HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Guardians of the Universe are a race of extraterrestrial superhero
character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...
s appearing in
American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...
s published by
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 ...
, commonly in association with
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, ...
. They first appeared in ''Green Lantern'' (vol. 2) #1 (July 1960), and were created by John Broome and
Gil Kane Gil Kane (; born Eli Katz ; April 6, 1926 – January 31, 2000) was a Latvian-born American comics artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and virtually every major comics company and character. Kane co-created the modern-day versio ...
. The Guardians of the Universe have been adapted to a number of films, television programs, and video games. The Guardians of the Universe are the founders and leaders of the interstellar law enforcement agency known as the
Green Lantern Corps Green Lantern Corps is the name of a fictional intergalactic law enforcement organization appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They patrol the farthest reaches of the DC Universe at the behest of the Guardians, a race of immortals residin ...
, which they administer from their homeworld Oa at the center of the Universe. The Guardians resemble short humans with blue skin and white hair. They are depicted as being immortal and are the oldest living beings created in the Universe.


History


Background

The Guardians evolved on the planet Maltus, being among the first intelligent life forms in the universe. At this time, they were tall, grayish-blue humanoids with black hair, who roughly resembled humans except for their skin color. They became scientists and thinkers, experimenting on the worlds around them. One experiment led to the creation of a new species, the Psions. In a pivotal moment, billions of years ago, a Maltusian named Krona used time-bending technology to observe the beginning of the Universe. However, this experiment, and later attempts to stop it, unleashed disaster upon all existence. Originally, the experiment splintered the Universe into the
Multiverse The multiverse is a hypothetical group of multiple universes. Together, these universes comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describe them. The di ...
and created the evil Anti-Matter Universe of
Qward Qward is a fictional world existing within an anti-matter universe that is part of the . It was first mentioned in ''Green Lantern'' (vol. 2) #2 (October 1960). Fictional history Krona (comics), Krona, an Oan scientist from the planet Maltus (co ...
. Following the retroactive destruction of the Multiverse, it was revealed that Krona flooded the beginning of the Universe with
entropy Entropy is a scientific concept, as well as a measurable physical property, that is most commonly associated with a state of disorder, randomness, or uncertainty. The term and the concept are used in diverse fields, from classical thermodynam ...
causing it "to be born old". Feeling responsible for this, the evolved Maltusians relocated to the planet Oa (at "the center of the Universe") and became the Guardians. Their goal was simple: combat evil and create an orderly universe. They acted quickly on that goal. During this period, they slowly evolved into their current appearance, losing about half of their height and having their skulls grow larger. They now act as the leaders of the
Green Lantern Corps Green Lantern Corps is the name of a fictional intergalactic law enforcement organization appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They patrol the farthest reaches of the DC Universe at the behest of the Guardians, a race of immortals residin ...
, an interstellar police force which patrols the universe.


Consequences

Desiring to bring order, peace and harmony to all the universe, they created a mechanized police force composed of powerful, self-aware androids known as Manhunters. These Manhunters, resembling uniformed, blue-skinned humanoids, operated as cosmic police officers, much like the later Green Lanterns. They protected civilization and maintained peace in the Universe for millions of years, patrolling 3600 sectors into which the cosmos had been divided. One day, the Manhunters collectively changed their directives and set out on a campaign to eradicate all organic life. Starting with Sector 666, they killed the people they had been created to protect, eradicating almost all life in the entire sector before the Guardians stopped them. Most Manhunters were decommissioned after the massacre of Sector 666, but the ones that escaped became the sworn enemies of their former masters and remained so until modern times. The Manhunter rebellion caused the Guardians to split into groups with different goals.
The Controllers The Controllers are a fictional extraterrestrial race existing in the DC Universe. They first appear in '' Adventure Comics'' #357 (June 1967), and were created by Jim Shooter, Mort Weisinger, and Curt Swan. Fictional character biography Pre-C ...
believe the only way to protect the Universe is to control it. The
Zamaron The Zamarons are a fictional extraterrestrial race published by DC Comics. They were first introduced in ''Green Lantern'' (vol. 2) #16 (October 1962), and were created by John Broome and Gil Kane. Fictional species biography The Zamarons were ...
s, consisting entirely of female Oans, felt no need to involve themselves in the Universe's problems at all. Over the years, both groups evolved to look dissimilar to the Guardians. Other groups also left the Guardians; one such group settled on Earth, becoming the source of
leprechaun A leprechaun ( ga, leipreachán/luchorpán) is a diminutive supernatural being in Irish folklore, classed by some as a type of solitary fairy. They are usually depicted as little bearded men, wearing a coat and hat, who partake in mischief. ...
legends. The
Apokolips Apokolips is a fictional planet that appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The planet is ruled by Darkseid, established in Jack Kirby's Fourth World series, and is integral to many stories in the DC Universe. Apokolips is co ...
campaign ended in a truce, with the Guardians forced to abandon a soldier (
Raker Qarrigat 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, ...
) to
Darkseid Darkseid () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby to serve as the primary antagonist of his "Fourth World (comics), Fourth World" metaseries, and was firs ...
. Fearing dissension, they ordered all records of the Campaign expunged. Survivors of the massacre of Sector 666 – beings labelled demons – banded together to form a nation called the Empire of Tears, which opposed the Guardians’ efforts and philosophy. They used dark magic to create a galaxy-spanning realm of chaos and evil. The Guardians eventually defeated the Empire and imprisoned its leaders, the Five Inversions, on the bleak world of Ysmault. The Guardians decided that magic was chaotic and posed a threat to the balance they desired to achieve. They labored to destroy sources of magic and suppress or imprison its users throughout the Universe. They succeeded in compacting much of the chaotic magic energy of the Cosmos and imprisoning it inside a star; part of it eventually escaped to become the
Starheart A power ring is an object featured in American comic books published by DC Comics. The power ring first appeared in ''All-American Comics'' #16 on July 14, 1940. Green Lantern Corps The first appearance of a power ring was in ''All-American Com ...
.


