This article was taken from the August 2014 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired’s articles in print before they’re posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
Thought WWII super-soldiers and interdimensional Norse gods were tough to track? Guardians of the Galaxy, out on August 1, introduces the Marvel cosmic universe — that’s more than 50 years of comics and hundreds of characters, planets and races. “I’ve always loved space operas, and this was a chance to do a really big one,” says director James Gunn, 41.
So, how does one craft a franchise that includes a gun-toting raccoon and a sentient tree as primary protagonists — and have audiences take it seriously? “The cosmic universe in the comics can seem too wacky,” says Gunn. “I think there were a lot of dudes in the 70s and 80s doing acid writing them.” His solution? “Creating a universe that is both grounded and fun.” Guardians kicks off Marvel’s “phase three” of releases, leading to the third Avengers film (due 2019), and reintroduces Thanos, the big-league baddie previously seen in an after-credits cameo. “He’s not the primary bad guy here,” says Gunn. “But we set up how that continues.”
To help you appreciate the scale of Marvel’s cosmos,
Wired presents just a few of its inhabitants — we can’t include them all here, but expect to see some of them in cinemas soon…
