Drax Goes Rogue to Destroy Thanos on ‘Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy’ (VIDEO)

Not that long ago, only hard-core comic book readers had heard of the Guardians of the Galaxy. But now, thanks to the 2014 blockbuster film, a legion of new fans has been primed for the continuing adventures of Star-Lord/Peter Quill, Groot, Rocket Raccoon, Drax and Gamora. And they won’t have to wait long, courtesy of Disney XD’s new animated version of Marvel’s ragtag squad of adventurers, which premieres Saturday, Sept. 26 at 9:30/8:30c with two back-to-back episodes. (The first of which had a sneak peek a few weeks ago.)

“If you’re a parent coming out of the film,” says Stephen Wacker, vice president for current series at Marvel Animation Studios, “and you want to turn on the show for your kids, you’re going to recognize the two as being in the same world.” Or, in this case, the entire universe. The main storyline for the series focuses on the search for the dreaded Cosmic Seed, a powerful weapon tied to Quill’s past. (Villains will include Thanos and Loki, who have appeared in various Marvel comics and films.)

Star-Lord “comes off a this brash, kind of cocky, ridiculous character,” voiceover veteran Will Friedle (Batman Beyond, ThunderCats), says of his new role. “That, for the record, is a ton of fun to play.” Friedle is taking over for Chris Pratt, who starred as the live-action Quill. “[Pratt] was so good in the film,” he says, “[but] I had to take what I liked from his character and go in fresh. The show wouldn’t be as good as it turned out if I was in there going, ‘All right, I’m going to try to do my best Chris Pratt.’ It just would’ve sounded lame. Luckily, I think we pulled it off.”

Check out an exclusive clip from the second episode (airing Saturday at 10/9c on Disney XD) above.