Guardians Of The Galaxy Releases First Official Still, Get To Know The Team

Ever since Marvel Studios announced Guardians of the Galaxy at San Diego Comic-Con in 2012, they've done a good job of teasing us with some really cool concept art, but that's about it. Production on the movie wrapped up this fall, but while director James Gunn occasionally posted pictures of himself feeding raccoons or holding up wrestling belts on the set , nothing from the actual movie has ever been officially published publicly. That is, until today.

The film's director has taken to his Twitter account to post the first ever real look at Guardians of the Galaxy. Very similar to the concept art that was released this past summer and seemingly taken directly from the footage that was shown in Hall H during the Marvel Studios panel at this summer's Comic-Con, the image has the titular team in a criminal lineup (at one point in the movie the group all find themselves in prison together). As you can see by clicking on the still and seeing it in high-res, none of them are very happy to be there.

With the film still about eight months away from its August 1st release date there are still some pretty big pockets of the movie-going audience who know absolutely nothing about who these characters are, so allow me to help out by breaking it down.

First up on the far left side of the image we have Gamora, a badass green alien played by Zoe Saldana. As the actress explained on the panel at San Diego Comic-Con in July, the character is a hardcore assassin and possesses great strength, agility and speed. She is an adopted daughter of the evil Thanos – the big purple dude featured in the end credits of Joss Whedon’s The Avengers - but starts a new life for herself with the Guardians of the Galaxy fighting with the good guys.

Next up we have Peter Quill a.k.a. Star-Lord, played by Parks and Recreation’s Chris Pratt. Despite his looks, he is actually half human and half alien, and when he was a kid he was taken away from Earth and never looked back. He spends his days trying to be a Han Solo-type anti-hero, but, like Gamora, finds a new path thanks to his new group of friends.

Rocket Raccoon may be a lot shorter than his Guardians of the Galaxy teammates, but underestimating him would be a big mistake. Voiced by Bradley Cooper, Rocket is one of a kind, as he was just a normal raccoon before being kidnapped and undergoing experimental medical treatments. As his name implies, he is he is a big fan of explosions and weaponry, and of all the members in the group his closest bond is with Groot (who we will talk more about in a bit.

This mountain of alien muscle is Drax The Destroyer, played by wrestler Dave Bautista. In the comics the character began his life as an ordinary human named Arthur Douglas who saw his entire family killed at the hands of Thanos. Needing somebody to help fight the evil titan, a cosmic energy known as Kronos takes Douglas’ spirit and puts it into a powerful alien body. He’s not only incredibly strong, but can also do some serious damage with a knife.

Finally we’ve arrived at Groot. If you look at this character and think to yourself, "Man, that looks like a walking tree," then you have some very sharp instincts. Groot is an alien of the species Flora colossus, and is the strongest member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. He has the ability to change his size and can absorb wood to become even stronger than he is naturally. He also has genius-level intelligence, though it’s a bit difficult to find that out given that he only has the ability to say "I am Groot" (probably not the biggest challenge for Vin Diesel, who is voicing the character).

In all probability we won’t get to see a Guardians of the Galaxy trailer until Captain America: The Winter Soldier comes out in April, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed that Marvel will give us something sooner rather than later. Read the new official plot synopsis below!