While The Avengers had a few Iron Men movies, a few Hulk movies, a Captain America movie and a Thor movie leading up to them all joining forces, we’re introduced to the Guardians Of The Galaxy all in one go, and what writer/director James Gunn has managed to do is nothing short of miraculous, since by the end of the movie you’ll find yourself arguing with your loved ones over which of the Guardians was the best. "Groot! No, Rocket! No, Drax!" and on and on it will go. To help you through this difficult time in your life, we’ve put together a little introductory package for each of the Guardians, to help you get to know them all a little better. Enjoy!

PETER "STAR LORD" QUILL


Kidnapped by aliens at the age of 8, Peter Quill is now a man in his 30s, who has only known the Earth in the 80s. To that end, he still thinks that Footloose is the greatest movie ever made, and he still rocks out to The Jackson 5 and Marvin Gaye. Basically, he’s a bit of hipster who doesn’t even know what a hipster is. Played by Parks & Rec star Chris Pratt, he’s also the only one who refers to himself as Star Lord, hoping that if he says it enough times, the cool nickname will catch on.

GAMORA


Adopted daughter of Thanos – the purple headed goon who smirked his way through the end credit scene of The Avengers, and also the most evil creature in the entire universe – as well as the half-sister of Nebula, Gamora is a tough, complicated cookie. Aptly played by sci-fi fan Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Star Trek Into Darkness), Gamora is trying to make amends for all the bad things she’s been forced to do, even if that includes kicking Peter Quill’s ass up and down the galaxy. Which she does.Often.

DRAX THE DESTROYER


Two things you need to know about Drax: (1) he had his wife and daughter killed by Ronan The Accuser, the big baddie of Guardians Of The Galaxy, and (2) his race of aliens don’t understand metaphors or idioms. This leads to Drax taking every single thing at face value and overly literally, which can lead to some hilarious conversations between the Guardians. Played by former wrestling champion Dave Bautista, Drax is driven solely by rage and revenge, which can sometimes get his new teammates into some hot water.

ROCKET


Voiced by Bradley Cooper – who says he channelled Joe Pesci in Goodfellas for the role – Rocket is a racoon that was tested on, taken apart, and put back together again, and on the other side has become a super-intelligent but highly strung rodent. But don’t call him a rodent to his face, he HATES that. Super cynical and sarcastic, he’s best mates with Groot, who provides the muscles to Rocket’s brains, and the calming inner Zen to Rocket’s outwardly aggressive, Napoleon complex.

GROOT

A tree-like humanoid that can only say three words – “I. Am. Groot.” – doesn’t sound like much of a character, but believe us when we say that Groot is going to be one of your new favorite superheroes of all time. Charmingly voiced by Vin Diesel, who apparently had to repeat the single line in different contexts over ONE THOUSAND TIMES, Groot is the innocent heart of the team, but is also capable of taking out a room full of bad guys when necessary. And for all you tree-huggers out there, this is the one tree that will hug you back! Win win!