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Imperial Guard (comics)

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For the Mentor who is head of the Titanian Eternals, see Mentor (Marvel Comics). For the Tempest who is a member of the Exemplars, see Tempest (Exemplar).

The Imperial Guard is a team of fictional super-powered alien warriors in the Marvel Comics universe. The Imperial Guard serves the ruler of the Shi'ar Empire (currently Lilandra Neramani). The original incarnation of the Imperial Guard were created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Dave Cockrum. The team first appeared in X-Men volume 1 #107 and its most notable appearance was at the conclusion of the Dark Phoenix Saga, where they defeated the X-Men in the Phoenix's trial by combat, but the team lost to Phoenix from one attack. The Imperial Guard, consisting of dozens of known Guardsmen, is led by Gladiator.

Contents

Similarity to DC's Legion of Super-Heroes

Gladiator mimicking Superboy's "super-breath" in the X-Men animated series
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Gladiator mimicking Superboy's "super-breath" in the X-Men animated series

The Imperial Guard has many intentional resemblances to DC Comics' Legion of Super-Heroes. The Guard is headed by Gladiator, who is the team's analogue to the LSH's Superboy and by association is also analogous to Superman. Most of the other members are direct equivalents in super-powers and have similar details of costume design to specific Legionnaires, but there are a number who differ greatly from their counterparts or who have no counterpart at all. The original Imperial Guard members seen in X-Men #107 were designed by artist Dave Cockrum, who had previously been best known for his work on the Legion of Super-Heroes, and all had direct counterparts among the Legionnaires. (It is rumored that Nightcrawler was intended to be a Legionnaire, but Cockrum left the book before he could be introduced, so he brought the character over to Marvel.) Later Guardsmen, beginning with the members introduced in X-Men #137, moved away from the Legion pastiche and began introducing characters with no Legionnaire counterparts. New Guardsmen corresponding to the LSH would not be introduced until the 1990s' Avengers crossover "".

During Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's run on New X-Men, a new version of the Imperial Guard was introduced: the Shi'ar Superguardian Elite. It is unknown what, if any, distinction exists between the Guard and the Elite, although many old Guardsmen were also members of the Elite. The Elite may have been intended as analogues for the post-reboot Legion of Super-Heroes specifically. Unlike the previous iteration of the Guard, all of the Elite could fly, thanks to a "Superguardian flight patch" worn by each member (referencing the Legionnaires' flight rings).

Membership

{| class="wikitable" width=100% ! | Character ! | Real Name ! | First Appearance ! | Notes |- bgcolor="#DDDDDD" | colspan=4 align=center | 1970s recruits |- ||Starbolt
formerly Bolt I || ||Uncanny X-Men #107 ||He is covered with a flame-like energy at all times. He can project this energy from his hands. Starbolt can fly in space without requiring protection. He is an analogue of Sun Boy

|- ||Scintilla
formerly Midget || ||Uncanny X-Men #107 ||The Marvel Index to the X-Men refers to her as Midget, but actually the character was never named on-panel before Avengers West Coast #81; there she is called Scintilla. In any case, she is an analogue to Shrinking Violet.

|- ||Flashfire
formerly Tempest I ||Grannz ||Uncanny X-Men #107 ||He can generate bolts of lightning. He is the counterpart of Lightning Lad. His name was changed from Tempest to Flashfire to avoid confusion with DC Comics' Tempest (formerly Aqualad).

|- ||Impulse
also known as Pulsar || ||Uncanny X-Men #107 ||He is made of pure energy, and his form is only contained by his costume. He can release blasts of energy from his visor. He is an analogue of Wildfire. His name was changed from Impulse to Pulsar to avoid confusion with the Legionnaire named Impulse (Kent Shakespeare), who had been introduced since Impulse/Pulsar had debuted

|- ||'Fang || ||Uncanny X-Men #107 ||He was transformed into a Brood and killed in Uncanny X-Men #162 by Wolverine who then took his costume and wore it for several issues; is a feral, agile warrior with uncanny senses and sharp canine teeth. He is the counterpart of Timber Wolf

|- ||Oracle ||Lady Sybil ||Uncanny X-Men #107 ||possesses psychic powers, including but not limited to telepathy and precognition. She is a counterpart of Saturn Girl. She has been romantically linked with both Gladiator and Flashfire (Tempest 1).

