In an exciting new twist to the franchise, Marvel has debuted a wild new roster ofGuardians of the Galaxy- a new team who boast the lethal mutantWolverineas their leader. There have been many versions of the Guardians in Marvel lore, but the most famous are the ’60s originals and Peter Quill’s modern team, as immortalized in the MCU. Now, a third iconic roster joins them.
In the official preview of Steve Orlando, Ibraim Roberson, José Luis Soares Pinto, Oren Junior, Andrew Dalhouse and Cory Petit’sConquest #4, Marvel unites several of its newest heroes, declaring that the group"guards the galaxy"against both the Araneon Fleet and Dracula’s new vampire legion.It’s clear that Marvel is building up to declaring these heroes the Guardians of the Galaxy 2099.
In 2024, Marvel used theAnnihilation 2099series to introduce future versions of Nova, Red Hulk, Silver Surfer and Star-Lord - now they’re uniting as an official team. And the wild thing is,this is only one oftwonew Guardians of the Galaxy rosters introduced this year. In fact, it may be thelesssurprising departure from the mainstream franchise, which we’ll also explain below.
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Marvel’s new Star-Lord takes Peter Quill’s codename to the next level, with a power level that allows them to literally master the stars.
New Red Hulk, Nova and Silver Surfer Unite as the Guardians of the Galaxy 2099
X-Men’s Wolverine Has Become the New Nova 2099
Annihilation 2099began by introducing the new Nova 2099, with the surprise reveal thatthis is a future Wolverinewho underwent experimental treatments to gain new powers. The series also revealed the origins of a new Silver Surfer, who made a deal with Mephisto, and a new Red Hulk, who gained his powers on Ego the Living Planet. Finally, fans met Starlord 2099, an intergalactic hero connected to a futuristic Wakanda, and seemingly mentored by Peter Quill.
Even as Marvel seemingly introduces the Guardians of the Galaxy 2099, fans get a second new roster in the Ultimate Guardians of the Galaxy.
These heroes have united inConquest 2099, as Dracula becomes a cosmic threat and the spider-like Araneons go on the warpath, with a rebel member of the speciesworking alongside the team as Spider-Woman 2099. They’ve also been joined by members of the pre-existing X-Men 2099. While Marvel hasn’t used the title ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 2099’justyet, from the cover art for this series, it seems the key members will be:
Wolverine/Nova 2099
James Howlett/Logan
Miguel O’Hara - Spider-Man 2099 #4(as Patch),Annihilation 2099 #1(as Nova 2099)
Spider-Man 2099: Exodus #3
Steve Orlando & Paul Fry
Marvel’s 2099 imprint has been around for decades, but has been reinvented in recent years, consolidating its lore to depict a more consistent shared universe. Interestingly,the continuity has never had its own Guardians of the Galaxy before, as the space-faring team’s fame has waxed and waned, never quite crossing over with the peaks of 2099 storytelling. That’s the same reason Marvel’s Ultimate Universe imprint never had its own Guardians - a fact which is likewise about to change with the introduction of a new roster.
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The Ultimate Guardians of the Galaxy Are Coming
Marvel’s Dark New Timeline Has Its Own Space-Faring Heroes
As seems to be happening in Marvel’s 2099 continuity, Marvel’s Ultimate Universe is also gettingits first official Guardians of the Galaxy. Originally launched in 2000, and recently rebooted in 2023, the current Ultimate Universe is a timeline where key heroes were corrupted or never gained powers, leaving villains in charge of the planet. The upcomingUltimates #8from Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri will debut the Ultimate Guardians, withnew versions of Captain Marvel, Star-Lord, Cosmo and Ultimate Nullifier.
These heroes will be from the far future (like the original ’60s Guardians), coming back in time tosearch out America Chavez- a rebel hero working with Tony Stark’s Ultimate Network. Given the imprint’s habit of corrupting iconic heroes (and the fact that Ultimate Nullifier is a villain in Marvel’s main continuity), it’s possible that the Guardians will enter Ultimate canon as villains. Either way, it’s an exciting development, since the original Ultimate imprint never had its own Guardians, published prior to the 2014 movie adaptation starring Chris Pratt.
It’s a transformative time to be a fan of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and few would have guessed that two such different iterations of the team would debut at the same time. Of course, that would have seemedlikelycompared to the possibility of aGuardians of the Galaxyroster led byWolverine.
Conquest 2099 #4is coming December 4 from Marvel Comics.
Wolverine
The human mutant Wolverine (a.k.a. Logan) was born James Howlett, blessed with a superhuman healing factor, senses, and physiology. Subjecting himself to experimentation to augment his skeleton and claws with adamantium, Logan is as deadly as he is reckless, impulsive, and short-tempered. Making him the X-Men’s wildest and deadliest member, and one of Marvel Comics’ biggest stars. He’s played in Fox and Marvel’s movie franchises by Hugh Jackman.
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, rooted in Marvel Comics, has expanded into a prominent series within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), blending action, humor, and a distinctive 1970s and 1980s soundtrack.
