Marvel Officially Announces Its Guardians of the Galaxy Replacement

Published Sep 23, 2026, 11:01 AM EDT

Robert Wood is a writer and editor based out of Cheshire, England. He is the author of 'The False Elephant: and 99 Other Unreasonably Short Stories' - 100 stories, each told in exactly 100 words.

Rob got into comics via Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man and the UK anthology 'The Mighty World of Marvel,' which was running Frank Miller's Daredevil, Classic Hulk and Contest of Champions II.

Prior to journalism, he worked in copywriting and copyedited for Oxford University Press. He is on X as @PinchTwigs and Instagram as roobwoodjourno.

Marvel just announced a new replacement for the Guardians of the Galaxy, and you won't believe the identity of their leader. Groot and Rocket Raccoon officially return, but this time they're not following Star-Lord.

Debuting in 1969, Guardians of the Galaxy was initially very different, starring far-future heroes from different planets in the solar system. The franchise was rebooted in 2008 by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, who linked Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Groot and more to the team name.

Now, the franchise's most unexpected crossover of all time reshapes the team under a new name, and with a leader no-one has ever associated with the Guardians of the Galaxy before...

Muppets' Marvel Crossover Introduces 'Pigs of the Galaxy'

Today's The Muppets Take the Marvel Universe #1 includes the story 'Pigs of the Galaxy' from Mackenzie Cadenhead, David Baldeón, Yen Nitro and Joe Caramagna. The story revisits 'Pigs in Space' characters Link Hogthrob, Doctor Julius Strangepork and of course Miss Piggy after their ship the Swinetrek takes significant damage.

When Rocket Raccoon and Groot turn up to help, the two have instant chemistry with Miss Piggy, showing her significantly more respect than her porcine shipmates. Invited to join the Guardians on their next mission, Miss Piggy ditches Hogthrob and Strangepork and takes over as pilot of Star-Lord's Milano, with Marvel declaring this bizarre new team the 'Pigs of the Galaxy.'

It's an incredibly fun crossover that shows even cosmic rogues Groot and Rocket Raccoon understand that Miss Piggy isn't to be trifled with - a sentiment shared throughout the anthology, with even X-Men's Emma Frost stunned by Miss Piggy's presence. It's also a story that shows how flexible the Marvel Universe really is - after all, on a team with a raccoon and a sentient tree, is a puppet pig so unusual?

Where Are the Actual Guardians of the Galaxy?

While the Guardians of the Galaxy are having fun in this Muppets crossover, it's actually the first fans have seen of the team in months. 2025's Imperial officially split them up, with Star-Lord becoming leader of the Galactic Union, Rocket going off for (canceled) adventures with Charles Xavier's Exiles team, and Gamora joining the black ops Imperial Guardians.

Imperial's spin-off series recently came to an end, leaving fans asking when the full team will reunite. Thankfully, Imperial Guardians ended with Gamora gathering a new skeleton crew of Guardians, with the intent to go after Inhuman villain Maximus the Mad, who attempted to send her team to their deaths.

Gamora's New Guardians Roster
Hero	Home Planet	Powers	First Appearance	Created by
Gamora Zen Whoberi Ben Titan	Zen-Whoberi	Enhanced physiology including healing factor	1975's Strange Tales #180	Jim Starlin
Darkhawk (Christopher Powell)	Earth (Darkhawk android from Shi'ar Empire)	Amulet transfers Chris' mind into robotic body with enhanced strength and durability, weapons-based shapeshifitng, self-healing tech and energy manipulation. Chris has limited precognitive visions.	1991's Darkhawk #1	Tom DeFalco, Danny Fingeroth and Mike Manley
Cosmic Ghost Rider (Frank Castle)	Alternate Earth ruled by Thanos	Traditional superpowers of both Ghost Rider and Silver Surfer, including Hellfire generation, time travel, energy blasts etc.	2017's Thanos #2	Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw

What Marvel plans for the Guardians of the Galaxy next is still unclear. Gamora's mission seemingly gives the team their new direction, but it wouldn't be unusual for Marvel to fail to follow through on this kind of set-up. The next Guardians of the Galaxy series could be almost anything, with no real indications of Marvel's plans for the franchise.

For now, the best Guardians of the Galaxy fans get is Miss Piggy's encounter with the team, as The Muppet's and Marvel's most famous space teams officially combine.

The Muppets Take the Marvel Universe #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.