In the aftermath of the
Phalanx invasion of the Kree,
Star-Lord decides to form a team of interstellar heroes that will be proactive in protecting the galaxy, rather than reacting to crises as they happen. To this end, he recruits
Adam Warlock,
Drax the Destroyer,
Gamora,
Rocket Raccoon, and
Groot, On the recommendation of their ally,
Nova, the group establishes a base of operations on the space station
Knowhere, which possesses a teleportation system with near-universal range. An intelligent, telepathic dog named
Cosmo the Spacedog is Knowhere's chief of security and works closely with the new team. After a confrontation with the
Universal Church of Truth, Astro's declaration inspires the as-yet-unnamed team to adopt the "Guardians of the Galaxy" name for their own. When the team learns Star-Lord directed Mantis to telepathically coerce the heroes into joining the team, they disband. Rocket Raccoon decides to continue Star-Lord's mission and starts a search for the missing members. His new team includes
Bug, Mantis, Major Victory, and Groot, who is fully regrown. Meanwhile, Star-Lord was banished to the
Negative Zone by
Ronan the Accuser for his actions during the
Phalanx's attempted conquest of the
Kree Empire. There, he finds himself in the middle of King
Blastaar's fight to break into 42 and use its portal to invade Earth. Star-Lord allies with
Jack Flag to defend the prison and contact the other Guardians for rescue. Rocket's new team successfully brings both of them back, and Flag becomes a Guardian. Elsewhere, Drax and Phyla begin looking for Cammi, but on their search they talk to a seer who tells them about an
oncoming war. Phyla is able to wake Moondragon from the dead, but loses her Quantum Bands in the process. The consequence for Phyla is that she is now the new avatar of death. They go back to Knowhere and do not follow up on the search for Cammi.
War of Kings Warlock and Gamora return and inform the team of the
War of Kings. They split into three teams, one each to the Kree and
Shi'ar, and one staying on Knowhere to coordinate. The Kree team is heard by
Black Bolt and the Inhumans, but their request for peace is denied. The Shi'ar team is attacked by Vulcan and the Imperial Guard, leading them to ally with the
Starjammers. Star-Lord, Mantis, Bug, Jack Flag, and Cosmo are taken to the 31st Century by that era's Guardians, who warn them of the creation of an all-destroying energy rift called The Fault at the war's conclusion. Trapped in the future, Star-Lord's team is able to get a message to Warlock in the 21st Century. Warlock is unable to stop The Fault's creation, but is able to contain it with a spell that requires a stable, unused timeline. Warlock chooses the one he previously erased, causing him to become the
Magus. Star-Lord's team, with the help of
Kang the Conqueror, are returned to this point in the timestream. To escape, Magus fakes the death of himself, Mantis, Cosmo, Major Victory, Martyr, and Gamora. Martyr frees herself with the help of
Maelstrom, and enables Mantis to call the other Guardians for help telepathically. When they come to the rescue, Phyla-Vell is misled by Maelstrom into freeing
Thanos. Thanos kills Martyr, but is captured by the Guardians and taken back to Knowhere as a prisoner.
The Thanos Imperative In the 2010 miniseries
The Thanos Imperative, the universe is invaded by the
Cancerverse, a universe that lies on the opposite side of the Fault, a rift in space-time formed at the end of "
War of Kings". The Guardians take Thanos to the Cancerverse in an attempt to end the war early. Along the way, Drax attacks Thanos and is killed. They are ultimately successful at ending the war, but Thanos is left enraged and promising to kill everyone. Along with
Nova, Star-Lord remains in the collapsing Cancerverse as the other Guardians escape. After the death of Star-Lord, the Guardians disband. Still believing in their cause, Cosmo recruits another team under the name "Annihilators". Rocket Raccoon and Groot later reunite and decide to continue the Guardians' legacy after the duo prevent an incident on Rocket's home world, Halfworld. The new team appears on Earth to aid the Avengers against Thanos.
Marvel NOW! signing books at
Midtown Comics in Manhattan, including copies of the
Marvel NOW! version of the series The Marvel NOW! iteration of the team includes Star-Lord, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Groot, Rocket Raccoon, and
Iron Man. After Star-Lord's father visits him in a bar to tell him that it is forbidden for any alien species to visit Earth, Iron Man is attacked by an army of Badoon invading Earth. The Guardians and their newest member Iron Man defeat the ship; however,
London is still invaded. The Guardians defend London and finish off the horde of Badoon but learn that, for violating the "Earth-is-off-limits" rule (the Spartax Earth Directive), they are to be placed under arrest by the King of Spartax. The Guardians manage to escape with the help of Groot, who had recently regrown after being destroyed by a Badoon ship's explosion. In April 2013, it was announced that Image Comics'
Angela (Spawn) would join the Marvel Universe as the result of a legal battle between
Neil Gaiman and
Todd McFarlane. After appearing in the "
Age of Ultron", she joins the Guardians.
Captain Marvel and
Agent Venom later have stints as team members as well. During the "
Secret Wars" storyline, the Guardians of the Galaxy take part in the incursion between Earth-616 and Earth-1610. During the incursion, Rocket Raccoon and Groot are killed by the Children of Tomorrow, Star-Lord is teleported away trying to come up with a back-up plan, and Gamora and Drax the Destroyer are surrounded and confused by the corpses of their comrades. During the subsequent conflict with the Beyonder-empowered Doom, Star-Lord is one of the survivors of the previous universe, piloting the 616 and Ultimate versions of Mister Fantastic in to mount a final assault on Doom's castle, and revealing that he kept a twig from Groot in his pocket until the right moment.
All New All-Different Marvel During the "
Secret Empire" storyline, the Guardians of the Galaxy assist Captain Marvel, the
Ultimates, the
Alpha Flight Space Program,
Hyperion, and
Quasar in fighting the
Chitauri wave. Captain America, who was brainwashed into being a
Hydra sleeper agent, activates the Planetary Defense Shield, trapping them outside of Earth. In 2020, Marvel announced a reboot of the series, written by
Al Ewing and drawn by Juann Cabal. This new series depicts the titular team, led by
Star-Lord and
Rocket Raccoon and including
Marvel Boy,
Nova,
Phyla-Vell,
Moondragon and
Hercules, fighting against the
Gods of Olympus, with Gamora, Groot, and Drax also appear as prominent supporting characters.
Wiccan and
Hulkling later join as members. == Members ==