Modern history

The Guardians were almost wiped out in the events of ''
Emerald Twilight "Emerald Twilight" is a 1994 comic book story told in ''Green Lantern'' (vol. 3) #48–50, written by Ron Marz, drawn by Darryl Banks and published by DC Comics. The story introduced a new Green Lantern, Kyle Rayner, who gained a significant fan f ...
'', the only survivor being
Ganthet Ganthet is a character in the DC Comics universe, who first appeared in 1992 in Larry Niven and John Byrne’s graphic novel ''Green Lantern: Ganthet's Tale'' (). He is also the husband of Sayd. Fictional character biography Ganthet is one of t ...
. They sacrificed themselves to create one final power ring, a power ring perhaps more powerful than all others before it. Oa was itself destroyed in a battle between Parallax and
Kyle Rayner Kyle Rayner (), one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character is depicted as being associated with the Green Lantern Corps, an extraterrestrial police force of ...
, but rebuilt in the events of "Legacy" as the final wish of Hal Jordan's former power ring. The Guardians have since been restored when Kyle Rayner, as
Ion An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conve ...
, recharged the Central Power Battery. Rayner lost his power and role as Ion but this sacrifice released all the Guardian's life forces from the dormancy in his ring. The Immortals first appeared as children but aged quickly and many seem to have returned to the identities they had before they created Kyle Rayner's power ring. Unlike before, however, the Guardians are male and female, rather than just male. While Kyle had made them children in order for them to grow up and become less cold than their predecessors, this had not worked. Instead, the Guardians were as cold and manipulative as they were before the ''Emerald Twilight'', with the exception of Ganthet and
Sayd Sayd is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. She is a member of the Guardians of the Universe. Where most of the Guardians are void of emotion and rigid in their compliance to standard policy, Sayd's sensibilities are more in line with ...
. Also, one of them, Lianna, seemed to have reverted to the original Maltusian appearance in the process. Many of the Guardians revived by Kyle Rayner seemed to have disappeared, as only a handful now appear in the current Green Lantern issues, while dozens were revived by Kyle Rayner. Female Guardians appear in flashbacks to Hal Jordan's rookie days as a Green Lantern. Whether this is an oversight or a result of the events of ''
Infinite Crisis "Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, a ...
'' has not been explained. With their revival, they began to rebuild the
Green Lantern Corps Green Lantern Corps is the name of a fictional intergalactic law enforcement organization appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They patrol the farthest reaches of the DC Universe at the behest of the Guardians, a race of immortals residin ...
using veterans to train the new ring-bearers. Alongside this experiment, the Guardians refortified Oa by creating a planet-wide armor and defensive system to prevent successful attacks against them. The ''
Sinestro Corps War "Sinestro Corps War" is an American comic book Fictional crossover, crossover event published by DC Comics in its ''Green Lantern'' and ''Green Lantern Corps'' titles. Written by Geoff Johns and Dave Gibbons and drawn by Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleas ...
'' forces them to rewrite the Book of Oa and to add ten new laws. To date, four of the ten have been revealed.''Green Lantern'' (vol. 4) #23 (September 2007) They also expelled Ganthet and Sayd from their rank, because of the discovery that they were in a romantic relationship with each other. Another reason for their expulsion was their quotation from the forbidden chapter of the Book of Oa, which has
Abin Sur Abin Sur is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was a member of the Green Lantern Corps and is best known as the predecessor of Green Lantern Hal Jordan, whom Abin Sur's power ring chose as his replacement. Aft ...
's discovery of the prophecy The ''
Blackest Night "Blackest Night" is a 2009–10 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous central miniseries, written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Ivan Reis, along with a number of tie-in issues. ''Blackest Nig ...
''. In the aftermath of the War, both Ganthet and Sayd have evolved into two new beings on a paradise-like planet Odym, where they are harnessing the blue energy spectrum of hope and creating blue power rings and batteries, planning to create another intergalactic police force in order to be able to aid the Guardians and the Green Lantern Corps against The ''Blackest Night''. The rank of the Guardians has weakened, as well; while there were originally twelve of them as Head Guardians, there are now six of them, after Ganthet and Sayd left Oa, and one Guardian died after a battle with Superman-Prime—this Guardian willfully "detonated" himself in an unsuccessful, last-ditch effort to destroy the insane Kryptonian (who wished to destroy the Universe in his own right).''Green Lantern'' (vol. 4) #25 (December 2007) A female Guardian has been left scarred by the Anti-Monitor, and the exposure to his antimatter energy reveals to have had dire consequences. Her fellow Guardians were unaware of the changes within her, either physical or behavioral (she is far more militant than is normal for the Guardians).''Green Lantern'' (vol. 4) #27 (January 2008)''Final Crisis: Rise of the Red Lanterns'' #1 (October 2008) In the ''Origins and Omens'' backup stories running through several DC releases in February 2009, she is given the official name of
Scar A scar (or scar tissue) is an area of fibrous tissue that replaces normal skin after an injury. Scars result from the biological process of wound repair in the skin, as well as in other organs, and tissues of the body. Thus, scarring is a na ...
.''Adventure Comics'' (vol. 2) #0 (April 2009) Scar killed one of her fellow guardians in the beginning of the Blackest Night, and is later revealed that she has since died after the Anti-Monitor's attack, and functions as an
undead The undead are beings in mythology, legend, or fiction that are deceased but behave as if alive. Most commonly the term refers to corporeal forms of formerly-alive humans, such as mummies, vampires, and zombies, who have been reanimated by super ...
instead of an
immortal Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Immortal or Immortality may also refer to: Film * ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film * ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film '' The Wisdom of ...
.''Green Lantern'' (vol. 4) #44 (September 2009) Another guardian was killed by Nekron, as a sacrifice to summon the Entity on Earth. The Guardians seemed extremely displeased with the appearance of the other corps. While they "tolerated" the existence of the
Star Sapphires Star Sapphire is the name of several fictional characters in DC Comics; many of them are villainous, and all connected in origin. Within DC continuity, an immortal race of warrior women (the Zamarons) were depicted as having the ancient traditio ...
, they made it clear that they were going to exterminate the
Red Lantern Corps The Red Lantern Corps is a supervillain and sometimes anti-heroes, anti-heroic organization appearing in DC Comics. Their power is derived from the emotional spectrum relating to rage. Publication history They debuted in ''Green Lantern'' (vol ...
. They also made a deal with
Larfleeze Larfleeze, also known as Agent Orange, is a supervillain appearing in comics published by DC Comics, usually as an antagonist in books featuring Green Lantern and the Green Lantern Corps. He is the primary wielder of the orange light of avarice, d ...
of the Orange Lantern Corps some time ago, which resulted in the Vega System being out of Green Lantern jurisdiction. However, they seem to show particular displeasure with the
Blue Lantern Corps The Blue Lantern Corps is a fictional organization appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, beginning in 2007 in ''Green Lantern'' vol. 4 #25 (December 2007) by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver. Their powers, similar to those of ...
, going so far as to attempt to forcibly remove the blue ring acquired by
Hal Jordan Harold "Hal" Jordan, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created in 1959 by writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane, and first appeared in '' ...
, and when that didn't work, attempting to hold him on Oa until such time as it could be removed. With the ultimatum delivered by Larfleeze, the current wielder of the orange power of avarice, Scar proposed lifting the ban on the Vega System as well as having the Guardians leave Oa to get involved in the conflict personally.''Green Lantern'' (vol. 4) #38 (February 2009)''Green Lantern'' (vol. 4) #39 (April 2009) The Guardians accepted Scar's proposal and left Oa with Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps to confront Larfleeze in the Vega System. The Guardians also decided to see how Jordan's blue ring would function with his green one during battles.''Green Lantern'' (vol. 4) #40 (April 2009) After the Agent Orange's defeat, the Guardians negotiated with Larfleeze once more in order to continue to keep the orange light of avarice contained. The Agent Orange later launched an attack on Odym, seeking to possess the powers of the Blue Lantern Corps, presumably being swayed by Scar.''Green Lantern'' (vol. 4) #41 (May 2009)''Green Lantern'' (vol. 4) #42 (June 2009) During the ''Blackest Night'', the Guardians finally realized that Ganthet and Sayd were correct in their interpretation of the prophecy discovered by Abin Sur. However, Scar killed a Guardian and bound the rest to prevent them from interfering. She later sent a number of black power rings to the Green Lantern Corps' memorial, reviving the deceased members of the Corps as undead Black Lanterns. She also weakened Oa's planetary defenses for an attack from the
Black Lantern Corps The Black Lantern Corps is a fictional organization of corporeal revenants (resembling intelligent zombies or jiangshi) appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, related to the emotional spectrum. The group is composed of deceased fiction ...
.''Blackest Night'' #1 (July 2009) When a group of Green Lanterns found their way into the Guardians' chamber, they found it empty, with no sign of Scar or her captives.''Green Lantern Corps'' (vol. 2) #40 (September 2009) Scar had taken her captives to the dead planet of Ryut, home of the Black Lantern's Central Power Battery.''Green Lantern'' (vol. 4) #46 (September 2009) Scar teleported herself, the Guardians, and the Black Lantern Central Power Battery to Earth, directly on top of
Black Hand Black Hand or The Black Hand may refer to: Extortionists and underground groups * Black Hand (anarchism) (''La Mano Negra''), a presumed secret, anarchist organization based in the Andalusian region of Spain during the early 1880s * Black Hand (e ...
's home, and Black Hand summoned
Nekron Nekron is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, specifically those related to Green Lantern. Created by Mike W. Barr, Len Wein and Joe Staton, the character, who exists as an embodiment of Death, first appeared in '' Tal ...
to Coast City.''Blackest Night'' #4 (December 2009) In the midst of the battle, Nekron killed a Guardian and Black Hand used his blood and organs to raise "The Trespasser" from the ground, holding a white figure. Ganthet revealed the entity to be the living embodiment of life in the universe. It seemed Earth was where life first began, a fact the Guardians did their best to hide, to keep the entity safe from harm and exploitation, redirecting that danger towards themselves by informing the majority of the universe that life began on their planet of Oa (despite the fact that the Oans were in fact born on the planet Maltus).''Blackest Night'' #7 (February 2010) During the ''
War of the Green Lanterns ''War of the Green Lanterns'' is a 2011 ten-issue American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics that spans the ''Green Lantern'', '' Green Lantern Corps'', and ''Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors'' series. It was written by each ...
'' storyline, the Guardians had been discussing the various events occurring, ranging from Hal Jordan's allegiance with the New Guardians to the revolt of the Alpha Lanterns and so on. The group is then later confronted by Krona, who reveals his plan to control emotions. As a result, he had the Ion, the Predator, Butcher, Ophidian, Ion, Adara, and Proselyte inhabit the six Guardians as hosts and placed Parallax back within the Green Central Power Battery to subjugate the Green Lantern Corps under his control. The Guardians are freed from Krona's emotional control by Hal Jordan, who kills Krona using his ultimate power. The rings from the other corps return to their former wielders. However, the Guardians expel them from Oa. The Guardians believe Hal to be the most dangerous of the Green Lantern Corps; therefore, the Guardians discharge him from the Corps, much to the Green Lantern Corps' charging. Afterward, the Guardians of the Universe allow Sinestro to become a Green Lantern once more. However, the Green Lantern Corps learn from empathy Lantern Meadlux that the Guardians are afraid of Hal Jordan, fearing that what happened to Krona would eventually happen to them if Jordan was allowed to continue as a Green Lantern. Later, when the Green Lantern Corps are in disagreement and attempt to kill Sinestro, the Corps break into the sciencells, but the Corps discover that the Guardians have in captivity Sinestro and are trying to remove Sinestro's green ring, but the ring will not be removed. Later, the Green Lantern Corps were in a meeting by the Guardians, where they chose to continue the fight and that any intrusion would incite a mutiny. The other Green Lantern Corps are in agreement.


