Ever since its surprise announcement during the Square Enix presentation at E3 2021, the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy has plenty of Marvel fans counting down the days until its October 26 release date. As the media giant that is Marvel has been steamrolling the box office, it makes sense that it would continue trying its hand with video games. Marvel IPs have had mixed success in the gaming world, but all signs are pointing to Eidos-Montreal's next project as being a new, memorable entry in the superhero genre of games.
The film version of Guardians of the Galaxy was a smash hit and quickly made each of the five Guardians into household names with Groot and Starlord A.K.A. Peter Quill being among the most popular. This has been something of a double-edged sword for the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy game as many fans of the films may expect the portrayals of each character to be more in line with their MCU counterparts. While the game is Eidos-Montreal's interpretation, it makes sense that the characters might still be influenced by their MCU portrayals. Starlord, however, seems to share one strangely specific trait with his MCU counterpart: his hot-handed dealings with the A'askavariians.
Who Are the A'askavariians?
While they might not be one of the most mainstream extraterrestrial races in all of Marvel's different media properties, the A'askavariians (also known as the A'askvarii) have certainly been around for a while. Introduced in 1974 in Black Goliath #5, the A'askavariians are a peace-loving alien species who live under the imperial reach of the Kree Empire. They haven't made many waves in either Marvel comics or films, but are best known from one of Peter Quill's lines in the original Guardians of the Galaxy film in the MCU.
Peter Quill and the A'askavariians in the MCU
The tentacle-toting aliens are mentioned twice in the Guardians of the Galaxy film but are part of standout punchlines in a movie packed with them. When trying to convince Drax the Destroyer to spare Gamora's life, Starlord tells him that Gamora is "hardly the first woman" to try and kill him. He then goes on to describe the women who've tried and says that he needed to hook up with an A'askavariian to get information. He follows that up by saying, "Ever seen an A'askavariian? Tentacles, needles for teeth. If you think I'm seriously interested in that..." Quill is later referenced by Drax as the one who has "lain with an A'askavariian."
Another A'askavariian in the Guardians of the Galaxy Game
Although they only exist in the MCU as a punchline, Starlord paints quite the picture of the needle-toothed aliens. The description left such an impression that fans were surprised to recognize another reference to Peter Quill's A'askavariian adventures in the trailer for the upcoming Square Enix published Guardians of the Galaxy game. The trailer ends with Quill wrapped up to the neck by an off-screen tentacled monster who eventually lets go of him. When it does, Starlord whispers, "No, no, of course, I will. I'll call you, I'll call you," and gently kisses the end of the tentacle before taking off. Although this isn't 100% confirmed to be an A'askavariian, it seems like the leader of the Guardians just can't get enough of what the alien species has to offer.
Hopefully, in Square Enix's Guardians of the Galaxy, the A'askavariians get some screen-time where they aren't the butt of the joke and are maybe even involved with the game's plot. It would also be nice to see Eidos-Montreal's interpretation of the A'askavariians as, so far, they've only been shown in Marvel comics and any new alien species who aren't just another color variant of humans usually add something new and interesting to the mix. If the Guardians of the Galaxy game is looking to stand out from the MCU films of the same name, it might be in the game's best interest to include something new and fresh like the A'askavariians. It's still far too early to say what sort of role the aliens will have in the game, however, so until Eidos-Montreal shows off more of them in a trailer or until they show up in the final game, all that can be done is speculate about their involvement.
What Starlord's A'askavariian Relationship Might Mean for Guardians of the Galaxy
While it would be nice for the A'askavaiians to be included in a meaningful way in Guardians of the Galaxy's story, it's likely that the tentacle reference is nothing more than a throwaway gag for fans of the Guardians of the Galaxy MCU films. Despite the fact that their role is likely not going to be anything huge, Quill sleeping around in the trailer for the game might mean something important about his relationship with Gamora.
Starlord and Gamora have plenty of history in both the Guardian of the Galaxy films and comics, so while the trailer and extended gameplay look haven't explicitly said that the two are a couple, it's likely that a relationship is in the cards by the end of the game. However, as the implication is that Starlord might be making the A'askavariian rounds at some point in the game, it's likely that he might not be in a relationship with Gamora for its entire playtime. It's also a possibility, that a relationship with Gamora is just one of the possible outcomes of the choices that Guardians of the Galaxy seems to be full of as demonstrated in the extended gameplay trailer. Either way, it's clear that the relationship dynamic between Starlord and Gamora will be pretty different in the game than it is in the MCU.
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is scheduled to release on October 26 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.