The lethal adversaries of “Guardians of the Galaxy”

After last week’s in-depth descriptions of the quirky heroes of Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” let’s now introduce their formidable adversaries.

The antagonists of the Guardians in this epic space adventure is led by Ronan (Lee Pace, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”), a Kree radical who continues to fight an ancient war between his people and the Xandarians. Ronan has struck a bargain with the Machiavellian Thanos—retrieve a mysterious artifact, and in exchange Xandar will finally be eradicated. Ronan leads his army to hunt down Peter Quill and the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy when they come between him and his genocidal goal.

Yondu (Michael Rooker, AMC’s “The Walking Dead”). Blue-skinned Yondu is an interstellar bandit who has a less-than-perfect paternal relationship with Peter Quill. As leader of the outlaws known as Ravagers, Yondu and his cohorts pillage their way through the galaxy, taking whatever they want for solely their own benefit.

Nebula (Karen Gillan, BBC’s “Doctor Who”). A blue-skinned deadly assassin, Nebula is a loyal lieutenant in Ronan and Thanos’ employ. Her advanced skill set and cybernetic enhancements make her a valuable asset but her resentment of Thanos’ adoptive daughter Gamora may prove to be her Achilles heel.

Korath (Djimon Hounsou, “Gladiator”), a powerful ally of the villainous Ronan, is a feared intergalactic hunter. Korath is a pursuer who is dedicated to the kill and focuses only on one thing—his target.

Rhomann Dey (John C. Reilly, “Wreck-It Ralph”) is a Corpsman in the Nova Corps, the planet Xandar’s military force. Dey is a loyal and trusted officer but his by-the-book attitude takes a detour when he develops an unlikely rapport with Peter Quill.

Nova Prime (Glenn Close, “Albert Nobbs”). Nova Prime Irani Rael is in charge of Nova Corps operations throughout the galaxy. From her base of operations on Xandar, the principled and efficient Nova Prime leads her forces with confidence. She defines her mission above all to protect the citizens of Xandar and keep peace.

The Collector (Benicio Del Toro, “Traffic”). Taneleer Tivan, aka The Collector, is the obsessive keeper of the largest collection of interstellar fauna, relics and species in the galaxy. An enigmatic figure, The Collector operates out of a place in space aptly named Knowhere. When he encounters Peter Quill and his band, The Collector attempts to strike a dubious bargain.

From Marvel, the studio that brought you the global blockbuster franchises of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, comes a new team–the Guardians of the Galaxy. An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits–Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon; Groot, a tree-like humanoid; the deadly and enigmatic Gamora; and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand–with the galaxy’s fate in the balance.

Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which first appeared in comic books in MARVEL SUPER-HEROES #18 (Jan. 1969), stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, featuring Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, with John C. Reilly, Glenn Close as Nova Prime Rael and Benicio del Toro as The Collector.

James Gunn is the director of the film with Kevin Feige producing, and Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Jeremy Latcham, Alan Fine and Stan Lee serve as executive producers. The film is written by James Gunn and Nicole Perlman. Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” releases in Philippine theaters on July 31, 2014.

In addition to “Guardians of the Galaxy,” Marvel Studios will release a slate of films based on the Marvel characters including “Avengers: Age of Ultron” on May 1, 2015; “Ant-Man” on July 17, 2015; and the untitled “Captain America 3” on May 6, 2016.