The New 52

With Kyle Rayner having rebelled against the Guardians to join the 'New Guardians', a makeshift team consisting of representatives from all seven Corps, Hal Jordan's recent expulsion (although he has be forced to assist Sinestro's activities), and the 'recommendations' of the now-emotionless Ganthet, the Guardians are preparing to create the 'Third Army' to replace the Green Lantern Corps. This would involve them recovering the mysterious 'First Lantern' for an undefined role, prompting Sinestro, who learned about this prophecy after touching the Book of the Black, to enlist Hal's aid in stopping this scheme. The Guardians began searching for the Book of the Black by tracking Starstorm, who was one of the last people to have had contact with the Book. When he proves useless to them, the Guardians kill Starstorm without mercy. Furthermore, it was revealed that they were the masterminds behind the release of Abysmus, one of Atrocitus' early experiments at creating life by the use of necromancy and shamanic rituals, so he could try to destroy the Red Lantern Corps by poisoning their Central Power Battery. It is also speculated that they were the masterminds behind the release of Archangel Invictus from Larfleeze's prison and the fall of the Blue Lantern Corps during the Reach invasion in Odym. Secretly, they also were pleased with the outcome of the Alpha War which saw the death of all Alpha Lanterns as it kept their hands clean of any involvement as they intended to destroy their Green Lanterns whilst bringing about the rise of the Third Army. In order to do so, the Guardians of the Universe traveled to the Chamber of Shadows, where they had sealed other Oans away for billion of years. As the Guardians open the Chamber, the imprisoned Oans believe that they were finally joining them, but the Guardians clarify that they are there for the First Lantern. The other Oans were stunned by the Guardians (who have become unemotional), telling them that keeping the First Lantern captivity was their objective. The Guardians attack the other Oans, and a Guardian kills the elder Oan named Reegal, as they take the First Lantern, Volthoom that is trapped inside, and seal the other Oans back in the Chamber of Shadows. The Guardians intervene with the Black Lantern, Black Hand, charging him up with enough power to drain Green Lanterns Hal and Sinestro, after learning and finding out that Hal Jordan is wearing a Green Power Ring and becoming a member of the Green Lantern Corps again, which apparently kills them both, as well as the discharge of Hal Jordan once again. The Guardians then use the power of the First Lantern to create the Third Army from their own flesh and will, and so the "Rise of the Third Army" has begun. The Guardians begin an evil agenda, as they assign John to track down Mogo's dead remains, due to claims that they are moving and trying to reform it. The Guardians then promote Guy as the 'Sentinel Lantern' and entrust him with guarding a group of ambassadors travelling to a planet for a crucial conference, only to subsequently release Xar, Guy's old enemy, from the Science-Cells. They presume Xar will go after Guy's family on Earth, knowing that Guy will abandon his duty and return to Earth while Xar attacks the ambassadors. The Guardians' plans have changed after Guy breaks off the attack from the Third Army and survives; the Guardians then frame Guy for failing his duty to protect the ambassadors, who were killed and expel him from the Green Lantern Corps. Suspicious about the Guardians' agenda, Salaak's began spying on them and discover they had already spread the Third Army across the universe, but the Guardians caught him before he can reveal this information, and imprison Salaak in the Citadel. The Guardians watches the Third Army spread over the universe, destroying all life and free will. They have told the First Lantern that once the Third Army completes their control over the whole universe, there will be no need for him. Later, the Guardians realize they cannot completely control the universe and need more members of the Third Army. They use more of the power of the First Lantern, without realizing that the First Lantern's prison is breaking. The Guardians fool the Green Lanterns into a meeting to paralyse them, so they can reveal the reason behind their plan to replace the Green Lantern Corps with the Third Army. However, they are thwarted by Guy's diversion after he survives his fate at the hands of the Third Army and discovers their involvement with the Third Army. Kilowog then used his oath to cause the Central Power Battery to depower so that he could send distress calls to all the Green Lanterns and warn that the Guardians have turned against their own Corps. The Green Lantern Corps, including Guy Gardner (who rejoined them after finding out their plans), join the New Guardians and Atrocitus' Manhunters that arrive to rebel against the treacherous Guardians. When they are able to destroy the Third Army, Volthoom breaks free by taking the wounded Guardians' energy power and igniting the light, apparently resulting in the destruction of the universe. The Guardians then wake up imprisoned on the planet Maltus by Volthoom, who restores Ganthet's emotions. It is revealed that when Krona tried to observe the beginnings of the universe, his experiment allowed a vessel to emerge on Oa where inside was a figure in a spacesuit with a bright lantern battery. Calling himself Volthoom, this being had traveled across time and space and it was him who apparently tutored the Maltusians about the power of the Emotional Spectrum and at some point was given the name of The First Lantern. However, during one of Krona's experiments involving the Great Heart, he witnessed the creation of The First Ring, which he attempted to claim for himself, only to be infused with the combined emotional awareness of the Maltusians themselves. He was deemed dangerous and unstable by the nascent Guardians of the Universe who were threatened by his great power. Thus, it was ultimately decided to imprison him within The Chamber of Shadows, a lantern shaped construct built near a black hole, where he was trapped inside for untold millennia. A number of Oans remained behind to ensure that The First Lantern was kept imprisoned and became known as The Hidden Ones, while those that remained embarked on their mission of policing the universe with the Manhunters. The First Lantern's custodians and wardens vowed that he would never be released, due to the dangers he posed. According to Krona, the Guardians were responsible for betraying the First Lantern. His only legacy on Oa was within The Foundry in the area that stored the Power Gauntlet, where an inscription mentions The First Lantern. Volthoom intends to feed off the other Lanterns' emotions in order to fuel his own emotional powers.''Green Lantern'' (vol. 5) #17 (February 2013) When Volthoom is slain by Nekron, while Hal Jordan is now a member of the Green Lantern Corps, the Guardians are freed, but are then executed by Sinestro for the destruction of Korugar, although he spared one Guardian to Atrocitus. Sinestro spares Ganthet and reunites him with Sayd, but exiles them from Oa. The Malthusians who guarded Volthoom become the new "Templar Guardians". Because they are so out of touch with the current state of the universe, the Templar Guardians appoint Hal as a temporary leader of the Corps while they set out on a voyage of learning.


