WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy #10 by Al Ewing, Juann Cabal, Federico Blee & VC's Cory Petit, on sale now
Knull has been wiping out entire planets over the course of King in Black, using his seemingly endless army of symbiotes to snuff out life wherever he can while on his way to Earth. Along the way, he's just brought death and destruction to a major world of recent Marvel comics -- one that has a deep connection to a major Guardian of the Galaxy.
Spartax has been decimated by an attack from Knull and his army of symbiotes -- killing almost a quarter of the world's population before the chaos can be contained. But what does that mean going forward?
The coming of Knull has brought about death and destruction across the entire galaxy. Entire worlds, like Silnius, are dead at his hands. The rest of the galaxy has been scrambling to respond, notably including the Guardians of the Galaxy. While a massive amount of Knull's symbiote forces make their way to Earth, a secondary group has also spread to Spartax. Homeworld to Peter Quill's father and currently ruled over by his half-sister Victoria, Spartax is home to nine billion souls -- all of whom are in danger of being devoured by the coming of Knull. The Guardians of the Galaxy quickly spring into action, but even they are only able to do so much. Within four hours, the planet has been all but overrun by the assault.
The Guardians assist with the evacuation, trying to ensure people can make it to space arks or translocation pads. Even this isn't enough to save many of the people in the world. Moondragon's telepathy allows her to reach out and confirm that thirty thousand were successfully evacuated during the opening salvo -- and that a full two billion were killed in the chaos. this isn't even the end of it, as the swarms of darkness, spread across the world and continue to kill whoever and whatever it can get close to. Rocket can even only watch as another attack wipes out a transport full of civilians right in front of him. Although the return of Star-Lord is able to help force Knull away from the world, it definitely puts the Guardians of the Galaxy into the crosshairs of Knull -- and leaves Spartax saved, but decimated.
Spartax has been a galactic power-player for years, shifting allegiances while under the command of J-Son. A temperamental and petty ruler, J'Son was eventually forced to vacate his throne and was replaced by his son, Peter Quill. However, Quill would eventually be forced out of power as well (albeit much more peacefully) and replaced by Victoria. The world has weathered multiple battles over the years, including being endangered during "The Black Vortex" and going to war alongside the rest of the galaxy in Infinity.
Even if Spartax is rescued at the end of the issue, over two billion -- almost a fourth -- of the entire world's population has been wiped out by the symbiotes. It'll be interesting how the world rebuilds after these events, especially considering it's their former king Star-Lord who was able to deliver the final blow to Knull's symbiote dragon. Considering the attempts to make the galaxy a more united place, perhaps this will force Spartax to continue seeking a place at the table as they rebuild. Or maybe Victoria will take this chance to carve out a new future for the world, using the bloodshed to inspire her world to a new goal.