The announcement of a brand new version of the Guardians of the Galaxy team was enough to get Marvel fans excited, promising a bold new vision for the company’s cosmic universe. But before the new roster of Imperial Guardians has even begun their adventure, Marvel has already confirmed the team is living on borrowed time, with their full run now prematurely ended. And they’re not going to be alone.
Marvel’s New Guardians Are Cut Short Before Their Series Even Begins
The Imperial Guardians Begins Its 5-Issue Run in March
The revitalized Guardians was one of the most exciting pieces of Marvel Comic news to come out of 2025, going far beyond the new roster of Marvel heroes forming the team itself. By bringing back writer Dan Abnett, co-creator of the modern incarnation of the Guardians team made famous by the MCU, Marvel promised to launch “a new era of cosmic super hero storytelling” with artist Marcelo Ferreira. But after reiterating those details in December, things have drastically changed.
Originally solicited as an ongoing series to begin its run in March, the February solicitations now classify Imperial Guardians as a 5-issue series in total. Read on below for the official text:
IMPERIAL GUARDIANS #2 (OF 5)
The Galactic Union has brought peace to the galaxy. But who will keep that peace? It’s another day and another dirty job for the IMPERIAL GUARDIANS as MAXIMUS of the Inhumans sends his black-ops team to handle a problem that nobody else wants to touch. Our heroes head for Xarth, a minor civilization with major ambitions. The Xarthians have got their hands on something that could make them major players on the galactic stage overnight – or bring down the Union ENTIRELY. And you know they’re not going to give it up without a fight…
So, what does this early cancelation of the series mean for the future of the Guardians, or the larger Cosmic Universe they were supposed to help launch?
Has Marvel Scrapped Its Entire New Cosmic Universe Plan?
The Guardians Were Meant To Lead A New Age of Marvel Cosmic
With no official explanation for the obvious change in plans yet available, fans are left to speculate. Perhaps the new roster failed to excite fans enough to deliver the needed pre-orders, despite recruiting Gamora as the new team leader, with Captain Marvel, Cosmic Ghost Rider, and more faces familiar to the cosmically-minded Marvelites. And with Star-Lord’s new role as king of space, some fans were obviously going to be missing his presence no matter what.
But there was definitely more riding on this book than just a single series’ sales, openly described by Marvel and Abnett as a central jumping-on point for a much larger initiative. If that entire “new era” has been similarly cut short and replaced, Marvel will have to do some serious work in explaining the change in direction.
Imperial Guardians will begin the limited five-issue series on March 11, from Marvel Comics.