DC Rebirth

Subsequently, in
DC Rebirth DC Rebirth is a 2016 relaunch by the American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. Using the end of The New 52 initiative in May 2016 as its launching point, DC Rebirth restored the D ...
, while the Green Lantern Corps returned, Ganthet, Sayd, and the Templar Guardians were attacked and abducted by the Controllers. They wanted to harvest Templar Guardians' power to empower the Controllers. Four Green Lanterns of the Earth, however, were able to locate the Controllers' base at sector 3001 and attacked. After the Controllers were defeated and escaped, Ganthet announces that the Templar Guardians will return as the new Guardians of the Universe and will be their legacy. The last surviving Guardians then assist the Corps through several incidents involving Zod and the return of the Darkstars. It is during this time the new guardian council delay and second-guess their orders, not wanting to become like their predecessors. However during The Cyborg Superman's infiltration of the Corps technology and the central power battery, guardian Kada Dal is murdered. Although the Cyborg Superman's plan is stopped by Hal Jordan, it will take some time to purge his influence from the Corps. With Mogo recovering the guardians decide to move the Corps to a New Oa. Now there are only 5 surviving Guardians: Ganthet, last of the original Guardians, Sayd, last of the reborn Guardians, Rami the renegade guardian, Zalla, and Paalko, last of the Templar guardians. However as time passes, they too decide to depart from the main universe to participate in something they refer to as the "Ultrawar". They upgrade Hal's Green Lantern Power Battery and task him to venture to the Guardians' homeworld of Maltus and recruit new, younger Guardians to oversee the Corps. Partnered with the sentient salt Lantern Ryk, Hal is able to accomplish his daring, ambitious assignment but the new Guardians may be more than he bargained for. Visibly younger than their predecessors, as per the Guardians' instructions, the new Guardians are vocally unimpressed with the current way the Green Lantern Corps is being run. Frustrated by the antiquated practices and traditions in place, the new Guardians vow to change things as they settle into their roles overseeing the universe's premier peacekeeping force -- with the Guardians' omnipotent power at their disposal.


Powers and abilities

Functionally immortal, Guardians resemble short (approximately 4 feet 20 cmtall), large-headed, white-haired pale blue humans wearing red robes with their emblem, the Green Lantern symbol, on the chest. They possess vast knowledge, durability, awareness, flight, and psionic powers manifested through green plasma energy drawn from the most stable color of the emotional spectrum, green (willpower). Although, since it has been said that they chose the most stable color of the spectrum, it is possible that the Guardians may have limited access to all colors. In ''Green Lantern: Rebirth'', Kyle Rayner is recorded saying that Ganthet could crack a planet in half with a thought and have been shown able to stagger Superman-Prime and the Anti-Monitor. The Guardians display the power of time travel as they send a time-lost Kyle Rayner back to his present timeline.


Appearance

The Guardians usually appear as diminutive, blue-skinned humanoids wearing red robes and white tabards bearing their crest, the Green Lantern symbol. The appearance of the male Guardians is modeled after former
Prime Minister of Israel The prime minister of Israel ( he, רֹאשׁ הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה, Rosh HaMemshala, Head of the Government, Hebrew acronym: he2, רה״מ; ar, رئيس الحكومة, ''Ra'īs al-Ḥukūma'') is the head of government and chief exec ...
David Ben-Gurion David Ben-Gurion ( ; he, דָּוִד בֶּן-גּוּרִיּוֹן ; born David Grün; 16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary national founder of the State of Israel and the first prime minister of Israel. Adopting the name ...
. After their rebirth, the females are typically bald and have female characteristics, such as breasts, more noticeable eyelashes and lips, and tend to be less wrinkled and aged looking. Their male counterparts tend to have short, unkempt, white hair, and to be more wrinkled and aged looking. One long going inconsistency between artists has been the relative size of the Guardians' heads to their short bodies, most artists designing them with larger heads to suggest their larger brains and alien anatomy, whereas others have been shown to draw near enough human-like proportional heads. Another difference has been their ears, which have been seen to be human-like, and on other occasions, to be elf-like. Their eye color also frequently changes between artists, usually between blue and green. The Guardians' attire originally featured a long red robe with a stylized, Dracula-like collar, and their symbol emblazoned on the chest. Following their rebirth, this changed to them wearing a long red robe with a more scholarly collar, and a white tabard with their emblem on the chest area. They have also been shown by some artists to wear white undershirts, the sleeves of which can be seen sometimes under the robe's sleeves. Though their feet are not usually seen beneath their robes, they have been shown to wear red, pointed shoes.


