Following the return of the Olympians, reborn was as blood-thirsty world-ravagers, Nova interrupted the Guardians' vacation in Halfworld to seek their aid. Although Gamora, Drax and Groot refused out of concern for the safety of the team, Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, and the alternate Phyla-Vell and Moondragon assisted Nova behind their back. Joined by Marvel Boy, the makeshift team embarked on a mission to send New Olympus into a black hole. In the process of completing the operation, the Guardians liberated the captive Olympian Hercules, but Star-Lord had to manually detonate the black hole bomb that sent the Olympians to another dimension, leaving him for dead. The Guardians were devastated by Quill's apparent death, causing the team to split, with Gamora, Groot, Drax and the original Moondragon forming their own mercenary team and being joined by the novice hero Prince of Power.
The two teams quickly found themselves in opposite sides of a mission involving the planet-endangering resource mining operation of unscrupulous businessman Castor Gnawbarque, a clash that ended in a truce and during which the two Moondragons merged into a single being. While defending Spartax from the rampage of Knull, the reconciliated Guardians were reunited with Star-Lord, who had lived, unaging, in the other-dimensional world of Morinus for over a hundred years and had mastered new powers until the Dark Olympians escaped from New Olympus, prompting him to return to his native reality to lure them away from Morinus. The Guardians stood their ground in Daedalus 5 and ultimately defeated the vengeful gods, killing all Dark Olympians but Zeus, who was again banished to another reality. In the aftermath of the team's victory, the Galactic Council decided to sanction the Guardians of the Galaxy as protectors of the cosmos in light of the increasing uncertainty of the galactic landscape, providing them with headquarters in the space station Proscenium.
Leader:
Nova
Members:
Star-Lord
Gamora
Drax the Destroyer
Rocket Raccoon
Groot
Captain Marvel (Earth-18897)
Moondragon (Earth-18897)
Hercules
Marvel Boy
Quasar (Wendell Vaughn)
Quasar (Avril Kincaid)
Super-Skrull
