Imperial Guard (Marvel Comics)
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| Imperial Guard | |
|---|---|
| File:Imperialguardwiki.jpg Imperial Guard by Dave Cockrum | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | X-Men (vol. 1) #107 (1977) |
| Created by | Chris Claremont Dave Cockrum |
| In-story information | |
| Base(s) | Shi'ar Empire |
| Member(s) | Gladiator Mentor Oracle Starbolt Smasher Warstar Earthquake Manta Hussar Scintilla Flashfire Fang Neutron Electron Titan Astra Nightside Hobgoblin Pulsar Magique Plutonia |
| Roster | |
| See: List of Imperial Guard members | |
The Imperial Guard is a team of fictional super-powered alien warriors in the Marvel Comics universe.
History
The Imperial Guard, an army of powerful beings that enforce Shi'ar Imperial law on all planets within the Shi'ar Galaxy, serves the rulers of the Shi'ar Empire (currently Vulcan and Deathbird). 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.
Gladiator is the Praetor (leader) of this elite corps of the Shi'ar Imperial Guard. The elite corps also protects and carries out the personal directives of the majestor or majestrix (emperor or empress) of the Shi’ar Empire.
The first known encounter of the Imperial Guard when the Imperial Guard battles the X-Men at the command of then-Shi'ar Emperor D'Ken. Gladiator and several members of the Guard fight the X-Men once more when new Shi'ar Empress Lilandra Neramani and Professor Charles Xavier arrange a trial by combat to decide the fate of the out of control Dark Phoenix.
Lilandra's sister, Deathbird, later staged a successful coup and becomes the new majestrix of the Shi'ar Empire. Despite the guards loyalty to Lilandra , they continued to serve the Shi'ar Empire as the Imperial Guard.
Much later Lilandra reclaimed the right to the Shi'ar throne and the Imperial Guard protected her throneworld as usual.
Operation Galactic Storm
The Imperial Guard played an important role in the Kree-Shi'ar War, printed in the Operation Galactic Storm cross-over. It started with Warstar trying to kidnap Rick Jones, but he was helped by Captain America,but was later captured by Oracle and some other Guardsmen who were intent on recovering Kree artifacts to aid them in the construction of a super weapon.
Later in these series Oracle, Flashfire and Electron kidnapped the Kree Captain Atlas and Impulse, Magique and Manta did fight with Starfox, the Kree Doctor Minerva and Quasar, but lost the battle.
Also new Imperial Guardsmen were introduced, like Onslaught, Hardball, Solar Wind, Moondancer, Voyager and Glom. This group did fight Quasar and Her to distract them so they could not stop the Nega Bomb.
Thor did fight Gladiator and was about to lose the battle, only to get the upper hand with the help of Living Lightning he managed to knock Gladiator unconscious.
Of the newly appearing Guardsmen Onslaught, Hardball and Glom never showed serving with the Imperial Guard again, probably forgotten by writers.
Starblast
In the Marvel series Quasar #54-56, when a group of aliens calling themselves Starblasters tried to push the moon away from Earth’s orbit, Quasar recruited some of Earth’s most powerful heroes to stop them. The Imperial Guard were informed about a hijacked Shi'ar craft and later joined Quasar. When it became clear that the Starblasters were working for The Stranger, Guard members Solar Wind, Voyager and Moondancer opted to help Quasar's team against the Stranger. These three Guardsmen were once captured and caged by the Stranger some years before.
Leader Gladiator denied their request, but all three decided to help anyway, even though it would mean they had to resign from active Guard duty. After helping Quasar these three 'former' Guardsmen were never seen again serving the Shi'ar Imperial Guard, and their whereabouts are unknown.
Imperial Guard limited series
During the time when many Earth heroes were believed dead after a battle with the psionic being Onslaught, Lilandra dispatched a cadre of eight Guardsmen to help protect Earth. These were: Gladiator, Commando—a new guardsman who used to be a Kree soldier—, Earthquake, Electron, Flashfire, Mentor, Nightside and Oracle. There, the Guardsmen uncovered a plot by a militant Kree faction to exact revenge for Earth's involvement in the Kree/Shi'ar war. The Guard ultimately proved triumphant, but not before the Kree's leader, the Supreme Intelligence, was recreated. Soon after, the Guard foiled an assassination attempt on Lilandra by the Kree Ronan and his unwilling agents, the Inhuman Royal Family.
Maximum Security
In the multi-series crossover event called Maximum Security, four members of the Imperial Guard go rogue; Hussar, Warstar, Neutron and Webwing. They are placed on Earth, which the Shi'ar, along with other alien races, had appointed as an interstellar prison. The four ex-Guard help the entity 'Starhammer' attack the X-Men, particularly Jean Grey. After the crossover, Warstar and Nuetron return to active duty with the Guard. The fate of Webwing and Hussar is not made clear.
In this crossover Gladiator serves as Lilandra's advisor.
