The movie should start off on Asgard. Someone has managed to enter Odin's Vault without setting off the Destroyer. Fortunately, there were guards who were secretly stationed and were assigned to safeguard the Tessaract. The guards surprise the intruder from behind but they hesitate when they notice that the intruder looks like Thor. They notice that intruder has the Tessaract in his possession. The guards tell him to return the Tessaract and intruder reveals himself as Beta Ray Bill.

The guards are then sneak attacked by Pip the Troll. Bill and Pip disarm the guards but the Destroyer is alerted to disturbance outside. Pip grabs the Tessaract and both he and Bill transport back to their base of operations. Pip and Bill were once exhibits in the Collector's emporium until they were freed by Karina's explosive sacrifice. Now, Pip and Bill work for Mikal Korvac, the former curator of the Collector's emporium.

Korvac and the other exhibits loved Karina for her heartfelt compassion towards them. Korvac intends to use the Tessaract as a diving rod to find the Collector and take back the Aether (the reality gem). Korvac wants to create his own reality where he and Karina can finally be together forever. However, Korvac will need the Orb to have the edge he needs to stand up against the Collector or anyone who gets in his way.

However, Bill and Pip have bad news to relay. With the death of Ronan, the peace treaty between the Kree and Xandar has been deemed null and void. Now, Xandar needs to ready themselves for the coming war with the Kree. The Xandarians are then approached by J'son of Spartoi. J'son agrees to aid Xandar if they return the Orb to him during his coronation. The Orb is actually a sacred object to the Shiar Empire known only as the M'Krann Crystal.

J'son intends to quell the civil feud between the Shiar and Spartoi by presenting the M'Krann crystal to Lilandra as his divine rite to rule. Nova Prime agrees to J'son's terms because a union between the Shiar and Spartoi will ensure that Xandar has strength in numbers. Unfortunately, J'son isn't who he says he is. It turns J'son is actually Jaxon Dey, the evil brother of Rhonnan Dey.

Thanos had learned about Ronan's death and how a mere human was able to weild the power of the M'Krann crystal. Thanos is shocked by the family resemblance. Peter Quill is Starfox's son and Starfox is Thanos' twin brother. Fortunately for Thanos, Starfox has been forbidden by his father Mentor, to never leave Titan again. Starfox kept in contact with Peter's mother via telecommunication and he was the one who sent Yondu to retrieve Peter.

Thanos hires Jaxon Dey to impersonate Starfox with a holographic mask but under the alias J'son. The mask is also an insurance policy for Thanos. If Jaxon Dey plans to betray Thanos like Ronan did then the mask will detonate. The coronation for J'son is just a ruse for Thanos to get his hands on the M'Krann crystal. Thanos can't let the Eternals know of his activities or Mentor will end state of isolation that he has decreed which is why Thanos uses underlings to do his work.

Korvac figures the best way to get the M'Krann crystal is to placate to Gamora's need to protect the galaxy. Gamora and Drax are angered by Xandar's decision to give up the M'Krann crystal to another warlord like J'son. Korvac transports Pip to the Milano and discusses a plan to steal the M'Krann crystal during the coronation. At first, Peter and Rocket are against the idea of getting on the Nova Corps' bad side again but when Peter looks at a vid of J'son on Xandar and sees the familiar facial characteristics, he reluctantly agrees to go along with Pip's plan especially if it means to be reunited with his father.