A Classic Hero Returns For Marvel's Next Guardians Of The Galaxy Roster

Published Jul 18, 2026, 1:28 PM EDT Nicolas Ayala is a Senior Writer for the Comics team at ScreenRant, with over five years of experience writing about Superhero media, action movies, and TV shows. Marvel's new Guardians of the Galaxy team welcomes a famous Earth-based hero who has never been associated with outer space. The Guardians' membership tends to be quite fluid, as heroes and outlaws regularly join their ranks because of circumstance instead of formal recruitment. Hence, the Guardians often operate without backup. Carol Danvers is one of the rare heroes capable of balancing both worlds simultaneously, as her immense power allows her to travel back and forth to lead both teams at the same time. Likewise, Maximus shakes up the Guardians' methods, serving as their boss figure following the events of Imperial. Although the Guardians have always maintained their distinctly cosmic nature, several Earth-based heroes have joined their ranks throughout the years. The Thing temporarily left the Fantastic Four to explore space with the Guardians during the 2000s, Agent Venom brought firsthand experience with alien biology in the 2010s, and Iron Man joined the roster during Brian Michael Bendis' 2013 Marvel NOW run. Kitty Pryde briefly accompanied the team as a new Star-Lord, and more recently, Amadeus Cho a.k.a. Brawn has joined Captain Marvel, Darkhawk, Gamora, and Cosmic Ghost Rider in the Imperial Guardians. While seeing a traditionally grounded character cross paths with the Guardians of the Galaxy isn't rare, one wouldn't expect a hero like Captain America become an official member of the team. US Agent Is A Member Of Death's Head's Guardians Of The Galaxy Imperial Guardians #5; Written By Dan Abnett; Art By Marcelo Ferreira & Jay Leisten Maximus' Imperial Guardians have just survived the Nightshape, and their next enemy arrives in the shape of their dark mirrors. Death's Head intends to intercept an alleged conspiracy to assassinate Emperor Peter Quill with the help of his own version of the Imperial Guardians. Death's Head's Guardians of the Galaxy team is revealed to be composed of Quasar, Knightwatch, Century, and none other than John Walker a.k.a. US Agent, who ditches his traditionally grounded combat missions on Earth to test his skills in outer space. Accustomed to black-ops operations and missions tied to national security, John Walker has rarely left Earth, let alone join rather obscure cosmic characters like Death's Head while more familiar heroes like Carol Danvers, Amadeus Cho, and Darkhawk assemble a more traditional team. The galaxy's growing political instability following the events of Imperial requires experienced military personnel capable of operating within a disciplined chain of command, contrasting with the more freewheeling approach traditionally associated with the Guardians. Death's Head's pragmatic personality and willingness to make difficult battlefield decisions also align more naturally with US Agent's worldview than Maximus' untrustworthy control over Captain Marvel's own squad of Imperial Guardians. US Agent Adds A Radically New Entry To His Growing List Of Superhero Teams John Walker Expands His Horizons Beyond Earth John Walker has built a résumé that spans many of Marvel's most famous teams. After debuting as the Super-Patriot, he famously replaced Steve Rogers as Captain America before ultimately adopting the U.S. Agent identity. Since then, he has served with the West Coast Avengers, the Avengers, Force Works, the Invaders, the Fifty State Initiative, the Mighty Avengers, the Dark Avengers, the Thunderbolts, and several government-sponsored strike teams, in addition to working closely with organizations like SHIELD. Across these assignments, John Walker has earned the respect of heroes and anti-heroes, and highly-organized agencies and independent superheroes alike. US Agent's willingness to explore darker aspects of crime-fighting than Steve Rogers provides Marvel's cosmic roster with an unexpectedly priceless addition. Despite being the least physically powerful and the least experienced member of Death's Head's Imperial Guardians, John Walker could easily become their most valuable asset. His military background prepares him to coordinate defensive operations and make rapid combat decisions during large-scale engagements. Even though he possesses little firsthand experience dealing with galactic politics, Walker's tactical instincts might gel well with cosmic veterans who understand the wider Marvel Universe. Would you like to see US Agent stay in outer space? Imperial Guardians #5 is available July 22 from Marvel Comics