Cassandra Nova
During Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's run on New X-Men, Lilandra comes under the mental possession of Cassandra Nova, the genetic twin of Xavier who had usurped her brother's body. She is mentally coerced into dispatching the Guard to kill the X-Men, while Nova stays behind and ravages the Shi'ar empire. After a pitched battle on the grounds of the X-Mansion, the X-Men are able to convince the Guard of the true threat. This is bolstered by Smasher, who is sent to earth as a warning when Lilandra temporarily has a clear mind. The Guard rally to defeat Nova but fall early on under her telepathic assault. The X-Men, with the unwilling recruitment of the shape-changing Shi'ar spy 'Stuff', defeat Nova. Lilandra suffers long-term mental damage from this encounter, even trying to assassinate Xaiver at a later date.
During this storyline, the Guard is called 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 Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire
In Uncanny X-Men #480, the Imperial Guard suffers heavy casualties in battle with Vulcan. Those who died at the hands of Vulcan were Smasher, Impulse, Neutron, Hobgoblin, and Cosmo. Some other guardsmen, like Titan, Nightside and Oracle received severe injuries, but these three have since recovered. Gladiator, Scintilla, Warstar, Manta, Earthquake, Mentor, Electron, Astra, Starbolt and Flashfire were also fighting Vulcan, all these survived the battle. The status of the rest of the Imperial Guard is unknown as yet.
Emperor Vulcan
The civil war between Vulcan's including his Imperial Guard and those loyal the dethroned Lilandra rages on. Led by Havok and the Starjammers, Lilandra's forces gradually whittle away at Vulcan's forces, which are plagued by defections. The Shi'ar, contrary to Vulcan's expectations, are not happy to have an outsider as their ruler. Vulcan is discouraged by this, but Deathbird convinces him that they will come to accept him.
Warned in advance of a rebel raid on Feather's Edge, Vulcan and his fleet ambush the Starjammers. However, in the middle of the battle, his ship, the Hammer, is destroyed by the Scy'ar Tal (translates as "Death to the Shi'ar"). Vulcan and Gladiator attack the leader of the Scy'ar Tal and are easily defeated, whereupon they retreat deeper into Shi'ar space.
Marvel Girl makes contact with the Eldest Scy'ar Tal and discovers their true origin. The Scy'ar Tal were originally called the M'Kraan. Early in their history, the Shi'ar attacked them, killed a great number of their people, making the rest flee for their lives. Eventually, the Shi'ar settled on their planet, took the M'Kraan Crystal as their own, and passed down the legend of the M'Kraan Crystal as a sacred gift from their deities, Sharra & K'ythri. The M'Kraan then changed their named to Scy'ar Tal and devoted their culture and society to the destruction of the Shi'ar Empire. With their first attack, they destroyed Feather's Edge by transporting a star to obliterate it.
Vulcan leads the fight from a Shi'ar vessel, accompanied by his brother Havok and Gladiator, Titan, Starbolt, Mentor, Warstar and Earthquake, while Oracle shields their ship from Marvel Girl.
Gladiator assists Havok and Vulcan in fighting 'the Eldest', leader of the Scy'ar Tal and finally the three of them manage to win the battle.
Afterward, Vulcan orders the guard to attack the Starjammers. Plutonia, Oracle, Flashfire, Manta and Electron are among the guardsmen who fight the Starjammers. Finally they capture Raza, Ch'od, Havok and Polaris. The remaining Starjammers and Lilandra escape.
X-Men: Kingbreaker
Vulcan decides to expand the Shi'ar Empire. All Imperial Guard members are occupied in fulfilling his battle wishes somewhere around the borders of Shi'ar space. Some of the Death Commandos seem to been killed over time (off panel, but mentioned by Oracle). Oracle seems to be operating as Vulcan's adviser during this period in time. A new Imperial Guard has appeared in this mini-series, which consists of assassins who are being held prisoners by the Shi'ar. The new Imperial Guard consists of a Symbiote, an Uncreated, the Pn'zo and a Hodinn. Vulcan then chooses a Strontian woman—the same race as Kallark aka Gladiator—to lead the team.
Meanwhile Gladiator was approached by Lilandra for information, Marvel Girl did read his mind while Lilandra tried to seduce Gladiator. as soon as the required information was gathered, both women escaped. However it was not made clear if Lilandra faked her affection or not.
The new Imperial Guard arrived on Clench Worlds, which was a temporary hiding place for the Starjammers. The Strontian targets Korvus and his Phoenix Blade, causing Rachel to fly off to help him. Meanwhile the Symbiote enters the Starjammer to attack Lilandra. Rachel attacks the Strontian and takes her away from Korvus. The Symbiote attempts to attach itself to Lilandra, but after finding out it is sensitive to electricity Lilandra breaks a cable and stabs it with it. Outside on the platform the Pz'no attacks Korvus with electricity but Korvus throws him away before the Uncreated attacks him. While Rachel battles the Strontian, the Hodinn finally makes an appearance and decides to burn it all, unlocking his armor and allowing his scorching body to send a huge heatwave that destroys the planet, but not before the Starjammers and the rest of the Guard escape.
