Warning: SPOILERS for Guardians of the Galaxy #2
The Guardians of the Galaxy are proving themselves bigger than any one leader or roster of crew members in their new Marvel Comic. The bad news is Star-Lord has demonstrated that point by sneaking away from his friends to form a new team. Thankfully, they have recruited the strongest of the Olympian gods... just in time to watch Star-Lord die.
Those who have missed the first two issues of the new Guardians of the Galaxy series may only know realize how much has happened, as Al Ewing and Juann Cabal have hit the ground running. But despite the wild turns the story has taken so far, it started simply enough. The Olympian gods, led by Zeus, have reincarnated among the stars... and are now seeking to consume worlds and enslave the innocent. That's exactly the kind of job Star-Lord and Raccoon can't turn down, leading Moondragon, Phyla-Vell, Nova, and Marvel Boy on a strike against the gods' city-spaceship. Where they discover not every god has broken bad.
Guardians of the Galaxy #1 ended on something of a cliffhanger, with the mission a mess, Guardians scattered and surrounded, and only Marvel Boy and Moondragon limping their way towards a massive, mysterious power source on the god city. But just as all hope seemed lost, they (along with the readers) discovered they were not as alone as they believed. Not with Hercules waiting to help them win the day.
The above reveal is followed up in Issue #2, as Hercules explains how he came to be held prisoner by his own Olympian family members. Following the recent death of the Olympian gods, it was the reappearance of this new, redesigned, seemingly reborn cosmic Hercules that confirmed the rest of the pantheon had also been reborn elsewhere. Once Hercules caught wind of his father's murderous quest across the heavens, however, he came to appeal to Athena. A mistake that saw him defeated and taken prisoner.
Recognizing the Guardians are trying to win peace as he did, Hercules aids the team in escaping, watching along with them as Star-Lord triggered the black hole bomb powerful enough to stop the gods' mission. But despite his sacrifice, readers know the threat is far from over. Which means Hercules joining the Guardians -- as the strongest semi-human man in Marvel's Universe -- is only going to come in handy. Check out the full solicitations details and plot synopsis below:
- GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #2
- Written by: Al Ewing
- Penciled by: Juann Cabal
- Cover by: Ivan Shavrin
- Peter Quill fights for his life against the King of the Gods! Rocket fights alone against the legions of Hephaeustus! Phylla-Vell makes a choice between love and duty - with death on the line! And somewhere, a black hole bomb ticks down to zero... The Guardians' first mission comes to a cataclysmic end!
Guardians of the Galaxy #2 is available at your local comic book shop.