Even the 31st Century needs heroes, and the call has been answered by the Guardians of the Galaxy, a team of superhuman and extraterrestrial adventurers dedicated to the safeguarding of the Milky Way Galaxy from any force that threatens the security or liberty of its various people.

The alternate future of the Guardians began with many changes from Earth-616 starting in 1982. When Earth's environment collapsed, an American astronaut, Vance Astrovik (Vance Astro), embarked upon the first manned space flight to another star system. Also, in the 90's, Bionic Wars ignited among the growing cybernetic population of Earth, culminating in a nuclear attack on western Canada. In 1995, the Confederation of Nations was established, uniting mankind in a global society. However, anti-mutant prejudice remained strong, prompting Earth’s mutants to relocate to Jupiter’s moon of Europa.