The only thing better than a cool superhero is a superhero that is an animal. Especially a good puppy, like Cosmo the Spacedog. You may have seen him in the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy. When the Guardians visited Knowhere, the severed head of a Celestial turned mining colony, the Collector had Cosmo locked in one of his collection cages.
An adorable Labrador, Cosmo makes himself even cuter by wearing a little space suit with a matching helmet. But Cosmo is so much more than a good doggo. He deserves to be more than a background Easter egg for comic book fans. Give Cosmo his own franchise, you cowards!
Origins
Cosmo first appeared in Nova #8 (2007). Created by Andy Lanning, Dan Abnett, and Wellington Alves, Cosmo hails from planet Earth. Based on a real Russian dog named Laika, Cosmo was a Soviet dog sent out to test space exploration equipment during the 1960s. Through some twist of fate, he ended up very far from Earth at the colony of Knowhere.
Through his extensive resume of being a space dog, Cosmo landed a job as head of security on Knowhere. There, he met Nova and the Guardians of the Galaxy, forming a friendship with the other heroes.
Powers and Abilities
During his long journey from his home planet, cosmic rays somehow gave him superhero powers (besides his basic dog powers). Using his telekinesis, he moves huge objects with ease. He speaks to others telepathically, while maintaining his native Russian accent. But his powers aren’t limited to communication. He uses his telepathy for cloaking, shielding, illusions, mental paralysis of others, and mind control. He detects others nearby just from their thoughts. And he shoots extremely powerful psionic blasts.
Don’t let those big eyes and wet nose fool you. Oddly enough, Cosmo may be one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe. Once Cosmo defeated the powerful Adam Warlock (who will be in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) by himself. However, the MCU has yet to show Cosmo “talking” or using any of his powers.
We demand more Cosmo
Cosmo appeared in several Guardians titles, including both MCU films and a video game. I also highly recommend checking out the Guardians of the Galaxy animated series because Cosmo is wonderful in it. In the Disney+ What If…? series, Cosmo joined the alternate version of the Guardians after T’Challa rescued him from the Collector.
With Adam Warlock and Nova joining the MCU, two characters Cosmo is linked to, his reappearance seems more than likely. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (premiering later this year) finished filming this week. Director James Gunn posted a photo of his Marvel wrap gift—a set of 8 Christmas ornaments. The ornaments feature all the members of the Guardians and Cosmo. Leading fans to speculate, Cosmo may be back.
I sure hope so. Cosmo is the hero we need right now and I am more than ready to see my favorite space dog kick some butt in the MCU.
(feature image: Marvel/Disney)