War of Kings
Vulcan then embarks on an ambitious plan to conquer the rest of the universe[1]
Serving under Emperor Vulcan for the Imperial Guard of the Shi'ar empire, Gladiator led the assault against the Inhumans. As Crystal of the Inhuman Royal Family was about to marry Ronan the Accuser in order to unite the Inhumans with the Kree, they were attacked by Gladiator and the guard. Gladiator took on Black Bolt and was able to defeat him with some help from White Noise. The guard also captured Princess Lilandra who was with the Kree and Inhumans. Ronan also fell as he tried to help Crystal but was double teamed and taken out. Gladiator said that they have made their statement, and the Imperial Guard left. As they left, Medusa shouted that the Shi'ar would pay for what they have done, with their blood.
After having captured Lilandra, Gladiator and the Imperial Guard faced off against the new batch of Nova Centurions whom they quickly defeated when his cousin, Xenith, showed up informing him that the Emperor ordered him to return to present Lilandra to him when she was to face him. Gladiator quickly left though clearly showing his dislike for his cousin and her presence. Gladiator shows more internal conflict and walks a fine line in doing his duty for the Emperor he personally dislikes while still protecting Lilandra from the Emperor's wrath. Later when the Starjammers accompanied by the a faction of the Guardians of the Galaxy attacked his ship to extract Lilandra he was taken out of the fight by Rocket Raccoon aided by Marvel Girl until he saw through their trick. He quickly defeats the rest of their team and captures Lilandra before she can escape. She pleads with him again but another Imperial Guard interjects her plea and demands that Gladiator does as the Emperor ordered and kill Lilandra and the others.
After battling Lilandra's allies the Starjammers and the 616 universe's 21st century incarnation of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Gladiator is swayed by Lilandra's argument against Vulcan and kills a member of the Imperial Guard loyal to the Emperor.[2]
Guardian of the Galaxy member Adam Warlock fights with Emperor Vulcan in Gardians of the Galaxy #15. Later some Imperial Guardsmen, including Magique, are helping Vulcan out. Magique is ordered by Mentor to attack Adam Warlock and after a short but heavy fight Magique seemed to have lost the battle and Warlock escapes. However, not all was lost, Magique was able to put a 'witchmark' on Adam, without him knowing. Adam was followed by the Imperial Guard (via Magique's 'witchmark' on Adam). The Imperial Guards attack the Guardians of the Galaxy while Magique follows Adam Warlock, who somehow is able to transport the 'witchmark' back on her and therefore the Shi'ar soldiers shoot her instead of Adam Warlock.
Resemblances to DC Comics' Legion of Super-Heroes.
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, to a lesser extent Mon-El.Oddly enough Gladiator's real name is Kallark; a combination of Superboy's real names Kal-el and Clark. Most of the other members are direct equivalents in super-powers and have similar details of costume design to specific Legionnaires (such as Oracle matches Saturn Girl, Electron matches Cosmic Boy, Mentor matches Brainiac 5,and Flashfire matches Lightning Lad), 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. (Nightcrawler was intended to be in a Legion spinoff team book, but Cockrum left the book before he could be introduced, so he brought the character over to Marvel.[3]) 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 "Operation: Galactic Storm". Kree guardsman Commando's real name is M-Nell; a nod to LSH member Mon-El.
Collective list of titles
- Avengers vol. 1 #345
- Avengers West Coast #80-82
- Captain America vol. 1 #398
- Classic X-Men #14
- Excalibur vol. 1 #69-70
- Exiles #3-4, 87-88
- Imperial Guard #1-3
- Inhumans vol. 3 #3-4
- New X-Men vol. 1 #117, 122-126, 133
- Quasar #32-33, 54-56
- Rom Annual #4
- Starblast #1-4
- Starjammers #4
- Thor vol. 1 #445-446
- Uncanny X-Men #107-109, 136-137, 155, 157-158, 162, 275-277, 341, 467-468, 477, 480, 482-483
- War of Kings #1-
- What If? #55-56
- X-Men Spotlight on ... Starjammers #2
- X-Men: Emperor Vulcan # 1 - 5
==Alternate Versions
JLA/Avengers
In the series JLA/Avengers, the Imperial Guard make a brief appearance being attacked by the DC Comics villain Lobo.
Other Media
Television
- The Imperial Guard appears in the 1990s X-Men TV series. Present in the series are Starbolt, Flashfire, Oracle, Smasher, Titan, Hobgoblin, Warstar, Quake, Hussar, and Manta.
Video Games
- Gladiator, Neutron, Hussar, Starbolt, and Warstar of the Imperial Guard appear in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance as enemies. Apparently some of the guards turned traitor and helped Deathbird take the throne from her sister Lilandra. At the same time the player's team comes to obtain a shard of the M'Kraan Crystal, and defeat the traitorous guards, Shi'ar soldiers, and Deathbird.
Novels
- Certain members of the Imperial Guard appear in Watchers on the Walls by Christopher L. Bennett, those members being Smasher, Manta, Flashfire, Astra, Nightside, Magique, Blackthorn, N'rill'iree, and a brief appearance of Empress Lilandra.
References
- ^ X-Men:Kingbreaker #1 - 4 (Feb. - May 2009)
- ^ War of Kings #1 - 3 (May. - July 2009)
- ^ http://www.nightscrawlers.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=944