Groot forgives the Gardener. But Groot will never allow the perversion of his limbs to wreak unintended havoc upon this -- or any other -- world! Now Groot goes into battle! 
Appearing in 1st story
Featured Characters:
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Gamora (Main story and flashback)
- Star-Lord (Peter Quill)
- Ant-Man (Scott Lang)
- Rocket Raccoon
- Groot
- Drax (Arthur Douglas)
- ⏴ Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) ⏵
Supporting Characters:
- Nova Corps
- Nova Centurion (Commander Eve Bakian)
- Nova (Rich Rider)
- Nova (Commander Scott Adsit) (As hologram)
- Numerous unnamed members
- Gardener (Ord Zyonz) (Cured of Loki's poison)
- Quinon
Antagonists:
- Fraternity of Raptors
- Talonar (Robbie Rider)
- Numerous unnamed members
- Numerous unnamed Flora colossi (Death)
- Chitauri Empire
- Warbringer
- Numerous other members
- ⏴ Scar ⏵ (Name revealed)
Other Characters:
- Unnamed Dwarf (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Eve's unborn daughter (Mentioned)
- Cosmic Elders (Mentioned)
- Collector (Taneleer Tivan) (Mentioned)
- Grandmaster (En Dwi Gast) (Mentioned)
- Contemplator (Tath Ki) (Mentioned) (Deceased)
- God (Invoked)
- Thanos (Mentioned)
- Unnamed aliens infected with the Ultron Virus
- Ultron (Mentioned)
- Loki (Mentioned)
- Logan (Referenced)
- Captain America (Steve Rogers) (Referenced)
- Logan (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
- Dwarves (Only in flashback)
- Zen-Whoberis (Main story and flashback)
- Unidentified alien species
- Humans
- Cosmic Beings
- Shi'ar
- Human-Spartax Hybrids
- Flora colossi
- Halfworlders
- Flarks (Invoked)
- Cyborgs
- Leviathans
- Chitauri
Locations:
- Prime Marvel Universe (Main story and flashback)
- Unidentified location (Only in flashback)
- Asgard (Mentioned)
- Nidavellir (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- Xitaung
- Hell (Invoked)
- Telferina
- Andromeda II Galaxy (Unnamed)
- Chitauri Prime (Mentioned)
- Microverse (Mentioned)
- Earth
Items:
- Requiem's armor (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- Nova Stars
- Infinity Stones
- Raptor Armor
- Nega-Bands
- Nova Force
- Star-Lord Armor
- Element Guns
- Ant-Man's Helmet and Suit
- Pym Particles
- Ultron Virus
- Chitauri Guns
- Black Widow's Suit and Gauntlets
Vehicles:
- Fraternity of Raptors' ships
- Milano
Synopsis for 1st story
An unidentified being has captured an Asgardian dwarf smith and orders him to make a certain helmet, on pain of death.
On the planet Xitaung, the Fraternity of Raptors mounts an attack on facility where the newly-enormous Power Stone is guarded by Drax and the pregnant Nova Corps Commander Eve Bakion. They need reinforcements, but the Raptors are jamming their signals.
Elsewhere, on the planet Telferina, the Guardians of the Galaxy battle the malevolent trees engineered by the Gardener. When the Gardener himself appears Rocket flies directly toward him and stabs his face with a knife, but this has no effect on the Gardener, and Elder of the Universe.
Drax has attached several of the Raptors wings to his own back hoping they will make him fly and is irritated to learn they don’t work that way. Instead he forces two others to fly him up to the Raptors ships, where he overtakes a communications station. It will not work for him either, but Quinon hears telepathically and says she will summon the Guardians to their location.
Just then, Warbringer and the Chitauri fleet enter the atmosphere and join the battle, seeking the Power Stone for themselves. Their fleet sends Drax and the Raptor ship plummeting to the surface, which disrupts the planned execution of Commander Bakian. She and Drax resolve to dig in and defend their ground until help arrives.
The Guardians are told about Drax’s distress call but have problems of their own, as the Gardener has unleashed his massive plant-monster, Scar. The Guardians bring the fight to the Gardener, but he uses his control over vegetation to keep them at bay. Groot leaps atop his chest when he’s down and speaks to him at length, finally transferring his own life energy into him to make him realize that Loki poisoned him. Now healed and back to normal, the Collector in turn revives Groot, making him full grown again and fully articulate. As the Guardians marvel over this change, Groot turns to battle Scar.
In Madripoor, the Black Widow is attempting to lay low but Wolverine sends her a secret message, though she thought he was dead. He leaves the Space Stone for her.
Solicit Synopsis
Infinity Countdown Part 1
The Saga of the Infinity Stones begins!
As the Infinity Stones reappear around the cosmos, the ultimate race for power is on!! Battles will be fought, blood will be spilled, lives will be lost... all as the greatest cosmic heroes and villains vie for possession of the Power Stone, towering over a remote asteroid, somehow grown to the size of a building. Watch as the path to Infinity opens before your eyes and the END lies near…Trivia
- The sound effect "RUDD" is used when Ant-Man kicks the Gardener in the face, a reference to Paul Rudd, the actor who portrays Ant-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
