guardians of the galaxy

Marvel Studios and the character of Tony Stark/Iron Man transformed Robert Downey Jr. from a has-been into one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, so it's not surprising that he'll sing their praises outside the context of the movies he stars in. However, he recently took it a big step further, declaring 'Guardians of the Galaxy' to be the best Marvel movie yet. Yep, even the ones that he's not in.

One of the biggest treats about superhero movies these days is the fantastic concept art that tends to arise online a few weeks after a film's initial bow and Marvel's 'Guardians of the Galaxy' is no different. James Gunn's space opera has become an unlikely box office juggernaut and characters like the walking alien tree known as Groot have taken the world by storm, so of course people are going

By now, everyone is familiar with the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, where people heed the call to throw buckets of ice water on themselves to spread awareness of ALS and raise donations to support The ALS Association. Everyone, from your many Facebook friends to A-list celebs have been participating, but, for us, there's nothing like seeing the likes of Thor, Iron Man and Star-Lord step up to the plate.

Ever since James Gunn's 'Guardians of the Galaxy' got Marvelites hooked on these intergalactic superheroes with attitude, the cosplay world has been a boomin' with Rocket Raccoons, Gamoras, Star-Lords and even a bunch of Nebulas, but nothing makes us say "I am Groot" quite like this incredible Groot cosplay.

Although 'Guardians of the Galaxy' has already been in theaters for several days now, that's not keeping Marvel from releasing some fun 'Guardians' goodies -- like this latest featurette, in which Chris Pratt takes a very MTV's 'Cribs'-style approach to showing us around Peter Quill/Star-Lord's spaceship, the Milano.

We first met the cinematic version of Thanos in 2012 -- his face smiling at us during a mid-credits sequence of ‘The Avengers,’ there to let us know that this guy is the mastermind behind the whole operation. OK then! Eventually we learn that Thanos is trying to collect the Infinity Stones, because if he has those, he will become a god. Fair enough. Though, now, after ten movies in the Marvel cinematic universe – ten! – Thanos has a grand total of zero Infinity Stones. So far, Thanos is terrible at being a supervillain.

When you head to the theater to see 'Guardians of the Galaxy' this weekend, you'll undoubtedly walk out with a favorite character: the surprisingly lovable Groot, the foul-mouthed Rocket Raccoon, the charismatic Star-Lord, the tough but hilarious Drax -- or maybe you'll fall in love with Zoe Saldana's green-skinned, badass Gamora. With all that screen time shared between so many heroes (and villains, and peripheral characters), it'll leave you wanting to see more of Gamora and her talents. Not that that's a bad thing.

'Guardians of the Galaxy' star Chris Pratt may be showing off his body more than, uh, usual in this week's new Marvel release (evidence below, and that's just a small sample), but just because the actor got in shape for the part doesn't mean it's the first time he's used his body for a role. Oh, no! Turns out, Pratt broke away from the bonds of clothing before, particularly on NBC's 'Parks and Recreation.'

Believe it or not, there was a time when Iron Man was a C-list superhero who no one outside of a small niche particularly cared about. And then Robert Downey Jr. was cast in 'Iron Man' and the Marvel cinematic universe exploded, instantly becoming one of the definitive franchises of the 21st century...

It’s not surprising to see a television spot for a critically acclaimed movie claim that it’s the “Best Movie of the Year,” through the use of blurbs either provided by, or lifted from, critics. But, in recent years, with the proliferation of the superhero movie genre, there’s been a trend to be the “Best Superhero Movie.” So, based on these television spots alone, what exactly is the best superhero movie or the best Marvel movie of all time? It appears it’s pretty much all of them.

While Thanos won't pop up in 'Avengers 2,' according to Marvel's Kevin Feige, we will get to see him in 'Guardians of the Galaxy.' At Comic-Con, the Marvel Studios president and producer told us there will be a shot of him replicating that iconic image of the Mad Titan lounging on his throne, and now the first look image has leaked out.

Marvel's 'Guardians of the Galaxy' hits theaters this Friday, and it's packed with familiar faces (and voices), like Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, and new favorite Karen Gillan. And while they're superhero superstars now, that wasn't always the case -- it may be hard to believe now, but there was a time when you didn't know their names. Join us as we take a look back at the cast of 'Guardians of the Galaxy' to see what they were up to before they were famous.