Guardians of the Globe are a
fictional
Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places
Place may refer to:
Geography
* Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population
** Census-designated place, ...
superhero team
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Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...
in the
Image Universe
The Image Universe (IU) is a fictional universe in which some stories published by Image Comics take place. It was introduced in the early years of the publisher, shared by the various creators who formed the Image partnership. The independent, ...
, appearing primarily in the comic, and further Amazon Prime series, ''
Invincible
Invincible may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Invincible'' (2001 drama film), a drama by Werner Herzog about Jewish cabaret during the rise of Nazism
* ''Invincible'' (2001 TV film), a fantasy / martial arts TV movie starring Billy Zane
...
''. The original team was based on
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
'
Justice League of America
The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...
.
Fictional team history
Guardians of the Globe I
The original Guardians of the Globe was a private organization funded by War Woman and Darkwing. This version of the Guardians was a pastiche of
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
'
Justice League of America
The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...
(JLA), with each of the Guardians (except Black Samson) having an obvious JLA analog. Robert Kirkman, in his author notes for ''Invincible: The Ultimate Collection, Volume 1'', explains that he went with these archetypes because he had only 18 pages to get the reader to care for the characters before their brutal deaths.
Along with Black Samson (who is in part based on
Doc Samson
Doc Samson (Leonard Skivorski Jr.) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as a superhero and psychiatrist in the Marvel Universe, known as a supporting character in ...
, but mostly on
Iron Man
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charact ...
), the team included: Darkwing (based on
Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
); the Immortal (based on
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
along with elements of
Vandal Savage
Vandar Adg of the Blood Tribe, more widely known as Vandal Savage, is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is said to be a Cro-Magnon warrior who gained immortality and advanced healing abilities after encount ...
); War Woman (based on
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
); a Russian named Red Rush (based on
the Flash
The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date ...
); Aquarus, the King of Atlantis (based on
Aquaman
Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). The character is a pastiche of Namor. Initially ...
); Martian Man (based on
the Martian Manhunter
The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and designed by artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" ...
); and the Green Ghost (based on
Green Lantern
Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
).
Omni-Man
Omni-Man (Nolan Grayson) is a fictional character in the Image Universe, created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Cory Walker (with Ryan Ottley) as an expansion of a character concept created by Alan Moore and Chris Sprouse. Omni-Man is the fa ...
(who is also based on
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
), although he was never an official member of the team (unlike
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
), was a trusted associate of the Guardians, and knew the location and password of the Guardians secret headquarters in
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
. This trust let Omni-Man betray and murder the Guardians, after calling them to their headquarters on an emergency. He smashed Aquarius and Red Rush's faces together, beheads Green Ghost, snap's War Woman's neck, disembowels Martian Man, and impales Darkwing. Before getting beheaded, Immortal noted to Omni-Man that he never liked him. After beheading Immortal, Omni-Man quoted "the feeling was mutual".
The only member of the Guardians to survive the massacre was Black Samson, who was not actively a member at that time (due to the loss of his powers). The Immortal subsequently returns to life due to the nature of his power.
Guardians of the Globe II
After the murder of the original team, the
United States government
The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...
re-established the Guardians of the Globe as a state-funded agency. This new team was led by former Teen Team leader Robot, under the direct supervision of Donald, the government's superhuman liaison. Donald was ultimately responsible to Cecil Stedman. Along with Robot, the initial lineup for the new team included Dupli-Kate and
Rex Splode
''Invincible'' is an American comic book series written by Robert Kirkman, illustrated by Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley, and published by Image Comics. Set in the Image Universe, ''Invincible'' follows the coming of age of superhero Mark Grayso ...
from the Teen Team,
Monster Girl
A monster girl is a fictional Trope (literature), trope of a woman who is or shares visual traits with a monster. The trope is historically used strictly negatively and antagonistically as a representation of an ugly, cruel, or deceitful woman; su ...
, Shrinking Ray, and Black Samson, the only surviving member of the old team.
The new team's performance in its first few months did not live up to expectations of its superiors, leading Donald and Cecil to make some changes. Bulletproof was added to the team's roster, and the newly resurrected Immortal was brought in as a consultant to improve standards. After the team continued to under-perform, the Immortal replaced Robot as team leader.
