| For other uses, see Guardians of the Multiverse (disambiguation) |
- "The Guardians of the Multiverse. Heroes plucked from across different realities to protect the fate of all of them."
- ―The Watcher[src]
The Guardians of the Multiverse were a group made up of individuals from across the Multiverse who were recruited by The Watcher to stop Ultron from succeeding on his multiversal conquest. During the final battle with Ultron, the group was betrayed by one of its members, Erik Killmonger, who tried to use the Infinity Stones to fulfill his schemes. However, he was stopped when Strange Supreme trapped him and Arnim Zola in a pocket dimension. The Watcher returned each member to their respective universes, except for Black Widow, who was taken to an alternate universe to end Loki's reign over Earth.
History[]
Assembling the Guardians[]
- "You aren't just our best hope to save one universe."
"You are my last hope to save all of them. You are the Guardians of the Multiverse." - ―Strange Supreme and The Watcher[src]
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The Watcher talking to the assembled Guardians
After being defeated by Ultron, The Watcher took refuge in Strange Supreme's universe and asked for his help in stopping Ultron from taking over the Nexus of All Realities.[1] With his help, the Watcher began searching for exceptional individuals across the Multiverse and chose Captain Carter, Star-Lord, Gamora, Killmonger, and Thor, whose universe was invaded by Ultron. The Watcher transported them to Strange's recreation of the pub from Carter's universe as everyone made their acquaintances. Suddenly, the Watcher appeared in front of the group and told them that they had been chosen to save the multiverse from Ultron and proclaimed them the "Guardians of the Multiverse." Thor, believing the Watcher to be with Loki, tried to leave the bar against Strange's warning as it was revealed that they were not on solid ground.
The Guardians giving a toast before the fight
Upon agreeing to help him, Uatu told the Guardians that Ultron had been attacking universes with the power of the Infinity Stones, which had made Ultron a cosmic being. Strange and Uatu came up with a plan to separate Ultron from the Stones as the Guardians doubted their plan. As they finalized their plan to retrieve the Soul Stone from Ultron and use Gamora's Infinity Crusher, they traveled to a desolate universe without any intelligent life as a staging ground before their fight. The Guardians got to know more information about each other as they made a toast to the battle to come. Throwing his cup, Thor shot lightning bolts into the sky using Mjølnir, which attracted Ultron.[2]
Battle for the Multiverse[]
Fighting Ultron[]
From above, Ultron opened a portal as Strange Supreme cast protection spells on the rest of the Guardians. The Watcher opened a portal behind the Guardians which Killmonger and Gamora went inside, leaving the others to get the Soul Stone and to hold back Ultron. Thor tried to electrocute Ultron, but Ultron was not affected by Thor's attack and used the Infinity Stones to break the ground beneath the remaining Guardians. Assuming the Guardians died, Ultron hovered away, but stopped when Strange destroyed the rubble. Soon, the fight between the Guardians and Ultron began as the Guardians attacked Ultron with Captain Carter and Star-Lord managing to grab the Soul Stone. Uatu opened a portal behind the group as Strange opened a portal above Ultron, unleashing hordes of zombies upon him as the Guardians left the universe.
Traveling through the portal, the Guardians ended up in Ultron's universe and were confronted by Black Widow. The Guardians were about to attack her until Carter persuaded Romanoff to help them. Black Widow stood down as Ultron returned and tried to take back the Soul Stone. Thor stopped Ultron before he could get the Stone as the fight continued with Ultron releasing a cosmic blast using the Stones which Strange absorbed. Continuing the fight, the Guardians fought back Ultron as he used the Time Stone to take back the Soul Stone. Strange stopped him and used his Time Stone to revert Ultron's time field and unleashed the powers of the mystical beings, beating down Ultron. The Guardians were able to trap Ultron as Gamora activated the Infinity Crusher, unleashing an explosion that seemingly destroyed the Stones and killed Ultron.
The Guardians facing Ultron
Though the Guardians believed they won, Ultron was alive and told them that the Infinity Crusher did not work because the Crusher only worked on the Stones from Gamora's universe. Finally regaining the Soul Stone, Ultron realized that Strange was the strongest among them and unleashed another cosmic blast with the full power of the Stones, breaking down Strange's protection spells. As Romanoff was blasted away, she got up and noticed the arrow that contained Arnim Zola's A.I. and told Carter about her plan to shoot the arrow into Ultron. Romanoff and Carter enacted their plan as Strange tried to hold back Ultron. Romanoff shot the arrow at Ultron, who was pulled back by Carter. The arrow landed in Ultron's eye as Zola awakened and took over Ultron's body, eradicating him.
Killmonger wields the Infinity Stones
As Ultron's body fell to the ground, the Guardians, again, presumed that the battle was over not knowing that Killmonger was planning on betraying them. As Killmonger gained the Infinity Stones, he told the rest of the Guardians that they could use them to fix their universes. The Guardians refused and Killmonger began to attack them with the Stones until Zola awakened in Ultron's body. Zola claimed that the Stones were his and began to fight Killmonger to gain control over the Stones, almost resulting in the universe's destruction. Strange then realized that they were never meant to win, only to separate the Stones from Ultron's body. With this in mind, Strange created a Mirror Dimension around Zola and Killmonger with the help of Uatu, trapping them in an everlasting duel within a pocket dimension.[2]
Aftermath[]
- "She and the Guardians of the Multiverse saved all of existence. I returned the heroes to their own worlds, the exact moments they left."
