurring cameos in many Marvel media properties, even going so far as to show up as a restaurant owner in Marvel's Spider-Man.
Since Stan Lee has since passed away, his cameo in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is smaller but no less profound. The Collector has a display for an item called the Cosmic Glasses, a pair of shades that belonged to a powerful being who had a hand in shaping the entire galaxy. Excelsior!
7 The Mandarin's Rings
The Mandarin is one of Iron Man's most formidable foes, a dangerous and powerful man with dreams of world domination. He uses ten Makluan Rings he fashioned from the technology of a crashed spaceship to gift himself with extraordinary power.
In Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, the Mandarin's rings can be found on display in the Collector's Emporium. It's one of many dangerous artifacts that were acquired under dubious conditions. The Mandarin is rarely seen without his rings, so the fact that the Collector has them is more than a little suspicious.
6 The Existence Of Mutants
It's no secret that the character of Peter Quill is partly defined by his taste in music, but there's one recording artist he's particularly fond of that long-time Marvel fans will instantly recognize. In his cabin on the Milano, Peter has a poster up of Dazzler, a pop musician character first introduced into the Marvel universe in 1980.
She's also a mutant and longtime member of the X-Men, with the mutant ability to create light effects with her music. Her poster on Peter's wall suggests that not only do mutants exist in this universe, but that Peter has revisited Earth at least once since his abduction by the Chitauri.
5 The Cotati
The Cotati are a sentient race of plants that, in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, guard the cave where Adam Warlock has been hiding for the last twelve years. In the game, Groot is able to "commune" with the Cotati to persuade them to stand aside to allow our heroes to pass.
The Cotati are a different kind of plant race in the comics and featured prominently in the recent Empyre crossover. The Cotati's natural shape is roughly humanoid, but they can also reanimate the remains of dead beings, merging both their memories and the memories of the deceased into one.
4 Pip The Troll
Pip the Troll is one of Marvel's classic characters and a stalwart companion to the golden god, Adam Warlock. With Warlock playing such an important role in the story of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, it's no surprise that Pip shows up as well, even if his appearance is fleeting.
As the Guardians descend into the cave on Lamentis, Pip can be seen frequently darting just out of sight or disappearing as the team gets close. A journal entry of his can also be found on the way down that details his concern that Warlock's depression is getting the better of him.
3 The Celestial Madonna
Mantis's title as the Celestial Madonna is one with a deep history in the comics, and hints at a much larger role for her character in future installments in the franchise. Not only is she believed to be a deified figure in her own right, but she will also bear a son who will be known as the Celestial Messiah.
Her proximity to the Cotati on Lamentis is another part of this prophecy, as Mantis would eventually marry a Cotati in the form of her late teammate, the Swordsman, and bear him a son named Sequoia. The saga of the Celestial Madonna was told over the course of almost 60 years worth of comic stories.
2 Throg
Throg, the Frog of Thunder, is a curious easter egg that the Collector has somehow convinced to be a part of his Emporium. Throg is a noble warrior who has allied himself with Thor on numerous occasions while wielding his own hammer that was forged from a sliver of Mjolnir.
Throg's real name is actually Puddlegulp, and he used to live in a frog community located in Central Park. He first encountered Thor when the Marvel hero had been transformed into a frog by his trickster brother, Loki.
1 The Brood
One of the Collector's displays is noticeably empty, with shattered glass on the floor around the exhibit. This case once housed the egg of a Brood Queen, a nasty alien species with a sadistic streak and a penchant for infesting living beings with their eggs.
The Brood have threatened the well-being of the universe on numerous occasions, often facing off against the X-Men. The Brood Queen's escape will undoubtedly lead to a major crisis that could be featured in a possible Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy sequel.