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| As a result of the New 52 in 2011, the entire line of DC characters was relaunched, incorporating properties belonging to the company's imprints: Wildstorm, Milestone, and Vertigo. As such, elements of this character's history have been altered in some way from the previous incarnation. For a complete list of all versions of this character, see our disambiguation page. |
James "Jim" Harper is a former police officer who now dispenses vigilante justice on criminals under the alias of the Guardian.
History
An officer of the Metropolis Police Department, Jim Harper also protected the city in his costumed identity. He watched over the Newsboy Legion, a gang of street kids[1] from Metropolis' Suicide Slum, and eventually took them in as their foster father.[2]
Guardian was a member of the World War II-era All-Star Squadron,[3] and continued to fight crime for some time, but eventually age caught up to him. At some point prior to the Death of Superman, Project Cadmus gave him a new body, and he resumed his role.[4]
While out on patrol one night Guardian ambushed Boss Moxie in his car and began beating on him. However he was soon interrupted by the super-powered mob enforcer Red Cloud, who overpowered Harper and wounded him so badly he fell into a coma.[5]
Harper woke up relatively soon and remained in hospital while his wounds were treated. During his stay, in hospital a man posing as a doctor visited Jim. The man, whose face was shrouded, told Jim that all of the U.S.A.'s covert organizations—Spyral, the D.E.O., A.R.G.U.S., Project Cadmus, and others like them—had been destroyed. The mysterious figure also told Jim that he worked for an organization known as Leviathan, who wanted to recruit him into their ranks.[6]
At some point James visited Sanctuary, a mental health institute ran by superheroes for superheroes, intended to help people like Jim sooth the difficulties of life as a superhero. Jim decided to visit Sanctuary because he felt that he lived in the shadow of Superman and would never mean anything to the citizens of Metropolis. It is unknown if Jim was able to settle this emotional issue or not.[7]
Leviathan
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Powers and Abilities
Abilities
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Notes
- Guardian was created by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon, first appearing in Star-Spangled Comics #7. However, Guardian first appeared as part of Prime Earth continuity in Action Comics #1002 by Brian Michael Bendis and Patrick Gleason.
Related
- 22 Appearances of James Harper (Prime Earth)
- 6 Images featuring James Harper (Prime Earth)
- 1 Quotations by or about James Harper (Prime Earth)
- Character Gallery: James Harper (Prime Earth)
Footnotes
  This character is or was a member of the All-Star Squadron in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "All-Star Squadron members" category. |