Marvel Comics: 10 Strongest Guardians Of The Galaxy Members, Ranked

The Guardians of the Galaxy debuted back in January 1969 in Marvel Super-Heroes #18, but the roster looked very different from the one that fans know today. The team was never a big name in the comics, with the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and even the Inhumans being much more well known.

This changed in 2008 when the team was rebooted, featuring the gang of space misfits that people know and love now. Over its history, it has had some powerful members join its ranks, featuring characters from Earth, but also cosmic and otherworldly names.

10 Groot

A Walking, Talking (Sort Of) Tree

Guardians Of The Galaxy Debut:Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 #7 (2009) Powers & Abilities: Flora Colossus physiology; regenerative healing; superhuman strength and durability; shapeshifting, genius-level intellect

When the Guardians of the Galaxy were rebooted in 2008, Groot was still not a team member. He joined as a fully-fledged member in 2009 and has become a mainstay in the gang of galactic misfits.

Groot has shown to be a powerful asset to the team, possessing immense strength and durability. He can also alter his size and grow his limbs thanks to his unique physiology. He is essentially a sentient tree, and one of his strongest powers is that he is basically immortal. Groot can regrow his full body from a single sprig, as shown in the 2014 movie Guardians of the Galaxy. Although other members have stronger powers, Groot’s role as a powerhouse in the core team deserves recognition.

9 Captain Marvel/Martyr

Phyla-Vell, A Being From Another Timeline

Guardians Of The Galaxy Debut:Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 #1 (2008) Powers & Abilities: Super-humanoid strength, durability, speed, agility, and reflexes; Kree/Titan hybrid physiology; FTL flight

Two characters have donned the names of Phyla-Vell and Captain Marvel, who have also been a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy in the Earth-616 continuity (the main Marvel Comics timeline). The first changed her name to Martyr, but Thanos killed her. The second to join the team, Phyla-Vell, was from Earth-18897 and journeyed to 616 to escape Requiem (a version of Gamora who sought to find all the Infinity Stones) along with her wife, Moondragon.

Both versions of this character have powers similar to the Carol Danvers version of Captain Marvel, including increased strength, speed and durability. Phyla-Vell also has access to the Quantum and Nega Bands, which gave her energy-based powers.

8 Nova

Richard Rider, Outer Space Police

Guardians Of The Galaxy Debut:Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 6 #1 (2020) Powers & Abilities: Superhuman strength, speed, stamina, reflexes, and agility; regenerative healing; flight; Xandarian Worldmind

Richard Rider, also known as Nova, is a member of the intergalactic police force, the Nova Corps, and hosts the Nova Force. This gives him powers such as flight, energy generation, and superhuman advancements. He is strong enough to hold his own against most Marvel Comics powerhouses, including the Silver Surfer.

A long-time ally of the Guardians, Nova wasn’t a fully-fledged member until Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 6 #1. This included a refreshed roster in Marvel‘s “Fresh Start” initiative. Nova is one of the most powerful space-based heroes in Marvel, but he has yet to make his cinematic debut.

7 Beta Ray Bill

A Korbinite Associated With Thor

Guardians Of The Galaxy Debut:Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 5 #1 (2019) Powers & Abilities: Transformation; superhuman strength, speed, and durability; superhumanly dense tissue, regenerative healing; Allspeak

A character closely tied to Thor, Beta Ray Bill, hails from the planet Korbin and is chosen as the planet’s champion to fend off an attack by Surtur. Korbinites are already strong, but Bill has cybernetic enhancements as well.

He has proven himself worthy of lifting Thor’s hammer, Mijnoir, and wielding his similar hammer, Stormbreaker. Currently, he possesses the Twilight Sword, which allows him to transform into an even stronger form. As a Guardian, Beta Ray Bill joined the team to aid in the quest to prevent Thanos from being resurrected, which he did help to accomplish.

6 Hercules

Hercules Panhellenios

Guardians Of The Galaxy Debut:Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 6 #1 (2020) Powers & Abilities: Godlike strength, speed, and reflexes; invulnerability; regeneration; immortality; combat skills; Allspeak

Hercules is known to non-Marvel fans as the son of the Greek god Zeus, but he is a superhero in the comics. He has been a member of the Avengers, and joined the Guardians of the Galaxy to aid in a fight against the other Olympians.

As a God, he is immortal, and has gone toe-to-toe with the likes of the Hulk and Thor. The character was introduced in the MCU in a post-credits scene in Thor: Love & Thunder and is set to be a big player going forward, especially in the upcoming Avengers movies.

