'Guardians Of The Galaxy' Movie Toy Set Features Iron Man And Nova

In the Marvel Comics, Iron Man and Nova are well-known allies of the Guardians of the Galaxy. So if those characters happened to appear in a Guardians of the Galaxy toy set, it wouldn't be that big of a surprise. What would be a surprise is if those two appeared with Guardians toys from the movie, with the costumes and likenesses of Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista and Zoe Saldana. That's exactly what's happening later this year.

Below, check out images of the upcoming Hasbro Marvel Platinum Legends toy series featuring the movie versions of Star Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket Raccoon, Groot and the comic book versions of Iron Man and Nova.

The below Iron Man Guardians of the Galaxy image comes from the Big Bad Toy Store (via /Film reader @jonniechang).

Again, that's the movie versions of the Guardians, the Marvel Now Guardians version of Iron Man and the classic comic look of Nova. It's three different eras/worlds that simultaneously mesh together perfectly and not at all. Odds are, it's simply a way to use the film to push fans to the comics. (And, in fact, that's what Hasbro told press at Toy Fair this year). Plus, Iron Man appearing in Guardians of the Galaxy doesn't make any sense in the MCU canon, simply because of where Tony Stark left off in Iron Man 3. Nova, on the other hand, is probably out there somewhere.

Whether or not Iron Man or Nova appear in the film (we know the Nova Corps appears), these toys look pretty awesome, especially the collectable Groot. What do you think the significant is here? Just a bridge between the comics and movies like Hasbro said or a massive spoiler in hiding?

Guardians of the Galaxy opens in the US on August 1, 2014.

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.