The upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy game from Square Enix is aiming to tackle a new version of the misfit spacefarers. It features an emphasis on narrative and action from the perspective of its de facto leader Peter Quill, AKA Star-Lord. While it seems to lean into the tone of the MCU films of the same name, it has made some important creative decisions that will separate it from its on-screen counterpart. One thing the two versions of Guardians of the Galaxy seem to keep in common is a preference for some of the lesser-known characters in Marvel's expansive universe.
One of the big surprises about the success of the MCU's Guardians of the Galaxy was the usage of the titular group itself. While there have been many different Guardians throughout the years since the group's creation in the 70s, none of them were well known beyond dedicated comic fans when the first movie released. Although it can be argued that even Iron Man had hinged its success on a less popular character, Guardians of the Galaxy was far less familiar to moviegoers. After the Lady Hellbender trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy, it seems like the upcoming game is going to follow a lot of the same strategy.
Diving into Marvel's Deep Well with Guardians of the Galaxy
Using more obscure characters can be a double-edged sword, but in this instance could work out for the better. By using characters that aren't as widely known, there is inherently a bigger surprise factor when they make an appearance. One common gripe about the superhero genre in both games and film is that they can tend to rehash a lot of the same stories, and by extension a lot of the same characters. Many antagonists and side characters from the overall Avengers canon could work in Guardians of the Galaxy, but would take a lot of the freshness away from the experience. Seeing the Guardians do battle against Thanos again would be a narrative even casual fans are already familiar with.
It seems like the new Guardians game is adapting a lot of elements from both the movies and the comics. Lady Hellbender refers to Drax as being the person who defeated the Mad Titan, an event comic fans were likely glad to see referenced. Digging deeper into the enormous well of cosmic characters in Marvel's universe will also allow the new game to step out from the shadow of the Guardians of the Galaxy film. Similarities between the two versions of Guardians of the Galaxy are inevitable, so avoiding the same plots and characters will go a long way in helping the game distinguish itself.
Another thing about making use of the lesser-known characters is it can come with more creative freedom. Having plotlines that aren't as popular means creatives can have a bit more leeway with making changes, as fewer fans will have an intimate knowledge of the source material. While staying faithful is important regardless, the success of Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad have shown that many fans will enjoy seeing the obscure character they know more than enough to assuage any issues with small changes to their backstory or personality.
Utilizing the Obscure Could Help Guardians of the Galaxy Reach Mainstream Success
Another element that comes with this type of approach is that generally obscure characters already have many different versions of themselves throughout the comics. While many mainstream characters have alternate versions, like in the upcoming What If...? Marvel show, many characters that weren't hugely important would see changes in print, especially during the period of time through the 70s and 80s before the big resurgence of comics in the 90s. Smaller properties like Guardians of the Galaxy would fall into the hands of many different writers. This could often lead to big success, with Grant Morrison's Swamp-Thing run for DC being a prime example.
This relatively greater freedom allows for storytellers to find interesting ways to modernize and innovate on characters. This approach is much of what made the first Guardians movie so successful. Many viewers didn't come in with a fixed vision of the characters in mind. Guardians of the Galaxy has many more characters for the game to pull from, and could set up interesting conflicts. Notably, the original founding members of the group like Martinex or Major Victory have only been seen or referenced in passing thus far, with Yondu being the exception.
The entire Guardians mythos is full of potential. Many of its characters are only known by very dedicated fans of the original comics. With such a long history of these characters, Square Enix and Eidos Montreal have a deep well to pull from. Seeing the group fans know from the films clash with their comic predecessors would likely be interesting, and there's also the opportunity to use a lesser-known character with ties to a major Avenger, such as Beta Ray Bill.
Learning from the success of the MCU is critical from Guardians of the Galaxy, as taking the same approach to the less popular characters could help the game build its identity. It's impossible to deny the success of the MCU films, so emulating them to a degree is a good move. Choosing to use new characters and villains from Guardians of the Galaxy is likely a very deliberate decision. From a creative standpoint it would have arguably been easier to retread the conflict with Ego, Ronan, or Thanos, but would quickly have moved the new game into the infamous territory of game adaptations of a movie. That comparison could have buried Guardians before fans even took a chance.
Especially after the mixed reaction to Marvel's Avengers, Square Enix is likely eager to get a win under its belt in the Marvel space. Utilizing some of the more obscure characters is an ethos that helped propel the success of the films, so taking that same of approach for the Guardians of the Galaxy game could help reach similar levels.
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy launches October 26 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