|- ||Mentor || ||Uncanny X-Men #107 ||He is intelligent and a skilled tactician. He may be some kind of android or cyborg. He is an analogue to Brainiac 5. He should not to be confused with Mentor the Eternal, father of Thanos

|- ||Gladiator || Kallark ||Uncanny X-Men #107 ||He is the Imperial Guard's Praetor (leader); a member of the Strontian race, is the Imperial Guard's leader. He is unflappably loyal to the ruler of the Shi'ar Empire, whoever that may be at the time. He has been romantically involved with Oracle (Lady Sibyl). He is an analogue of Superman and Superboy, and possesses a number of relevant powers (strength, endurance, flight, enhanced senses, and the ability to travel through space unaided), with one caveat: his powers are dependent on his self-image. If he believes that he can lose a fight, his powers become weaker, and he has been physically humbled by purely psychic assaults. He has a cousin named Xenith, who is a Supergirl analogue; she is not affiliated with the Imperial Guard and should not be confused with the Imperial Guardsman named Zenith.

|- ||Neutron
formerly Quasar II || ||Uncanny X-Men #107 ||He is a member of the Stygian race, and is superhumanly strong and durable. He is an analogue of Star Boy. His name was changed to Neutron when the character then known as Marvel Boy changed his name to Quasar and he developed a strong enmity for the hero following their encounter in "Operation Galactic Storm"; had been discharged and sent to Earth, which was turned into an intergalactic prison in Maximum Security crossover in 2000

|- ||Smasher ||Vril Rokk ||Uncanny X-Men #107 ||He is superhumanly strong and durable, and can fly under his own power. He can "download" powers via the special goggles that he wears; so far he has been seen to obtain in this manner "penta-vision", which may be a form of clairvoyance or X-ray vision, and the ability to travel into hyperspace ("4-space") without a vehicle. He has been romantically linked with Plutonia. He is an analogue of Ultra Boy

|- ||Titan || ||Uncanny X-Men #107 ||He can increase his size. He is an analogue of Colossal Boy

|- ||Electron || ||Uncanny X-Men #107 ||He is a Shi'ar with the ability to generate and control electricity. He is the counterpart of Lightning Lad or possibly Cosmic Boy

|- ||Astra || ||Uncanny X-Men #107 ||Has the ability to become intangible. She is an analogue of Phantom Girl

|- ||Nightside
formerly Nightshade || ||Uncanny X-Men #107 ||Her powers are not unique as all members of her race have this as their natural ability; She can generate darkness. She is an analogue of Shadow Lass. Her name was changed to Nightside to avoid confusion with the DC/Charlton Comics character Nightshade or with Marvel's villainous Nightshade (Marvel Comics)

|- ||Hobgoblin
formerly Shapeshifter/Shifter || ||Uncanny X-Men #107 ||Killed while impersonating Lilandra in Inhumans vol. 3 #4; like Nightshade, Hobgoblin's powers are the natural ability of his race; is a shapeshifter of the Chameleoid race. The exact limitations of his shapeshifting ability are unknown, although he has been seen to transform into large, non-humanoid creatures. He is an analogue of Chameleon Boy. His name was changed to "Shapeshifter" to avoid confusion with the Spider-Man foe Hobgoblin

|- ||Magique
formerly Magic || ||Uncanny X-Men #107 ||She can generate illusions. She may be a magician of undefined aptitude, or her illusion-casting may be her only power. She is an analogue of Projectra, and possibly of the White Witch as well.