Guardians known by name

It has been said that "Guardians do not take names", yet when Krona invaded Oa in the ''
War of the Green Lanterns ''War of the Green Lanterns'' is a 2011 ten-issue American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics that spans the ''Green Lantern'', '' Green Lantern Corps'', and ''Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors'' series. It was written by each ...
'' story-arc, he revealed that all Oans have names but have since forgotten them. Nonetheless, a few of their lot have been named in the stories.''Green Lantern'' (vol. 4) #64 (March 2011) It was eventually revealed that the reason for the Guardians having forgotten their names was because they had removed their own emotions in order to defeat Volthoom before he could nearly destroy the universe and becoming unemotional for fear of emotions . Among them: * Appa Ali Apsa – Appa Ali Apsa (a.k.a. "the Old-Timer" and/or "the Mad Guardian") is one of the immortal Guardians of the Universe, creators of the law-keeping Green Lantern Corps. After
Green Arrow Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 in November 1941. His secret identity, real name is Olive ...
points out to the Guardians that they are too distanced from the mortals they have sworn to protect, the Guardians choose Appa Ali Apsa as their representative to experience life on Earth. Travelling across the US with Green Lantern Hal Jordan and Green Arrow, Appa experiences many adventures and learns some valuable lessons about life. He later renounces his Guardian title, powers and immortality, and chooses to travel the universe. Later, after the ''
Crisis on Infinite Earths "Crisis on Infinite Earths" is a 1985 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, was first serialized as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to March ...
'', Appa Ali loses his mind and is killed by his former brethren. In Post-Flashpoint continuity, Apsa is a member of The Circle, a group of powerful beings that also includes
Sardath Sardath is a science fiction character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by editor Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky, he first appeared in ''Showcase'' #17 (November 1958). Publication history Sardath was created by Ga ...
, King Myand'r of
Tamaran This page list the locations in the DC Universe, the shared universe setting of DC Comics. Sites * the Arrowcave – The former base of operations of the Green Arrow and Speedy. * Avernus Cemetery – A burial ground located in Central City for ...
, and Lord Gandelo. * Broome Bon Barris * Basilus''DC Challenge'' #9 (July 1986) * Dawlakispokpok - * Dennap *
Ganthet Ganthet is a character in the DC Comics universe, who first appeared in 1992 in Larry Niven and John Byrne’s graphic novel ''Green Lantern: Ganthet's Tale'' (). He is also the husband of Sayd. Fictional character biography Ganthet is one of t ...
– Created the
Blue Lantern Corps The Blue Lantern Corps is a fictional organization appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, beginning in 2007 in ''Green Lantern'' vol. 4 #25 (December 2007) by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver. Their powers, similar to those of ...
along with Sayd. * Herupa Hando Hu – His name is revealed by Krona. * Lianna – A second-generation Guardian who was altered by Heartstone and raised by a Zamaron. * Kontross * Krona – A renegade Guardian of the Universe. One of the most powerful foes of the Green Lantern Corps. *Pazu Pinder Pol *
Sayd Sayd is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. She is a member of the Guardians of the Universe. Where most of the Guardians are void of emotion and rigid in their compliance to standard policy, Sayd's sensibilities are more in line with ...
– Created the
Blue Lantern Corps The Blue Lantern Corps is a fictional organization appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, beginning in 2007 in ''Green Lantern'' vol. 4 #25 (December 2007) by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver. Their powers, similar to those of ...
along with Ganthet. * Scar – Her true name is unrevealed. Her alias is gained due to a distinctive scar on the right side of her head, which was a result of her fighting the Anti-Monitor. Subsequently, she began to deviate considerably from the traditional personality of a member of the Guardians. She was depicted as dark, militaristic, and fascinated by the power of
death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
. Her eyes, which usually bore the symbol of the
Green Lantern Corps Green Lantern Corps is the name of a fictional intergalactic law enforcement organization appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They patrol the farthest reaches of the DC Universe at the behest of the Guardians, a race of immortals residin ...
in the
pupil The pupil is a black hole located in the center of the iris of the eye that allows light to strike the retina.Cassin, B. and Solomon, S. (1990) ''Dictionary of Eye Terminology''. Gainesville, Florida: Triad Publishing Company. It appears black ...
, contained the symbol of the Corps with whom she was presently associating (e.g., the symbol of the
Sinestro Corps The Sinestro Corps, occasionally known as the Yellow Lantern Corps, is a supervillainous analog to the Green Lantern Corps in the DC Universe. Their power is derived from the emotional electromagnetic spectrum of fear; the corps is led by the su ...
appeared in her pupils when she informed them of
Sinestro Thaal Sinestro () (or simply Sinestro) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, particularly those featuring Green Lantern. Sinestro is a former Green Lantern Corps member who was dishonorably discharged for abu ...
's impending execution). She began encouraging the Green Lantern Corps to take on a more aggressive stance in the pending War of Light. * Valorex * Pale Bishop – A former Guardian of the Universe who turned his back on his kind when they started to use the Emotional Spectrum and instead founded The Paling, anti-emotion religious monks called Pale Vicars who turn people into emotionless followers. On his quest to purge emotion from the universe, The Paling was defeated by the Sinestro Corps over Earth with the Pale Bishop dying at the hands of Sinestro. * Rami – Apparently the creator of the power rings, in his first attempt, he created a ring that can channel any light and can be used by any bearer which was later nicknamed as the "Phantom Ring", however because this ring was not without flaws, he later created other power rings that can only channel the green light of the Emotional Spectrum. The other Guardians of the Universe were later forced to excommunicate him over his creation of the "Phantom Ring". He was recently accepted back into the Templar Guardians. * Gurion – A Templar Guardian. Considered deceased by his brethren after his DNA was forcefully harvested by the Controllers who changed him into one of them. * Paalko – A Templar Guardian * Reegal – A Templar Guardian. He was killed when the Guardians travelled to the Chamber of Shadows where they met Reegal who asked his kin whether they had saved the universe. However, the Guardians claimed that circumstances had changed and that they required the First Lantern. This went against the oath that the Hidden Ones had taken as they were well aware of the danger posed by the First Lantern if he was freed. Thus, they attacked the Guardians as they intended to honor their oath. During the battle, Reegal's throat was slit by one of the Guardians and the Hidden Ones were shocked as a result which allowed the Oans to take the First Lantern from the Chamber. When Black Hand was teleported into the Chamber of Shadows, he discovered Reegal's body in the outer corridor of the chamber. The Black Lantern resurrected Reegal as an undead being so he could interrogate him about the location of the prison. * Quaros – A Templar Guardian. Instead of assisting Kyle Rayner and his kin after Relic's defeat, he felt compelled to journey through the universe and discover its secrets. Of the Templar Guardians, he is said to have the most insight into the workings of the cosmos. * Yekop – A Templar Guardian. Considered deceased by his brethren after his DNA was forcefully harvested by the Controllers who changed him into one of them. * Zalla – A Templar Guardian. * Kada Sal – A Templar Guardian. * Natos – A Templar Guardian. Considered deceased by his brethren after his DNA was forcefully harvested by the Controllers who changed him into one of them. * Nemosyni - A female Guardian of the Universe who gave Jo her power ring. Sister of Koyos. She along with her brother betrayed the Corps resulting in nearly all of the Lanterns having been killed or their rings losing all power. * Koyos - A male Guardian of the Universe and brother of Nemosyni. He went rogue and became the Anti-Guardian after betraying the Corps and destroyed the Green Lantern Central Power Battery on Oa. He later became the only Maltusian alive in the entire Universe, after targetting the planets Zamaron, Helix and Odym and killing everything that was from Maltusian lineage. Koyos was eventually defeated and killed by John Stewart. There were also others that became Guardians of the Universe but aren't actually Oans. *
Master Builder A master builder or master mason is a central figure leading construction projects in pre-modern times (a precursor to the modern architect and engineer). Historically, the term has generally referred to "the head of a construction project in the ...
– John Stewart, the only mortal Guardian of the Universe *
Sinestro Thaal Sinestro () (or simply Sinestro) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, particularly those featuring Green Lantern. Sinestro is a former Green Lantern Corps member who was dishonorably discharged for abu ...
– Sinestro briefly bonds with the White Entity, becoming the first White Lantern, and claims the title of Guardian of the Universe, before losing the connection in the fight against
Nekron Nekron is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, specifically those related to Green Lantern. Created by Mike W. Barr, Len Wein and Joe Staton, the character, who exists as an embodiment of Death, first appeared in '' Tal ...
in
the Blackest Night "Blackest Night" is a 2009–10 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous central miniseries, written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Ivan Reis, along with a number of tie-in issues. ''Blackest Nig ...
*
Sodam Yat Sodam Yat is a fictional character, an extraterrestrial superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in '' Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Annual'' #2 (1986), and was created by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill. He operated as Ion, having b ...
– The last Guardian of the Universe in the 30th Century.


