Guardians of the Galaxy

2017 promises to be the biggest year yet for superhero movies, with eight confirmed major studio releases between February and November --- and a still unconfirmed ninth release expected from Fox. Highlights of the year include the first solo superhero movie with a female lead in over ten years, the first Spider-Man movie set in the extended Marvel Cinematic Universe, and an inexplicably gritty reboot of Power Rangers. There's a lot to look forward to, and a few movies to be skeptical of, so the editors of ComicsAlliance have decided to rank this year's eight confirmed releases in ascending order of excitement. We've tallied our editors' individual votes to arrive at a definitive list of the most (and least) anticipated superhero movies of 2017.

There’s something about the evil doppelganger that’s irresistible in superhero comics, and among a crowded room of Bizarros, Reverse Flashes and Sabretooths, one dark mirror of a villain stands out as the most iconic; the sinister symbiote known as Venom, which made its first full appearance in comics on this day in 1988.

This year sees the cinematic return of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and it also sees the conclusion of Brian Michael Bendis' years-long run with the franchise, so the odds were good that the ongoing series would be relaunched in some way to capitalize on the new film's release. Today, Marvel announced that Deadpool's Gerry Duggan and Action Comics' Aaron Kuder, along with colorist Ive Svorcina, will launch All-New Guardians of the Galaxy in May, published on a twice-monthly schedule.

Baby Groot may be in Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 for really real reasons that are super important to the plot and not at all as a ploy to sell adorable toys, but that doesn't mean the pint-sized version of the hero can't have it both ways. Though much of merchandising plan for Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 remains a secret, we have seen some of the toys we can expect to hit shelves this spring and beyond. Baby Groot may have been absent from those initial reveals, but just ahead of the holiday, NECA is here to assure us Baby Groot won't be forgotten.

The comic world has been abuzz with new trailers for Spider-Man Homecoming and Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, both of which arrived at a time when we needed a little bit of delightful superhero humor. Following those reveals, Hasbro has been on a bit of an announcement tear itself, showing off new toys tied to the upcoming Marvel movies. We've actually seen a few of these latest Guardians of the Galaxy toys throughout the year, but the line-up for the first GotG, Vol. 2 wave is now officially locked in with a solid mix.

The word of comics and the world of professional wrestling have one big thing in common: nothing is better than seeing two of your favorite characters duke it out in a highly anticipated battle royale. The MCU is no different: it’s exciting to think about our favorites finally getting the chance to team up, but what if they fight each other instead? Batman v. Superman was a little anticlimactic in that regard, but Captain America: Civil War really made it difficult to choose sides when half of the Avengers turned against the other half. Vin Diesel seems to think another battle between two very large team members might happen onscreen: Groot vs. Hulk.

Thanks to the events of Civil War II, the Guardians of the Galaxy have found themselves stranded on Earth, and while that's a homecoming for members such as Star-Lord, The Thing and Venom, others aren't going to have such a good time acclimating to new customs. One such Guardian is the notoriously cranky Rocket Raccoon, who finds himself forced to force the perils of Times Square at night and the MTA in a new series by Matthew Rosenberg and Jorge Coelho.

Dangerous business, making trailers these days. When a beloved franchise unveils the first look at its latest installment, they can be sure that the devoted fanbase will go through each and every frame with a fine-toothed comb, on the hunt for any context-free images that may hint at a new character, location, or plot development. In the worst cases, a trailer becomes a maddening game of keep away between the editor cutting it and the fans itching to strip-mine it for spoilers. James Gunn, as he’s readied the first trailer for his upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy sequel, has had to learn this the hard way.

It's officially official, everyone. The Guardians of the Galaxy will star in Telltale Games' next new episodic adventure game. Announced with a brief teaser trailer at The Game Awards, the footage confirmed rumors that we heard not that long ago about Telltale's plans with Marvel. Though the teaser is certainly short, it does at least offer some idea of what to expect from the upcoming game. Most notably, another dope soundtrack, and potentially hints that the game will be set in the movie universe rather than the comic continuity.

Last fall, James Gunn revealed that there was still one Guardians of the Galaxy easter egg that hadn’t been discovered, sending fans scrambling to scrutinize the film in search of what the director called “the big one.” Over a year later, the easter egg still hasn’t been found, leading some dispirited folks to believe they’ve been sent on a wild goose chase. Now Gunn is putting his money where his mouth is, offering $100,000 to the fan who proves that the easter egg doesn’t exist.