Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Last issue Eros' Dark Guardians attacked the Guardians Of The Galaxy to capture or kill Gamora. Nebula tried to shoot her 'sister' Gamora but Star-Lord took the blast in his chest.
Now Groot and his twiglets all named Stab try to revive him despite Beta Ray Bill and Captain Marvel (Phyla-Vell) saying he's dead. And then Peter Quill sits up complaining his ribs are broken. He reveals he's wearing body armour, which he says he started doing after Gamora stabbed him to death (Infinity Wars #1). But now the others have to tell him that the enemy took Gamora.
Their spaceship the Ryder is a wreck. Nova (Richard Rider) is cut off from the Nova Corps. And they have no way of tracking where Gamora has gone. But Bill says he has an ally he can call on that will solve 2 of those problems. He whirls a special whistle in the air and the Inhumans' dog Lockjaw teleports to their side. Bill says that he aided the Inhumans when they were being hunted and killed by the Kree (in the Death Of The Inhumans mini-series). Now he can call on them for aid.
They show Lockjaw the cape Gamora left behind. Bill translates the dog's woofs to say that Lockjaw can indeed track her through space and teleport them all after her. The hound also expresses his remorse over what's happened to Rocket Raccoon. (We'll find out what that is after this story arc ends next issue.) The whole team (including Moondragon who's been silent throughout) set off.
We leap ahead (and back a bit in time) to the Shi'ar warship Lilandra IV where Gladiator, Nebula, Wraith and the Cosmic Ghost Rider bring handcuffed Gamora to Eros in front of a hologram of Thanos. Eros gives Wraith the promised information about Knull in payment for his services.
Eros believes Gamora is the recipient of the consciousness of the dead Thanos (who she herself killed). He tells her that the whole reason Thanos saved her and trained her was for this purpose. But to prevent his brother's return Eros will now have Gladiator kill her.
Except Hela the Asgardian death-goddess suddenly appears and stabs Gladiator through the chest. She's backed up by the Black Order (Black Dwarf, Black Swan, Corvus Glaive, Ebony Maw and Proxima Midnight). But Ghost Rider attacks *her* directly. So she reduces him to a skeleton and he offers his obedience. Wraith already has what he wanted, and Nebula could care less what Hela does with Gamora.
But it turns out Hela doesn't want Gamora at all. She claims to have been in league with Thanos the whole time. He left the message in his will about his consciousness purely to sow discord. The true bearer of his mind is his brother Eros. The injured and scarred Titan is suddenly wracked with pain and bursts out of his 'wheelchair' to stand unaided. And with Thanos' voice he greets his lover Death.
Our guys teleport in too late. Gamora is still shackled, surrounded by the still forms of Gladiator, Ghost Rider and Nebula. (Wraith presumably left.) Gamora tells them that Eros is Thanos and the Black Order took him.
Their destination is the old Guardians' base Knowhere where they have Thanos' body (with head reattached). The plan is for Thanos to return his mind to his body. Unfortunately Eros won't survive the process. There's a blaze of energy and Thanos opens his eyes.