Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Star-Lord's dad J'son of Spartax is Patriarch of the new Universal Church Of Truth, who have come back in time to gain the power to go back to the future to defeat Death. They've resurrected Drax the Destroyer to head an army of Drax clones. They've captured the Guardians Of The Galaxy and many others to use as 'fuel' for their life-force engines, and now they are about to add the population of Earth. Only dying Rocket Raccoon is left to save the day (plus a bunch of baby Groots all called Stab).
The Patriarch is pontificating, saying he willingly takes the guilt of what he has done and is about to do in order to save the future universe. But suddenly their giant starship loses power, and a viewscreen to the engine room shows a lot of dead troops and Rocket using his engineering skills to monkey with the system. Next he frees all the captives, and sets the ship to go back to its future in a few minutes. And then collapses.
The prime Drax grabs him by the scruff of the neck but Rocket spits in his eye. But then the cavalry arrive. Beta Ray Bill knocks the Destroyer back with his hammer Stormbreaker. Big Groot encases his Raccoon buddy in his wooden body to replace the mecha-suit (destroyed last issue) that had been keeping him alive. And he hands Rocket his big gun, and grabs several others to wield himself. Moondragon (Heather Douglas) invades the mind of Drax (who was separated from the mind of her dead father Arthur Douglas at the end of Infinity Wars) and shows him his past. And he awakens as his old friendly self.
Lockjaw teleports all the freed heroes to the Guardians' ship the Bowie (which I thought had been somewhat damaged by crashing through the wall of the Temple-Destroyer in #10). And the Church's starship returns to the future.
We follow them billions of years into that future where they are confronted by the being they have referred to as Death. And we see that it is the future Thanos from Thanos (2017) #13-18. But the real Death as usual stands behind him.
In an extended epilogue the Guardians have brought Rocket home to Halfworld to be healed. The current Guardians (Beta Ray Bill, Captain Marvel (Phyla-Vell), Gamora, Groot (and his Stablings), Moondragon and Star-Lord) are joined by the Cosmic Ghost Rider, Drax, Lockjaw, young Magus and Silver Surfer. A doctor explains that Rocket's bio-mods were way out of date but now he's been upgraded he should recover (slowly). (So why did the Raccoon wall himself away in his house on Halfworld to die?)
Gamora and Star-Lord make up. Cantankerous Rocket rejects everyone's sympathy and demands to know what's been happening while he was away (since Infinity Wars). We see a montage of the future Thanos story (which also introduced the Cosmic Ghost Rider), CGR's own series, the Death Of Inhumans mini-series and the Silver Surfer: Black mini (all written by this series' scribe Donny Cates). SS tries to tell him but Bill stops him and says Rocket hasn't missed anything.
Rocket sends everyone away but the folks from the original Guardians (Drax, Gamora, Groot and Star-Lord). He forces himself to thank them and says he's going to get better and join them in guarding the galaxy. Peter Quill tells him to take all the time he needs.