|- |- bgcolor="#DDDDDD" | colspan=4 align=center | 1980s recruits |- ||Manta || ||Uncanny X-Men #137 ||She possesses the powers of flight, generates flashes of blinding light, and the ability to see in the dark. Her species experiences memory in a manner different from that of most other species. She has no direct counterpart Legionnaire

|- ||Warstar ||B'nee and C'cil ||Uncanny X-Men #137 ||Warstar is actually two aliens, a small one named B'nee who can generate electricity and a large one named C’cil who is immensely strong and durable. B'nee rides on C'cil's back. Both appear to have metallic hides or to be wearing body armor. Their counterpart would seem to be Duo Damsel, although they are named for the puppets Beany and Cecil; They had been discharged and sent to Earth, which was turned into an intergalactic prison in Maximum Security crossover in 2000

|- ||Earthquake
formerly Quake || ||Uncanny X-Men #137 ||He has rock-like skin and the ability to manipulate silicate matter. He has no direct counterpart Legionnaire, although he is visually similar to Blok, who he predates

|- ||Hussar || ||Uncanny X-Men #137 ||She wields a whip that she uses to channel bioelectricity into her opponents to shock and paralyze them and has no known Legionnaire counterpart; she had been discharged and sent to Earth, which was turned into an intergalactic prison in Maximum Security crossover in 2000

|- ||N'rill'iree || ||Uncanny X-Men #155 ||possesses enhanced strength, endurance, and resistance to physical injury

|- ||Webwing || ||Uncanny X-Men #157 ||He possesses tentacles which exude a powerful narcotic sedative; He had been discharged and sent to Earth, which was turned into an intergalactic prison in Maximum Security crossover in 2000

|- ||Blackthorn || ||Uncanny X-Men #157 ||He is capable of communicating with plant life and control their actions. He is a possible analogue of Chlorophyll Kid

|- ||Zenith ||Longknife ||X-Men Spotlight on... Starjammers #2 ||He can siphon the potential energy of living beings and convert it into blasts of concussive energy and is the alleged brother of Raza Longknife of the Starjammers.

|- ||Black Light || ||X-Men Spotlight on... Starjammers #2 ||It has yet to be confirmed whether Deathbird is his mother; He can project bolts of Darkforce energy from his eyes and is capable of flight

|- ||White Noise || ||X-Men Spotlight on... Starjammers #2 ||It has yet to be confirmed whether Deathbird is her mother; She uses high-pitched frequencies produced by her vocal cords to shatter objects, disorient her opponents, and allow herself to fly

|- |- bgcolor="#DDDDDD" | colspan=4 align=center | 1990s recruits |- ||Onslaught || ||Quasar #33 ||He possesses enhanced strength, speed, agility, reflexes, endurance, dexterity, and reaction time. He is a skilled martial artist. He is an analogue of Karate Kid

|- ||Solar Wind || ||Quasar #33 ||He absorbs cosmic energy and projects it through the chest plate on his armor

|- ||Moondancer ||Myla ||Quasar #33 ||She possesses vast abilities related to extrasensory perception. She is an analogue of Dawnstar

|- ||Voyager ||Divad ||Quasar #33 ||He possesses teleportation abilities and has similar powers to Gates, but Voyager predates him

|- ||Glom || ||Quasar #33 ||He is able to ingest and metabolize any form of energy he encounters. He is an analogue of Matter-Eater Lad

|- ||Hardball || ||Thor vol. 1 #446 ||He possesses a rubbery body that allows him to leap great distances and rebound off any object he strikes. He is an analogue of Bouncing Boy

|- ||Fang || ||Excalibur vol. 1 #69 ||This Fang has yet to be a confirmed member of the Guard; it seems her entire race look like her and when one is killed in battle they are succeeded by another retaining the name and the costume; she was never seen with the Guard but was hired to assassinate Cerise; her successor does not appear any time before her death; her jaw was ripped apart by Cerise in Excalibur vol. 1 #70

|- ||Fang || ||Starjammers #4 ||

|- ||Commando ||M'Nell ||Imperial Guard #1 ||He possesses enhanced strength, endurance, and intellect. and he is an analogue of Mon-El

|- |- bgcolor="#DDDDDD" | colspan=4 align=center | 2000s recruits |- ||Delphos || ||Inhumans vol. 3 #3 ||She has precognitive abilities. For a time, she took Oracle's place in the Guard. She is an analogue of Dream Girl

|- |- bgcolor="#DDDDDD" | colspan=4 align=center | Superguardians |- ||Forunn || ||New X-Men vol. 1 #117 ||Her powers are unknown at this time; Smasher described her as having an "idea", so the name may have come from the word "forerunner", although this is uncertain. It has also been speculated that she might have speed-related powers; if this is so, she would be an analogue of XS; She was killed in New X-Men vol. 1 #122.