Artifacts and structures

During the height of their species civilization on their homeworld of Maltus and after being tutored about the emotional spectrum energy, the Guardians of the Universe created an unknown number of artifacts before finally creating the power rings which were given to the Green Lantern Corps. The known artifact are as follows: * Power Gauntlet – a device created by Krona and the initial attempt of controlling the green energy connected to the Emotional Spectrum. In appearance, it resembled a green backpack that connected to a gauntlet by way of a cable between the two. It was attached to its own Power Battery supply. This gauntlet was capable of wielding the green energy and directed it by way of the users capacity to overcome fear. This allowed them to generate energy blasts capable of destroying targets within their way. Wielders simply needed to make a verbal indication for the power of the gauntlet to be activated and were seemingly only capable of being used by those who allowed themselves to feel emotions. * Power Rings – After thousands of years trying to cope with the energies of the Emotional Spectrum, the Guardians of the Universe had finally achieved their greatest feat by forging of the first Power Ring, apparently just a simple piece of jewelry resembling a ring which actually was an advanced device that can control any energy connected to the Emotional Spectrum, allowing the generation of solid-light constructs, the precise physical nature of which has never been specified. The size, complexity, and strength of these constructs is limited only by the ring-bearer's emotion; whatever the wearer imagines, the ring will create. Later seven rings were created to channel the green light and much later two rings were created that could harness all the energies of the emotional spectrum. However, because it was their first attempt to channel the emotional energy, the rings were not without its flaws and those who don it became corrupted by its powers. With time this technology would eventually be evolved and be used by other organizations to create the current power rings to access the different energies that compromise the emotional spectrum. * The Great Heart – Created primarily to function in conjunction with the power rings, after the First Lantern became corrupted and brought chaos to the universe, the Guardians of the Universe determined that emotions themselves were a weakness as well as impediment to their evolution and that they themselves needed to be divorced from them in order to properly govern the cosmos. As a result, the Guardians removed emotions from their own forms which they siphoned into a single receptacle to contain it. Thus, all their sentiments and feelings were locked away in the Great Heart. The device itself was located beneath the surface of Maltus where it was situated within an underground city and situated at the top of a spire. Protection of this region was provided by a trio of android-like bipedal machines that were tasked with guarding the city. * Green Lantern Power Battery – After settling on the planet Oa, the Guardians created a massive device that served as a reservoir for all of their combined cosmic power which was based on the Green Light of Will in the Emotional Spectrum. * A'Tmatentrym - The Source of Peace as its written in the Book of Oa is a creation made before the Manhunters, as the Guardians feared the power and disorder of the emotional spectrum. This strange creature can resist every weapon that is used against it and paradoxically can only be defeated by those who refuse to fight it. * Power Battery – Served as an energy conduit to the Green Lantern Central Power Battery on Oa. Their first servants were the Manhunters that used the Power Batteries to charge their Energy Pistols. When the Manhunters rebelled, the Power Batteries and Energy Pistols were stripped from them and handed over to the Hallas. Eventually, that organization was also retired and the Power Battery became a common equipment amongst the Green Lantern Corps and were used to charge the Green Lantern Power Rings. * Manhunters – Robotic androids that were created by the Guardians of the Universe to stop the First Lantern rampage and was their initial attempts at creating an interstellar police force with which to combat evil all over the cosmos and eradicate it. * Energy Pistols – Weapons that were crafted by the Manhunters to serve as their primary weapons and charged by Power Batteries that were linked to the Central Power Battery on Oa. *
Starheart A power ring is an object featured in American comic books published by DC Comics. The power ring first appeared in ''All-American Comics'' #16 on July 14, 1940. Green Lantern Corps The first appearance of a power ring was in ''All-American Com ...
– An orb that was created after the Guardians of the Universe attempted to remove magic from the universe, and laid siege to the necromantic forces of the cosmos. This collective force was hidden in the heart of a star and grew in power and eventually gained self-awareness as the Green Flame of Life. Though the Guardians were powerful, the force of magic was something that could not be contained forever. * Emerald Eye of Ekron – After the failure of the Manhunters, the Guardians built a construct known as Ekron whose right eye possesses properties and powers similar to those of the Green Lanterns' power rings, and was designed as the rings' prototype. * The Foundry – A subterranean chamber complex on the planet Oa which was crafted with advanced technology as a means of creating Power Rings and Power Batteries. This chamber contains a large number of secret projects that the Guardians had created in their long existence. These included holding tanks that contained the Psions, manufacturing plants for Manhunters and conversion platforms for Alpha Lanterns. * The Chamber of Shadows – Located in a black hole, this cube shaped stony structure was built early in the Guardians' history when they decided to bring order to a chaotic cosmos. During this time, great power was imparted onto a being that they called The First Lantern but they were ultimately forced to imprison this being. According to Krona, the Guardians betrayed the First Lantern and locked him within a Lantern shaped device which in turn was placed within the Chamber of Shadows which became a prison with numerous chains encompassing it. * The Vault of Shadows – A hidden mausoleum built early in the Guardians' history apparently just after the imprisonment of the First Lantern. It is located in space sector 180 at the edge of the known Universe and it is considered a sister structure to the Chamber of Shadows. It is where the Guardians' keep all their forbidden knowledge and also where the first seven Green Lantern's bodies are located including the first Lantern Ring.


Other versions


JLA: The Nail

In the alternate reality of '' JLA: The Nail'' (where
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 discovered by a different family after the Kents had a nail in their car tire on the day they would have recovered him), the Guardians recalled the entire Green Lantern Corps minus Hal Jordan (who was trapped on Earth by a Kryptonian force field) to intervene when the cold war between Apokolips and New Genesis escalated.


Superman & Batman: Generations

In the reality of '' Superman & Batman: Generations'', the Guardians revealed that Alan Scott's power ring was actually a Green Lantern ring despite its apparent weakness to wood after Hal Jordan successfully harnessed it against Sinestro, realising that the ring actually had no weaknesses except what the user believed it possessed; the Green Lantern Corps were vulnerable to yellow only because they believed the Guardians when they were told about this weakness, and Alan's ring's weakness to wood was caused when he was taken by surprise and struck on the back of the head with a wooden block during his first time using the ring.


Flashpoint

In the '' Flashpoint'' reality, the Guardians of the Universe assigned Abin Sur to head to Earth and find the White Lantern Entity. The Guardians contact him once again to retrieve the Entity which Abin Sur refuses stating that he will retrieve the Entity after he helps the Earth population against the Atlantis/Amazon war. The Guardians grow impatient with Abin Sur, discharging from the Corps. However, the White Lantern Entity chose Abin Sur to be its champion.''Flashpoint: Abin Sur – The Green Lantern'' #3 (August 2011)


Injustice: Gods Among Us

In ''
Year Two Year 2 is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand. It is usually the second year of compulsory education and incorporates students aged between six and eight. Australia In Austr ...
'' of the prequel comic to the game, Ganthet convinces the Guardians that Superman's recent actions on Earth to force peace border on tyranny, and suggests they intervene before it goes too far. Ganthet and Guy Gardner go to Earth to confront Superman, who maintains his actions are for the Earth's best interests. It is made impossible to reason with the fallen Man of Steel as he had discovered a truth behind the Guardians: years before they chose not to do anything as the planet Krypton exploded, allowing most of a race to be wiped out. Though Ganthet argues this is because they do not use their power to solve every problem, Superman rejects him and the Guardians, leading to an all-out war between the Green Lantern Corps and Superman's Regime (which also includes Sinestro Corps). Ganthet is later killed alongside numerous Green Lanterns, forcing the Guardians to leave Earth alone.


Earth One

In '' Green Lantern: Earth One'', the Guardians founded the Green Lantern Corps as a galactic peacekeeping force thousands of years ago. However, feeling that the Green Lanterns had become too wilful and independent, they created the robotic Manhunters as a replacement. The Manhunters decimated the Corps as planned, but then turned on the Guardians, apparently killing all but one. The last Guardian fled to an alternate dimension, and began work on a third force to replace the Manhunters. Hundreds of years later, pseudo-Lantern
Hal Jordan Harold "Hal" Jordan, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created in 1959 by writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane, and first appeared in '' ...
rediscovered the lost Central Power Battery on Oa, now a mining planet at the heart of the Manhunter's empire. The Guardian contacted Jordan through the Battery and, after telling a slightly distorted version of the history of the Guardians, Corps and Manhunters, instructed him to summon the last remaining ringbearers to Oa and create a feedback loop between their power rings and the Battery, thereby destroying the Lanterns and the Manhunters, allowing the Guardian to return with all threats to his power removed. However, one of the ringbearers was a physicist who was able to devise a way to control the feedback loop. Therefore, the Lanterns survived the explosion and came together as a united force again, much to the Guardian's annoyance. At the end, the Guardian - feeling fear is more effective than willpower - establishes the Yellow Lantern Corps.


All Star Batman: Metal

In Earth -32 of the Dark
Multiverse The multiverse is a hypothetical group of multiple universes. Together, these universes comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describe them. The di ...
, the Dawnbreaker Batman massacred most of the Corps, and all of the Guardians were left as skeletons, except one, presumably
Ganthet Ganthet is a character in the DC Comics universe, who first appeared in 1992 in Larry Niven and John Byrne’s graphic novel ''Green Lantern: Ganthet's Tale'' (). He is also the husband of Sayd. Fictional character biography Ganthet is one of t ...
, who the Dawnbreaker killed by ripping off his head.


Earth Three

The Overlords of Oa are the Earth-3 Guardians. They command the Emerald Knights who are their version of the Green Lantern corps. The Emerald Knights are given power ring’s with a sentient entity called Volthoom within them, the power rings subjugate the Emerald Knights by convincing the knight to trust the ring and fully devote themselves to the Oans above all else. The Emerald Knights conquer planets for the Oans.


In other media


Television

* The Guardians of the Universe appear in ''
The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure ''The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure'' is a Saturday morning Filmation animated series that aired on CBS from 1967 to 1968. Premiering on September 9, 1967, this 60-minute program included a series of six-minute adventures featuring various DC ...
'' episode "Evil is as Evil Does", voiced by
Paul Frees Solomon Hersh "Paul" Frees (June 22, 1920November 2, 1986) was an American actor, comedian, impressionist, and vaudevillian. He is known for his work on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Walter Lantz, Rankin/Bass, and Walt Disney theatrical cartoons during ...
. * The Guardians of the Universe appear in the '' Superman: The Animated Series'' episode "In Brightest Day...", voiced by
Pat Musick Patricia Anne Musick is an American voice actress, who has provided numerous voices in many television shows, films and video games. She and her husband, Jeff Whitman, a personal manager and set construction coordinator, are the parents of actre ...
and
Peter Mark Richman Peter Mark Richman (born Marvin Jack Richman; April 16, 1927 – January 14, 2021) was an American actor in films and on television, who was for many years credited as Mark Richman. He appeared in about 30 films and 130 television series from th ...
. They approach
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 ...
for him to help
Kyle Rayner Kyle Rayner (), one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character is depicted as being associated with the Green Lantern Corps, an extraterrestrial police force of ...
in defeating
Sinestro Thaal Sinestro () (or simply Sinestro) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, particularly those featuring Green Lantern. Sinestro is a former Green Lantern Corps member who was dishonorably discharged for abu ...
. There is only one female Oan, who appears to be head of the council (this predates the actual appearance of female Guardians in the mainstream
DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lant ...
). * The Guardians of the Universe appear in the ''
Justice League 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 ...
'' episode "In Blackest Night", voiced by
René Auberjonois René Murat Auberjonois (; June 1, 1940 – December 8, 2019) was an American actor and director. He was best known for portraying Odo on ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1993–1999). He first achieved fame as a stage actor, winning the Tony A ...
. In this show, they appear in the same red robes as their comic counterparts, as opposed to the black and green uniforms they wore in ''Superman: The Animated Series''. Representatives of the Guardians of the Universe attended John Stewart's trial where they spoke in his defense when John Stewart was supposedly responsible for causing a planet to explode when he fired a beam from his ring during his pursuing of
Kanjar Ro Kanjar Ro is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Publication history He first appeared in ''Justice League of America'' #3 (February 1961) in a story entitled "The Slave Ship of Space" and was created by Gardner Fox an ...
. After the trial when the planet was revealed to not be destroyed and was revealed to be cloaked by Kanjar Ro in collaboration with the Manhunters, Superman and the other Justice League members present demanded answers about the Manhunters. The lead Guardian present stated that the Manhunters were their first law enforcement agents before they started the Green Lantern Corps. The Guardians of the Universe later tried to defend Oa from an attack by the Manhunters. The Justice League came to their aid as John Stewart uses the power of his ring combined with the Central Power Ring to destroy the Manhunters. * The Guardians of the Universe appear briefly in the beginning of the ''
Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is a 2004–2006 American superhero animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and ...
'' episode "The Return", voiced by an uncredited
Clancy Brown Clarence John "Clancy" Brown III (born January 5, 1959) is an American actor. Prolific in film and television since the 1980s, Brown is often cast in villainous and authoritative roles. Brown's film roles include Viking Lofgren in ''Bad Boys'' ...
. They deny Stewart's request to leave Earth and take a tour of duty on Oa. They even denied John's request to have Kyle Rayner cover for him. * Ganthet appears in the ''
Duck Dodgers Duck Dodgers is the metafictional star of a series of cartoons produced by Warner Bros., featuring Daffy Duck in the role of a science fiction hero. He first appeared in the 1953 cartoon short ''Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century'', directed b ...
'' episode "The Green Loontern". The other Guardians are oddly absent from this episode. * The Guardians of the Universe briefly appeared without dialogue at the end of the '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' episode "The Eyes of Despero". They have been placed in Hal Jordan's ring for safe keeping while he fought
Despero Despero () is a supervillain that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in ''Justice League of America'' #1 (October 1960) and was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky. Debuting in the Silver Age of Comi ...
. The Guardians of the Universe were later fully featured in the episode "Revenge of the Reach", voiced by
J.K. Simmons Jonathan Kimble Simmons (born January 9, 1955) is an American actor, considered one of the most prolific and well-established character actors of his generation. He has appeared in over 200 films and television roles since his debut in 1986. He i ...
and
Armin Shimerman Armin Shimerman (born November 5, 1949) is an American actor and author. Early life Shimerman was born into a Jewish family in Lakewood, New Jersey, on November 5, 1949, the son of accountant Susan and house painter Herbert Shimerman. When he wa ...
. They explain the connection between the
Blue Beetle Blue Beetle is the name of three fictional superheroes who appear in a number of American comic books published by a variety of companies since 1939. The most recent of the companies to own rights to Blue Beetle is DC Comics, which bought the ri ...
's scarab and the Reach. * The Guardians of the Universe appear in '' Green Lantern: The Animated Series'' with Ganthet voiced by
Ian Abercrombie Ian Abercrombie (11 September 1934 – 26 January 2012) was an English actor and comedian. He was best known for playing Justin Pitt (Elaine Benes' boss) during the sixth season of '' Seinfeld''. He also played Alfred Pennyworth on ''Birds of Pr ...
, Appa Ali Apsa voiced by
Brian George Brian George (born 1 July 1952) is a British actor. He is best known for his roles as Pakistani restaurateur Babu Bhatt in ''Seinfeld'' (1989–1998), the Indian gynecologist father of Raj Koothrappali in ''The Big Bang Theory'' (2007–2019 ...
, Sayd voiced by Susan Blakeslee, and Scar voiced by Sarah Douglas. * The Guardians of the Universe appear in "#TheGreenRoom", a Season 2 episode of the animated series '' DC Super Hero Girls''. They preside over a disciplinary hearing for
Jessica Cruz Jessica Cruz, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Geoff Johns, Doug Mahnke, Ivan Reis and Ethan Van Sciver, she is a member of the Green Lantern Corps ...
, who has been charged with dereliction of duty related to an alien attack on Metropolis.


Film


Live action

The Guardians of the Universe appear in the live-action ''
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, ...
'' film. A rogue Guardian of the Universe tried to control the Yellow energies of Fear, but was consumed by it, and become known as
Parallax Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight and is measured by the angle or semi-angle of inclination between those two lines. Due to foreshortening, nearby objects ...
. In the special features included in the Blu-ray edition of the film, the names of the Guardians appearing in the film are listed in the featurette "The Guardians revealed": Ganthet, who is the male Guardian that mainly speaks, in the same way, Sayd, the female Guardian, along with Appa Ali Apsa, Scar, Raugniad, Nguanzo, Pazu, Basil, Baris, Herupa, and Krona.


Animation

* The Guardians of the Universe make an appearance in '' Justice League: The New Frontier'', voiced by
Robin Atkin Downes Robin Atkin Downes is an English actor known for his work in animation and video games. Early life Downes was born in London. He earned an MFA from Temple University in Philadelphia. Career Downes has voiced characters in animated films s ...
. They guide Hal Jordan on the use of his Green Lantern ring against Dinosaur Island. * The Guardians of the Universe appear in the animated feature '' Green Lantern: First Flight'' with
Ganthet Ganthet is a character in the DC Comics universe, who first appeared in 1992 in Larry Niven and John Byrne’s graphic novel ''Green Lantern: Ganthet's Tale'' (). He is also the husband of Sayd. Fictional character biography Ganthet is one of t ...
voiced by
Larry Drake Larry Richard Drake (February 21, 1950 – March 17, 2016) was an American actor and comedian. He was best known as Benny Stulwicz in '' L.A. Law'', for which he won two Primetime Emmy Awards. He also appeared as Robert G. Durant in both ''Dark ...
, Appa Ali Apsa voiced by
William Schallert William Joseph Schallert (July 6, 1922 – May 8, 2016) was an American character actor who appeared in dozens of television shows and films over a career spanning more than 60 years. He is known for his roles on '' Richard Diamond, Privat ...
, and Ranakar voiced by
Malachi Throne Malachi Throne (December 1, 1928 – March 13, 2013) was an American actor, noted for his guest-starring roles on ''Star Trek'', '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', ''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'', ''Lost in Space'', ''Batman'', '' Land ...
. Unlike the comic book incarnations, they are fully capable of emotions, often bickering amongst themselves, and also unlike their comic book selves, they are significantly less powerful. Ranakar sees Sinestro as their finest Green Lantern, and doesn't particularly like Hal Jordan. He's the first to defend Sinestro when Hal warns him of his deception, even though Kilowog confirms it, and was willing to let Sinestro explain himself. When Sinestro returns with the " yellow element", Ranakar became infuriated of his betrayal (and for being called a "stupid little troll"), and accepts Hal Jordan upon defeating Sinestro. Ganthet was the only supporter of Hal Jordan before the rest of the Guardians; he would even help Jordan when he tries to find his ring during the battle against Sinestro. Appa Ali Apsa is the more neutral of the three main Guardians, and mostly seems to want to run the organization as smoothly as possible. * The Guardians of the Universe appear in the animated feature '' Green Lantern: Emerald Knights'', with
Ganthet Ganthet is a character in the DC Comics universe, who first appeared in 1992 in Larry Niven and John Byrne’s graphic novel ''Green Lantern: Ganthet's Tale'' (). He is also the husband of Sayd. Fictional character biography Ganthet is one of t ...
voiced by radio personality
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
, Appa Ali Apsa voiced by
Tony Amendola Tony Amendola (born August 24, 1951) is an American actor. He played the Jaffa master Bra'tac in ''Stargate SG-1'' and Pinocchio's creator/father, Geppetto on ABC's '' Once Upon a Time''. He also had a recurring role as revolutionary leader Edou ...
, and Ranakar voiced by
Steven Blum Steven Jay Blum (; born April 29, 1960) is an American voice actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, his most well-known roles include Spike Spiegel from the anime series '' Cowboy Bebop'', Garazeb Orrelios from the animated series ''St ...
. * In the animated movie '' Justice League: War'', the Guardians are mentioned several times by Hal Jordan. They later appear in '' Justice League Dark: Apokolips War''. They were present on Oa when Darkseid and his Paradooms attack and are killed by Darkseid.


Video games

* The Guardians of the Universe make a brief appearance in the ''
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'' is a 2008 fighting video game, developed and published by Midway Games. The last entry in the franchise before the company went bankrupt in 2009 and sold the franchise to Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment ...
'' video game with Ganthet voiced by
Michael McConnohie Michael McConnohie is an American voice actor, writer and director who has provided many voice roles in movies, anime, and video games. He and fellow actress Melodee Spevack run a production company called VoxWorks. Some of his major works includ ...
and two unnamed Guardians voiced by
Christopher Corey Smith Christopher Corey Smith is an American voice actor who voices in animated shows and video games. He is best known for his voice role as Gagumber in the anime ''Sakugan''. Personal life On April 29, 2022, Smith married voice actress Cindy Robi ...
and
Joe J. Thomas Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage * ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971 * ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...
. In the story mode on the DC Universe part, they inform Green Lantern,
Lex Luthor Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Lex Luthor originally appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (cover dated: Apr ...
, and
Catwoman Catwoman is a fictional character created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Debuting as "the Cat" in ''Batman'' #1 (spring 1940), she ...
about the merging of the universes when the hero and villains arrive on Oa. * The Guardians of the Universe are featured in '' Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters''. Like the comics, the Guardians of the Universe are responsible for creating the Manhunters some time before the creation of the Green Lantern Corps. * The Guardians of the Universe make two cameo appearances in '' Injustice: Gods Among Us''. During Green Lantern's Super Move, he transports himself and his enemy to OA and proceeds to attack his opponent with constructs in front of the central power battery, and The Guardians. In one of the final scenes of game,
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, ...
hands over his counterpart and
Sinestro Thaal Sinestro () (or simply Sinestro) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, particularly those featuring Green Lantern. Sinestro is a former Green Lantern Corps member who was dishonorably discharged for abu ...
to the Guardians of the Universe to stand trial. * The Guardians of the Universe appear as
NPCs A non-player character (NPC), or non-playable character, is any character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster ...
in ''
Lego DC Super-Villains ''Lego DC Super-Villains'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure game, action-adventure Platform game, platform video game developed by Traveller's Tales. The fourth installment in the ''Lego Batman'' series of games, it is a spin-off that focuses e ...
'', with
Ganthet Ganthet is a character in the DC Comics universe, who first appeared in 1992 in Larry Niven and John Byrne’s graphic novel ''Green Lantern: Ganthet's Tale'' (). He is also the husband of Sayd. Fictional character biography Ganthet is one of t ...
voiced by
Brian George Brian George (born 1 July 1952) is a British actor. He is best known for his roles as Pakistani restaurateur Babu Bhatt in ''Seinfeld'' (1989–1998), the Indian gynecologist father of Raj Koothrappali in ''The Big Bang Theory'' (2007–2019 ...
.


References

* Some of the content in this article was copied fro
Green Lantern Wiki
which is licensed under th
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA) license


External links


Alaln Kistler's Profile on Green Lantern
{{Justice League characters Superhero film characters DC Comics aliens DC Comics deities DC Comics characters who are shapeshifters Characters created by John Broome Characters created by Gil Kane Green Lantern characters Green Lantern Corps officers Fictional characters who can manipulate reality Fictional characters who can manipulate time Fictional characters who can manipulate light Fictional characters with death or rebirth abilities Fictional characters with energy-manipulation abilities Fictional characters with immortality Fictional characters with superhuman senses Fictional characters who can change size Fictional characters who can turn intangible Fictional characters with elemental transmutation abilities DC Comics characters who have mental powers Fictional illusionists DC Comics characters who can teleport DC Comics telekinetics DC Comics telepaths