Imperial Guard (Marvel Comics)
The Imperial Guard (the so-called Superguardians) is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Imperial Guard are a multi-ethnic group of alien beings who act as enforcers of the laws of the Shi'ar Empire; the Superguardians are the personal guard of the leader of the Empire.
| Imperial Guard | |
|---|---|
The cover of Imperial Guard #1 (Jan. 1997). Artwork by Chuck Wojtkiewicz and Ray Snyder. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | X-Men #107 (October 1977) |
| Created by | Chris Claremont Dave Cockrum |
| In-story information | |
| Base(s) | Chandilar (Shi'ar throneworld) |
| Member(s) | Gladiator Oracle Starbolt Neutron Smasher Flashfire Warstar Electron Manta Mentor Titan Pulsar Hussar Nightside Fang |
| Roster | |
| See: Full roster | |
Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Dave Cockrum, the original Imperial Guard characters were pastiches of prominent members of rival publisher DC Comics' superhero team the Legion of Super-Heroes. Many other characters were later added to the roster, not all of whom are based on Legionnaires.
The Imperial Guard first appeared in The Uncanny X-Men #107 (Oct. 1977). Since then, they have been featured periodically in the X-Men titles; crossed paths with the Starjammers, the Kree, the Skrulls, Nova Corps, the Inhumans, and the Guardians of the Galaxy; and been featured in a number of limited series, including Imperial Guard (1997), the War of Kings crossover series (2009), and Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard (2010).
More than 50 Imperial Guard Superguardians have appeared in Marvel Comics' titles; the core members number about 20, with the most notable being Gladiator, Oracle, Starbolt, Neutron, Smasher, Flashfire, Warstar, Electron, Manta, Mentor, Titan, Pulsar, Hussar, Nightside, and Fang.