When Guardians of the Galaxy was first announced as being a part of the Phase 2 lineup I was completely apathetic to the news because I was too busy rejoicing about the fact that Captain America 2 was offically titled Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Also I wasn't completely sure that I wanted to see this movie because until that point I had never heard of Star-Lord, Drax, Gamora, Groot, and Rocket Raccoon whereas Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America were household names to me by that point. However, Thor: The Dark World piqued my curiosity with its mid-credits scene involving the Collector. As a result I have bought and read Bendis' Guardians of the Galaxy# 1-10 and his Avengers Assemble# 1-8. So far, these have been the best Marvel NOW! comics I have read ever and this is one reason I'm super-excited for this movie.
The primary reason I am excited for this movie, however, is that I share the sentiments of Mr. Iger in that if this movie is successful then it could open up "a whole other realm or universe in terms of where it takes place, the characters that populate it and the stories that you can tell for those characters." In essence this film could be like the first Iron Man in that the cosmic side of the MCU could be explored more if Guardians of the Galaxy is successful. For example, more alien races like the Badoon and Spartax could be introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in future Guardians of the Galaxy sequels. Personally, I would love to have J'son of Spartax be the villain for a sequel since J-Son and Peter are like the Anakin and Luke Skywalker of Marvel Comics.
Second, the success of Guardians of the Galaxy could lead to potential storylines being adapted in future Avengers sequels. As we all know there is a high probability that the Galaxy's Mightiest Heroes will team up with Earth's Mightiest Heroes to take on The Mad Titan. However, if Ronan the Accuser is not killed at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy then I see one of two storylines being used for Avengers 4,5, or 6- the Kree-Skrull War or Operation: Galactic Storm. I am hoping that it is the former because with the introduction of the Skrulls to the MCU then Avengers 7,8, or 9 could be about the Secret Invasion. Either way the end result will be amazing.
Lastly, Guardians of the Galaxy could lead to other cosmic heroes getting their own movie. For example, the Nova Corps will be introduced in this movie, and I could easily see Richard Rider or some other member getting their own movie. Also if the Negative Zone villain known as Annihilus is used in the Nova movie, then the Nova Corps and Guardians of the Galaxy could team up once again in an adaptation of the Annihilation storyline. For me this would be a dream come true because if Thanos is not killed in Avengers 3 we could see the infamous act of Drax punching a hole through his chest.
So, if you fans see the potential that GOTG brings to the MCU, then I ask that you make this movie a success.