|- ||Mammoth || ||New X-Men vol. 1 #117 ||He resembles a humanoid mammoth and has no counterpart Legionnaire; He was killed by Cassandra Nova in New X-Men vol. 1 #122

|- ||Stuff ||Kato (alias) ||New X-Men vol. 1 #123 ||He is a shapeshifter whose natural form resembles a green, cyclopean amoeba. He is xenophobic towards non-shapeshifting species. He infiltrated the Xavier Institute as a student named "Kato", and manipulated one of Emma Frost's students, the "Stepford Cuckoos", into becoming romantically interested in him. He is an analogue of Chameleon Boy; In New X-Men vol. 1 #126, his mind was wiped by the Stepford Cuckoos, and the mind of Cassandra Nova was transferred into his body.

|- ||Squorm || ||New X-Men vol. 1 #123 ||He has unknown powers, but may be a kind of hive entity or artificial intelligence. Squorm dwells within a suit of powered armor that carries a plasma-based firearm. It has no counterpart Legionnaire, but its apparent dependency on its suit bears a resemblance to Wildfire

|- ||Monstra || ||New X-Men vol. 1 #123 ||She is a monstrous four-armed female with superhuman strength and durability, and may have limited intelligence. She is an analogue of Monstress

|- ||Cosmo || ||New X-Men vol. 1 #123 || The character’s name was revealed by Grant Morrison in an interview. As the codename was never used in print, many readers perceived him as the already established Imperial Guard member, Neutron however the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Teams 2005 has listed them as two separate members; He is near-identical to Neutron, although the black and white star field design on his costume are reversed. Like Neutron, he is a Star Boy analogue.

|- ||Arc || ||New X-Men vol. 1 #123 ||He possesses the ability to generate electricity, and may be physically composed of electricity. He is an analogue of Lightning Lad. He may be a renamed and donning a new uniform, Tempest/[[Flashfire (comics)Flashfire

|- ||G-Type || ||New X-Men vol. 1 #124 ||He is a being made of solar plasma. His powers are unrevealed, but probably involve the generation or manipulation of energy. His brain is vulnerable to magnetic interference. He is a counterpart of Wildfire; He was dissolved by Xorn in New X-Men vol. 1 #125

|- ||Neosaurus'' || ||New X-Men vol. 1 #124 ||He is a reptilian creature from a tropical environment. He presumably possesses mental powers, and shares his consciousness between several bodies, one of which was killed by Wolverine. He is an analogue of Brainiac 5

|- ||Plutonia || ||New X-Men vol. 1 #124 ||She can become intangible, and is involved in a relationship with Smasher. She is an analogue of Phantom Girl.

|- ||Blimp || ||New X-Men vol. 1 #124 ||He can inflate his body to become lighter than air. He is an analogue of Bouncing Boy

|- ||''Schism || ||New X-Men vol. 1 #124 ||She possesses the ability to split her body into two bodies. As one body, half of her body is white and the other half black; when split, each body is one color. She is an analogue of Duo Damsel; Her name was revealed by Grant Morrison in an interview and was confirmed in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Teams 2005.

|- ||Fader || ||New X-Men vol. 1 #124 ||He can become invisible, and apparently automatically becomes visible when unconscious. He carried a light-based firearm. He is an analogue of Invisible Kid.

|- |- bgcolor="#DDDDDD" | colspan=4 align=center | Shi'ar Death Squad |- ||Warshot || ||Uncanny X-Men #467 ||

|- ||Black Cloak || ||Uncanny X-Men #467 ||

|- ||Devo || ||Uncanny X-Men #467 ||

|- ||Sega || ||Uncanny X-Men #467 ||

|- ||Hypernova || ||Uncanny X-Men #467 ||First of two females of the team

|- ||Krait || ||Uncanny X-Men #467 ||

|- ||Offset || ||Uncanny X-Men #467 ||Second of two females of the team

|- ||Shell || ||Uncanny X-Men #467 ||

|- ||Flaw || ||Uncanny X-Men #468 ||Flaw is a Warskrull.

|-

Collective list of titles

External links

 

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