The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has firmly established itself as one of the most successful transmedia narratives in the world. Created in 2008 by Marvel studios, the MCU has continued to make attractive films based on their Marvel comic characters. Guardians of The Galaxy was released in 2014 and it succeeded all expectations, it was an adaptation of the comics and an extension for the cinematic universe as a whole. The biggest challenge that this film faced was that, unlike the other Marvel movies, it wasn’t based on an original comic. There have been various iterations of the Guardians of the Galaxy in the comics and none had any big characters, but that’s what makes this narrative so interesting. This film is a preeminent example of transmedia storytelling because it is a prime example of what Marvel does: creating a vibrant world and having fascinating characters to take you on a journey. This franchise is a leading example of how Marvel successfully introduces a new team with a new style, while staying true to the Marvel transmedia story world.
Over the many decades of their existence in Marvel Comics, the Guardians of the Galaxy were just a low-end marvel team. The original Guardians of the Galaxy comic was first introduced in 1968 in Marvel Super-Heroes #18. “Most of the Guardians you’ll see in director James Gunn’s upcoming flick are a pretty recent invention, but the concept originated in 1968’s Marvel Super-Heroes #18. Back then they were superheroes in the outer space of the far future, fighting against an alien invasion that threatened humanity’s colonies throughout the universe” (McMillan). Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning decided to revive the team in 2008, and fans received the hypotext that would later translate into a hit film. Since the current version of Guardians of the Galaxy comic had only been around for a couple years, the filmmakers had a ton of freedom, which made this narrative so successful. Fans quickly realized that Guardians of the Galaxy was going to be unlike any marvel movie before.
This commercial extension is interesting to me simply because of the characters. I believe it was produced because of the characters. If you care about the characters then you will care about the story, and if you care about the story, the narrative has done its job. The character roster in the Abnett and Lannings comic was way bigger than the one in the film but this because the script of the movie had so much catching up to do with world-building. All of the main characters had origins but nothing major. “The characters had been around for some time, and had even been working together as a loose-knit team for a while through the Annihilation and Annihilation: Conquest event series” (McMillian). For example, Drax the Destroyer was actually killed in the comics and Rocket Raccoon knows what a raccoon is in the comics but in the movie, he’s not sure exactly what he is and he gets offended when he is labeled as a raccoon. Chris Pratt was the perfect fit for Star-Lord because in the comics, the character has that same confident, sarcastic tone.
Comics provide great source material for filmmakers. “Today, we are seeing comics play an important role in a growing number of transmedia franchises. Because the cost of comics production is relatively low, comics are being used to expand on universes created for other media into directions that might be cost-prohibitive in film or television” (Ford 305). This extension does fit in with the franchise’s larger universe, but the film is so successful because it does this in its own unique way. The Guardians did not have the traditional superhero layout. The villains in the comics were usually tied to other franchises. There was no traditional good guy vs. bad guy so the filmmakers had to make a story from scratch. So that’s what they did, but they did it within the context of what was happening within the Marvel Universe. The Guardians have never really been involved with the Infinity Gems, but it’s the kind of story they could be involved in.
Everything that happened in the movie was not present in the comics, which created this new Marvel cosmic adventure. This extension expands the franchise media experience because the film was created in a different manor. The biggest difference from Marvel and all of comic book canon is the film’s subtext on violence. Fighting, or using big guns almost always solved problems in the superhero world and we saw this work very successfully in the first Avengers movie but that is consistently not the case in Guardians of the Galaxy. This film is more about the characters and how a group of misfits become a team and fight for each other. We see lack of violence in a lot of Marvel films, especially in the Spider-Man movies. Spider-Man is more of a community, fun loving superhero. He rarely uses violence because he wants to be a positive role model for kids. This is also what makes Marvel and DC so different; DC is usually very dark and gloomy while Marvel focuses on their characters, bright colors, and comic relief.
This film was so successful as an extension because new characters and new worlds were introduced, but the viewers were constantly reminded that we were in the MCU. Guardians of the Galaxy really has nothing to do with Iron Man and other big names but the films narrative, tone, and humor all remind us that we are still within the larger Marvel universe. By effectively incorporating the Guardians of the Galaxy narrative within the current context of the MCU, the film was able to modify the comic canon and introduce a new wave of characters. The film requires a strong sense of discovery and emphasizes the importance of world building in transmedia storytelling. The idea that group of misfit losers can potentially come together and become heroes is something everyone can root for.
The main target audience of this film is definitely superhero fans but the film is very universal because of its wide range of characters and it allows a number of personalities to appreciate the film. The extension is so unique and it uses its characters to its advantage. Star-Lord is not your typical hero; in fact none of the characters are your typical heroes. The Guardians characters are so absurd that they are great. That’s especially so with Rocket Raccoon and Groot. The main genre of the film is Sci fi but Guardians of the Galaxy is a sort of hybrid film. It is a mix of comedy, action, and drama, which makes the target audience larger, and the film less categorized. You didn't have to be a big comic book fan to enjoy "Guardians."
As mentioned before, The Guardians Of The Galaxy movie isn’t explicitly inspired by any one comic-book story, but the success of the film made it a huge influence on the Guardians Of The Galaxy comics. This extension is a prime example of how superhero comics change to reflect new ideas on screen. “Guardians Of The Galaxy – inspired by the original Guardians, but largely unconnected to them – with an initial line-up of Star-Lord, Quasar, Adam Warlock, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, sentient extra-terrestrial tree Groot and, yes, Rocket Raccoon: a comedy, Beatles-inspired, talking, gun-toting forest-dwelling mammal” (Staff). Because Guardians of the Galaxy was not a popular comic for Marvel, it gave the filmmakers even more reason to chance the comics and introduce a new narrative within the MCU. Marvel successfully introduces a new team with a new style, while staying true to the Marvel transmedia story world.
Transmedia storytelling has become a very useful building block for various forms of entertainment. Guardians of the Galaxy was simply an extension of the original comic and a push to expend the media experience of the MCU. All the Guardians in the movie have received their own comic-book titles in the years since the film’s release. Many opportunities exist to build on this property extension, and many have already begun. This film is considered one of the most important Marvel movies ever made. Jenkins defines an extension as something that “seeks to add something to the existing story as it moves from one medium to another” (Transmedia Storytelling 202”). Guardians of the Galaxy successfully does this. The film is relevant with the MCU timeline but at the same time, it introduces new characters that explore new worlds. Despite it’s many departures from comic canon, Guardians of the Galaxy introduced a new narrative for the MCU that highlights the benefits of transmedia storytelling.