The Marvel Cinematic Universe will soon blast off into the farthest reaches of outer space for the studio's most ambitious film yet, 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' and Empire immortalized the new band of heroes -- and villains -- with their own magazine covers.

By now, Marvel fans have come to know the "unlikely band of misfit superheroes" headlining 'Guardians of the Galaxy' -- Chris Pratt as Star-Lord/Peter Quill, Zoe Saldana as assassin Gamora, Dave Bautista as the invulnerable Drax The Destroyer, Bradley Cooper voicing the gunslinging Rocket Raccoon and Vin Diesel voicing the tree-like Groot -- but then, of course, there are the not-so recognizable bad guys.

We've already snagged an up-close peek at Lee Pace as the terrifying Ronan the Accuser in the latest trailers, but here he stands front and center with his own 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Empire cover. He's flanked by Djimon Hounsou as Korath the Pursuer and the bald-headed Karen Gillan (yes, she shaved her head for the role) as Nebula. Check out both covers below:

Empire

Empire

Sure, this film has a lot of star power, but the plot is equally intriguing and melds in with what's going on with The Avengers back on Earth. When a skilled thief, Star-Lord, comes into possession of a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan and his master Thanos (making his first appearance in this film as voiced by Josh Brolin), our hero discovers a villainous plot that threatens the entire galaxy and must enlist the help of these unlikely heroes to save it.

'Guardians of the Galaxy' will hit theaters on August 1.