Although not a member (Robot said he was always welcome if he becomes interested),
Invincible
Invincible may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Invincible'' (2001 drama film), a drama by Werner Herzog about Jewish cabaret during the rise of Nazism
* ''Invincible'' (2001 TV film), a fantasy / martial arts TV movie starring Billy Zane
...
reports to the same agency and often helps the team in dire circumstances.
When most of the Guardians' most powerful members were sent into space to thwart a Martian invasion, they were successful, but while they were away, the team's weaker members were required to stop the Lizard League's plot to take command of nuclear warheads. Dupli-Kate and Shrinking Ray were killed by the villain Komodo Dragon; Rex Splode was badly injured in the fight, but survived.
After lashing out at Allen the Alien (who was only looking for Invincible), the Immortal realized just how deeply he had been affected by Dupli-Kate's death and resigned from the Guardians. However, it was revealed that Dupli-Kate was still alive, as she had always left her "Zero" behind on missions.
Parody team and miniseries
Image began in March 2010 releasing teaser posters, announcing members of a new Guardians of the Globe team as a parody of
Marvel's advertisements for the line-ups of their revamped ''
Avengers
Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to:
Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe
* Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes
**Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...
'', ''
New Avengers'', ''
Secret Avengers
''Secret Avengers'' is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics featuring a fictional black ops superhero team of the same name. The series started with Ed Brubaker on writing duties, depicting a black-ops sect of Marvel's premie ...
'' and ''
Avengers Academy
''Avengers Academy'' is a Marvel Comics comic book series that debuted in June 2010 as part of the " Heroic Age", and concluded after thirty-nine issues in November 2012. The series was written by Christos Gage, with artwork by Mike McKone and t ...
'' books. The released posters, in order of appearance, were:
* Invincible from ''Invincible''
*
Spawn
Spawn or spawning may refer to:
* Spawn (biology), the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise
** '' Spawn: ...
from ''Spawn''
* Rick Grimes from ''
The Walking Dead''
* U.S. President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
* Gary Potter, a parody of
Harry Potter
''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
In an interview with
Comic Book Resources
''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion.
History
Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...
, Kirkman explained that although the later images ''were'' deliberately farcical, the campaign was intended to announce a six-issue miniseries spinning out of ''Invincible''. The miniseries, he said, would deal with the earthbound characters of the Invincible universe, while that title focused on "The Viltrumite War", an eight-issue storyline that would be set solely in space. The six-issue series, named ''Guarding the Globe'', was launched on August 25, 2010. The Parody Team was featured in a one-page backup in the first issue.
Image released teaser images of the team's ''real'' members done in the same style as the parody images. This set of posters, in order appearance, were:
*
Brit from ''Brit''
* Outrun
* Kaboomerang
* Yeti
* Bulletproof
Bulletproof Remains A Guardian of the Globe
Comic Book Resources, March 26, 2010
Outrun, Kaboomerang, and Yeti are all new characters created for the series. Issue three of the new bimonthly miniseries also introduced El Chupacabra from Mexico, a washed-up superhero who is an alcoholic with razor-sharp claws and other abilities. In issue four, seven additional new characters are added.
;Japandroid
:A little android girl from Japan.
;Cast Iron
:A metal-skinned man from Yugoslavia.
;Knockout
:A boxing heroine from the United States of America. Formerly a Capes, Inc. character.
;Best Tiger
:A blindfolded gunman from the People's Republic of China.
;Le Brusier
:A French bulldog from France.
;Kid Thor
:A mallet-wielding strongman from Canada, also formerly from Capes Inc.
;Pegasus
:A winged woman from Russia.
Currently most of the surviving members of the Guardians of the Globe are the prisoners of Robot who has established a secret world dictatorship with himself as the head.
In Robot's initial attack, Black Samson was killed in his barbershop. Knockout was killed by a Robot drone after attempting to revive her husband Kid Thor who had been reduced to a desiccated corpse due to a Robot Drone blasting his hammer free of his grasp. Kid Thor had previously been shown to need to hold his hammer at all times to allow it to keep him alive. Knockout retrieved Kid Thor's hammer and placed it in his remaining hand. Kid Thor reanimated just in time to see Knockout decapitated by a Robot Drone. Kid Thor attacked the drone, but his hammer was swiftly destroyed by the drone implying that Kid Thor died as well. Pegasus managed to escape the initial attack while flying a wounded Yeti to safety.