- ―The Watcher[src]
With the battle over, the Guardians returned to the pub as Strange Supreme went back to his universe to keep watch of Arnim Zola and Erik Killmonger. Strange finally understood The Watcher's plan and agreed to watch over the pocket dimension bubble.
Thanking the remaining Guardians, Uatu told them that they'd return to their universes the exact moment before they left and each of the Guardians walked through the pub's doorway. Peggy Carter, hesitant to return to her universe, asked Uatu if she could be with Steve Rogers again, but he told her that her universe needed her. Carter rethought and decided to return to her universe.
As Black Widow was the remaining Guardian, she told Uatu that she would not return to her universe since she was the only survivor. She tried to plead with Uatu, asking him to fix her universe. Uatu, knowing that Romanoff would not return to her universe, revealed that they weren't in the pub Strange created and were actually in a universe where potential members of the Avengers were assassinated before they were able to form a team. During a battle between the Asgardians and S.H.I.E.L.D., Loki was about to kill Nick Fury, but Romanoff kicked him aside and took him down. Fury and Romanoff became acquainted as Uatu returned to the Nexus of All Realities to watch over the Multiverse once more.[2]
Former Members[]
Strange Supreme[]
- Name: Stephen Vincent Strange
- Species: Human
- Status: Deceased
- Description: Stephen Strange saw his co-worker and girlfriend Christine Palmer die in a car accident. As a result, Strange became obsessed with learning the secrets of reversing time to prevent her death, even when he knew that it was impossible to do so. He eventually achieved his dream of bringing back Palmer, but his universe was destroyed in the process. When Ultron became a threat to the Multiverse, the Watcher turned to Strange for help. Later, he sacrifices himself to save Captain Carter and Kahhori and to restore his universe including a new Christine Palmer.
Captain Carter[]
- Name: Margaret Elizabeth "Peggy" Carter
- Species: Human
- Status: Alive
- Description: Project Rebirth was cut short by Heinz Kruger's bombing of the Strategic Scientific Reserve's Brooklyn Facility. As a result, Carter received the Super Soldier Serum instead of the intended subject Steve Rogers. Following the experiment, she was gifted a new costume and shield patterned with the British Union Jack, becoming the super-soldier known as Captain Carter. During World War II, Captain Carter successfully captured HYDRA scientist Arnim Zola. She was sucked into a portal during an attack on HYDRA's base of operations and met Nick Fury and Hawkeye in the present. Captain Carter eventually became a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and worked alongside Black Widow. One day, while leading a raid on Georges Batroc's personal ship the Lemurian Star, she was chosen by the Watcher to protect the Multiverse from Ultron.
Star-Lord[]
- Name: T'Challa
- Species: Human
- Status: Alive
- Description: T'Challa was abducted by the Ravagers after a heated argument with his father. He grew up to be the Ravagers' leader, turning this band of criminals and misfits into intergalactic heroes that saved Drax's homeplanet from being destroyed by the Kree and convinced Thanos to abandon his plans to wipe out half of all life in the universe. He then defeated the Collector and freed the galaxy from his reign. The Watcher selected T'Challa when he saved Peter Quill from Ego's plot to conquer the universe.
Gamora[]
- Name: Gamora Zen Whoberi Ben Titan
- Species: Zehoberei
- Status: Alive
- Description: Gamora met Iron Man on Sakaar and decided to work with him to kill Thanos. Afterward, she wore the armor and wielded the sword of her deceased adoptive father. Gamora encountered The Watcher after she burned the Infinity Gauntlet with Stark and Eitri.
Erik Killmonger[]
- Name: N'Jadaka / Erik Stevens
- Species: Human
- Status: Alive
- Description: Killmonger discovered the Ten Rings plot to kidnap Tony Stark and saved him from the Jericho missile that would have injured him. Stark appointed Killmonger as the new Chief Operating Officer of Stark Industries and Killmonger used his new position to murder T'Challa, James Rhodes, Klaue, and his employer Stark, eventually usurping T'Challa as the Black Panther and the King of Wakanda. The Watcher emerged in the halls of the Royal Palace of Wakanda to recruit Killmonger. However, Killmonger betrayed the rest of the Guardians of the Multiverse and attempted to take the Infinity Stones for himself, only for Strange Supreme to trap him in a pocket dimension along with Arnim Zola for eternity. He was later freed by Captain Carter during the Battle at the Sanctum Infinitum, where Kahhori stripped him of his Infinity Stones before eventually returning him to his universe.
Thor[]
- Name: Thor Odinson
- Species: Asgardian
- Status: Alive
- Description: Thor was raised as an only child without Loki and became an arrogant yet fun-loving Asgardian who threw the biggest intergalactic party ever on his Earth. Like his main universe counterpart, Thor started a romantic relationship with astrophysicist Jane Foster. All seemed well until Ultron invaded his reality and he fought Ultron Sentries' in Las Vegas. The Watcher grabbed Thor mid-fight and told him about the Multiverse.
Black Widow[]
- Name: Natalia Alianovna "Natasha" Romanoff
- Species: Human
- Status: Alive
- Description: Ultron killed the Avengers and went on an intergalactic conquest to extinguish all forms of life in the universe, with Romanoff being left as the last living being after Hawkeye sacrificed himself to destroy the Ultron Sentries. When she came across the Guardians of the Multiverse, they gave her the opportunity to destroy Ultron for good. When Romanoff didn't want to return to her post-apocalyptic universe, The Watcher sent her to a universe that had lost their Black Widow where Loki was ruling over Earth and she joined the fight by knocking Loki to the ground.
Appearances[]
In chronological order:
