Marvel Cancels the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Series

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Guardians of the Galaxy cast — Star-Lord/Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Groot (Vin Diesel), Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Nebula (Karen Gillan), and Drax (Dave Bautista) — are fan-favorites who have embarked on all sorts of intergalactic adventures in both their own film franchise and two Avengers movies, Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).

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In addition to the MCU’s version of the Guardians, though, Marvel Comics has its own popular Guardians of the Galaxy series — and, now, the company has announced that it has been canceled.

One article confirming the cancelation noted:

What was once one of Marvel’s highest-rated ongoing series is no more. As of this past Wednesday, Guardians of the Galaxy has been cancelled by the House of Ideas. With the last issue of the publisher’s The Last Annihilation even slowing down to its final moments, lettering on the last page declared the end of the run reading, “The End! Thanks for everything – and see you at Gosnell’s!” Gosnell’s, of course, being the bar the space-faring characters frequented throughout the run.

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Although Marvel hasn’t officially announced when the Guardians of the Galaxy characters will show up again in the Marvel Comics world, it is highly unlikely they’re gone forever. As one of the brand’s most popular franchises, it is almost certain that the series’s hiatus won’t last too long.

Guardians of the Galaxy ran for 18 issues and introduced a number of new characters, including Dr. Doom and the Super Skrull. The comics were written by Al Ewing and Juann Frigeri, meaning certain story arcs could crossover to Ewing’s SWORD storyline in the Marvel X-Line, though this has not been confirmed.

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As for Kevin Feige’s Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Guardians will show up in at least two more films — their own Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3 (2023) and Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) alongside Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Natalie Portman (Jane Foster/Mighty Thor).

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Dave Bautista previously confirmed that this will be the end of the line for the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise in the MCU:

“It’s our third film. We’re going to wrap it up. And it’s been a hell of a journey with a few bumps. So I’m looking forward to this, man. My cast and obviously the director, James Gunn, they’re like family to me. This is kind of where my journey started. It’s come full circle and I’m looking forward to wrapping it up. And it’s a bittersweet… I mean, I’ve been doing Guardians since 2013. And, you know, when this comes out, you know, it’ll be in 2023, so that’s a, you know, 10 year journey.”

What do you think about Marvel Studios ending the Guardians of the Galaxy series?