5 Moodragon

Heather Douglas Can Turn Into A Dragon

Guardians Of The Galaxy Debut:Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 #12 (2009) Powers & Abilities: Telepathy, mind control, telekinetic abilities, Dragon Form, martial arts skills

Moondragon has been a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy since its reboot, but she was originally a member of the Avengers and the Defenders. As a young girl, her parents were killed by Thanos’ spaceship, and she was taken to Titan to be raised by the Shao-Lorn monks.

There, she developed her telekinetic and telepathic abilities, and the ability to take on a Dragon form. The Dragon of the Moon is an evil entity responsible for the destruction of countless civilizations, which originally corrupted her. However, she has since learned to control it and use its immense powers.

4 Super-Skrull

Kl’rt Is An Enemy Turned Ally

Guardians Of The Galaxy Debut:Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 6 #12 (2021) Powers & Abilities: Skrull Shape-Shifting, hypnotic gaze, Cosmic Energy Power-Receptors, military training. He can also mimic the powers of each member of the Fantastic Four: the Human Torch’s pyrokinesis, the Thing’s superhuman strength and durability, Invisible Woman’s invisibility, and Mr. Fantastic’s plasticity.

Perhaps better known as an enemy of The Fantastic Four, the Super-Skrull was given the team’s powers and sent to Earth to defeat them as revenge for preventing their invasion attempt. Along with his innate Skrull shape-shifting, he has all the powers of The Fantastic Four and can even combine them.

Kl’rt joined the Guardians of the Galaxy in 2021 when the team was sanctioned by the Galactic Council to operate as a peacekeeping task force. Now reformed and a member of the galaxy’s government, he acts as part of operations command.

3 Warlock

Adam Warlock

Guardians Of The Galaxy Debut:Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 #1 (2008) Powers & Abilities: Symbiotic bond with the Soul Gem, Avatar of Life, summoning, superhuman physiology (strength, durability, speed, etc.), flight, telepathic abilities, quantum magic, time-travel powers, and more. He’s also skilled in strategy and manipulation, and has extensive knowledge of the occult and martial arts.

Adam Warlock appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy 3, but fans just got a taste of the power he possesses in the comics. The man who became Adam Warlock was created by the Enclave to be the perfect human, and the High Evolutionary bestowed upon him with the power of the Soul Gem, one of the Infinity Stones.

This gave him seemingly boundless powers. It was first shown in the Annihilation: Conquest arc, where he unlocked his true potential and defeated a suped-up Ultron. It was then he joined up with the Guardians, and is now the strongest regular member of the squad.

2 Doctor Doom

Victor von Doom Briefly Joined The Team

Guardians Of The Galaxy Debut:Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 6 #14 (2021) Powers & Abilities: A wide range of magical abilities, including but not limited to summoning, dimensional travel, elemental manipulation, and telekinetic/telepathic abilities. He’s also an expert in fields ranging from martial arts to languages to piano.

Even casual Marvel fans know how powerful this character is. He is a big bad for many heroes, thanks to his magical abilities, dictatorship, and super-genius intellect.

Doctor Doom came to be a member of the team for a short time. The extra and inter-dimensional demonic entity Dormammu had possessed Ego the Living Planet, and he allied himself with the team. However, this was not for heroic reasons, but to siphon some of Dormammu’s power for his own. He left the team and returned to Earth after completing his goal.

1 Cosmic Ghost Rider

This Frank Castle Is A Fusion Of Two Powerful Characters

Guardians Of The Galaxy Debut:Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 5 #1 (2019) Powers & AbilitiesSpirit of Vengeance: Hellfire manipulation, superhuman strength and durability, Penance Stare, Meta Possession, Mystical Chain Projection Power Cosmic: Interstellar travel, energy projection, Cosmic Penance Stare, telekinesis

This character is actually an alternate version of Frank Castle, or the Punisher, who has both the Spirit of Vengeance (Ghost Rider) and Power Cosmic (Silver Surfer). Cosmic Ghost Rider can do what he wants, when he wants. He has even claimed to have killed his universe’s Watcher.

He came to be a member of the Earth-616 Guardians when Odin brought him to the main reality. He was saved from a black hole by Beta Ray Bill and recruited into the team. He quickly leaves to join the Dark Guardians, however, and aids in the quest to stop Thanos’ resurrection.