The Guardians of the Galaxy and their ally Firelord freed the planet Courg's natives from the tyranny of the cyborg Stark Race; but when ex-Guardian Martinex returned months later to check on their progress, he was horrified to learn that the Stark had returned and exterminated the natives. He decided to form a new group of Galactic Guardians to prevent similar atrocities. This teamed formed earlier than Martinex anticipated when his ally, the sentient computer Mainframe (once the synthezoid Vision), caretaker of the planet, was afflict with both a mysterious power drain and a virus, causing planet-wide destruction. Unable to reach the Guardians of the Galaxy, Martinex summond several old allies: the Sarkan Wileaydus Autolycus, able to generate Kauri (Hell) fire and transform into the skull-headed, Death-Cycle riding Spirit of Vengeance, temporarily put aside his never-ending battle against the oppressive Universal Church of Truth; Firelord, former Herald of Galactus and now Eon's chosen Protector of the Universe, lent his cosmic flame to the cause; the Skrull shapeshifter Replica, former Guardian of the Galaxy, abandoned her new position as companion to Protégé, head of the Universal Church of Truth, to answer Martinex's summons; and the superhumanly strong ionic human Hollywood, formerly the hero Wonder Man, who blamed himself for the deaths of many of his fellow heroes during the early 21st Century Martian invasion of Earth. The heroes tracked the power drain to the criminal Intimidators who were now being led by Brahl, succeeded in resurrecting their old master Korvac. Racing to stop Korvac before Mainframe was completely absorbed, the Guardians triumphed through the intervention of their final recruit, Phoenix, newest host of the Phoenix Force and possessed of vast psionic powers, who transported Korvac to another reality.
Later while traveling in their star-ship, Icarus, to a rendezvous with the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Galactic Guardians discovered a breach in space. Investigating, Phoenix was attacked by Bubonicus, who considered all sentient life a disease; infected with a virus, the delirious Phoenix destroyed an uninhabited world and set off to find life to consume. Spirit of Vengeance, Firelord, and Hollywood soon fell prey to Bubonicus as well. Mainframe contacted Eternity, personification of the universe, who revealed that he had also fell victim to the destructive Plague Bringer," Bubonicus. The breach in space was a sign of his infection; however, Eternity prompted the Phoenix Force's life-giving powers to turn inward, healing the Force's host Giraud.
