The Guardians of the Galaxy are one of the most recognizable superhero squads in the Marvel Universe, due in no small part to their breakout success in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But while that team and the cosmic comic book crew that inspired them are relatively recent creations, they aren't the first team of cosmic do-gooders to go by that name. Marvel's first Guardians of the Galaxy debuted in 1969, where they were established as the protectors of Marvel's 31st century.
The team's leader, Vance Astrovik's Major Victory, was a veritable hero on his native Earth who debuted in 1969's Marvel Super-Heroes #18, by Arnold Drake and Gene Colan. The young astronaut was tasked with crewing the first manned flight to a completely different star system in the hopes of finding another home for humanity. Due to the extremely long travel time, Vance was placed in suspended animation -- though he would never awaken as intended. Almost immediately after he left Earth, his homeworld fell victim to a series of nuclear wars and an alien invasion. Humanity was eventually able to reclaim its place among the stars, and Earth soon became the heart of a galactic empire. Thanks to methods of travel that made the same long trip Vance had undertaken almost instantaneous, Astro awoke to a world that had already been colonized.
And in this world, Astro soon picked up Captain America's shield, taking after MArvel's other man out of time.
Astro eventually teamed up with Yondu, who was left as one of the last of his kind following the Badoon invasion. Eventually, these two made their way back to Earth where they became prisoners of the Badoon Empire. This was also where they met fellow freedom fighters Martinex and Charlie-27, and it didn't take long for the foursome to become the first Guardians of the Galaxy.
Vance relished his role as a hero, especially since it meant he got to live up to the legacy of his own personal idol, Captain America. He would even get the chance to let Captain America know just how much he meant to him during a time-traveling battle against the Badoon during 1974's Marvel Two-In-One #5 by Steve Gerber and Sal Buscema.
Years later, 1990's Guardians of the Galaxy #1, by Jim Valentino, introduced the Book of Antag, an ancient tome uncovered by Yondu which within its pages promised to lead its reader to an artifact of immense power. When Vance read this, he immediately interpreted the description as being Captain America's weapon of choice.
Considering Vance had already named the team's spacecraft after Captain America, there was some question as to whether or not this was just wishful thinking on Major Victory's part, but his prediction turned out to be truer than expected when the search for the shield proved to be a fruitful endeavor. As it turned out, the shield had been taken by the Mainframe, an evolved form of the Vision. The Guardians finally found the shield several months after their quest began, and Vance eventually won the right to use it in combat.
For most of his subsequent superhero career, Major Victory carried Captain America's shield at his side much like he carried everything Cap stood for on his sleeve. For Vance Astro, that was more than an iconic weapon or an homage to afallen hero, it was an affirmation about everything that he wanted to be as a Guardian of the Galaxy.
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