However, Brit, Outrun, Kaboomarang, Le Brusier, Pegasus and Yeti were all later captured by Robot's drones following Bulletproof's betrayal of the remaining Guardians in exchange for his freedom.
Of the Guardians present, only Best Tiger escaped. The Immortal and Dupli-Kate remain free and in hiding-attempting to foster a rebellion against Robot.
In other media
Both incarnations for the Guardians of the Globe appear in the steaming television series ''Invincible
Invincible may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Invincible'' (2001 drama film), a drama by Werner Herzog about Jewish cabaret during the rise of Nazism
* ''Invincible'' (2001 TV film), a fantasy / martial arts TV movie starring Billy Zane
...
'', with Immortal, Aquarius and Rudy voiced by Ross Marquand
Roscoe Wayne Marquand (born August 22, 1981) is an American actor. He has played Aaron on the television series '' The Walking Dead'' since 2015, Red Skull and Ultron in various projects connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and has voice ...
, War Woman voiced by Lauren Cohan
Lauren Cohan (born January 7, 1982) is an American-British actress best known for her role as Maggie Greene in the AMC post-apocalyptic horror television series '' The Walking Dead'' (2011–2018; 2020–2022). Her other notable TV roles inclu ...
, a genderbent Green Ghost voiced by Sonequa Martin-Green
Sonequa Chaunté Martin-Green (; Martin; born March 21, 1985) is an American actress. She is best known for her television roles as Michael Burnham, the main character in the streaming television series '' Star Trek: Discovery'', and as Sasha W ...
, Martian Man voiced by Chad Coleman
Chad L. Coleman (born September 6, 1967) is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for playing Dennis "Cutty" Wise on the HBO series ''The Wire'' (2004–08), Tyreese on the AMC series '' The Walking Dead'' (2012–15), Mingo on ''Roots'' (2 ...
, Red Rush voiced by Michael Cudlitz
Michael Cudlitz (born December 29, 1964) is an American actor known for portraying John Cooper in the NBC/ TNT drama series '' Southland'' for which he won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2013 ...
, Darkwing voiced by Lennie James
Lennie Michael James (born 11 October 1965) is a British actor, screenwriter, and playwright. His work includes playing Morgan Jones in the television series, '' The Walking Dead'' and in its spin-off, '' Fear the Walking Dead'', and starring ...
, Robot voiced by Zachary Quinto
Zachary John Quinto (; born June 2, 1977) is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his roles as Sylar, the primary antagonist from the science fiction drama series ''Heroes (American TV series), Heroes'' (2006–2010); Spock in th ...
, Rex Splode voiced by Jason Mantzoukas
Jason Mantzoukas (, el, Ιάσων Μαντζούκας; born December 18, 1972) is an American actor, comedian, writer and podcaster. He is best known for his recurring role as Rafi in the FX comedy series ''The League'', and as one of the th ...
, Dupli-Kate voiced by Males Jowe, a genderbent Shrinking Rae and Monster Girl's human form voiced by Grey DeLisle
Grey DeLisle (; born Erin Grey Van Oosbree; August 24, 1973), sometimes credited as Grey Griffin, is an American voice actress, comedian and singer-songwriter. DeLisle is known for various roles in animated productions and video games. On Sept ...
, Monster Girl's ogre form voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson
Kevin Michael Richardson (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, he has mostly voiced villainous characters in animation and video games. In film, Richardson voiced Goro in ''Mortal Kombat'' (1995) ...
, and Black Samson voiced by Khary Payton
Khary Payton (born May 16, 1972) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as King Ezekiel on the horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'' and Dr. Terrell Jackson on the soap opera '' General Hospital'', as well as voicing Cyborg across v ...
. Just like the comics, the original incarnation of the Guardians of the Globe minus Black Samsons were slaughtered by Omni-Man with Immortal later being revived. While the part with Omni-Man killing Immortal and snapping War Woman's neck remains intact, he did different death moves to the other members like crushing Red Rush's skull, sending his fist through Green Ghost's head, beheads Martian Man, slamming Darkwing's head into the ground, and using War Woman's mace on Aquarius. After their deaths, a second incarnation of the Guardians of the Globe was formed with Invincible, Rudy and Robot, Rex Splode, Dupli-Kate, Shrinking Rae, Monster Girl, and Black Samson.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guardians Of The Globe
Image Comics superhero teams
Invincible (comic)
Characters created by Robert Kirkman