The Guardians Of The Globe are at the heart of one of the biggest twists in the Invincible animated series on Amazon Prime, and one of its most violent moments. Nolan Grayson, Omni-Man, brutally murdered the team of heroes, setting off a series of events that reverberated through all 144 issues of the comic book series.
Though the comic book and the television history of the team are pretty brief, they are nevertheless an important of the comic book mythos of Invincible. The fate of the team, as well as the history of its members, played a role throughout the comic and are likely to in future seasons of the hit show as well.
Based On The Justice League
Like a lot of aspects of the Invincible comic book, the Guardians of the Globe are based on classic superhero comic concepts. The Guardians of the Globe are a pastiche and a homage to the legendary roster of the Justice League Of America from DC Comics and the recent Zack Snyder's Justice League.
Each of the members of the Guardians of the Globe corresponds to one of the original JLA members like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. The team first appeared in The Brave And The Bold #28 in 1960 and set off a major revival of the superhero genre in the 60s.
Uncertain Origins
While the final fate of the Guardians of the Globe is painfully clear, their origins are shrouded in mystery. All that is really known in the comic books is that they have been together for a few years and are the foremost superhero team in the entire world. How they came together or why was never explained in any detail. The team operates out of a base in Utah and is funded primarily by members War Woman and Darkwing. They fight in many major engagements against supervillains all over the world.
The Immortal
The Immortal is one of the founding members of the team and one of the most powerful superheroes in Invincible. His origins are also uncertain, but he's believed to have been alive for several thousand years. He has fought as a knight for King Arthur, impersonated President Abraham Lincoln, and was one of the first publicly known superheroes in the 1930s. The Immortal has numerous superpowers including strength and flight, but his primary ability is his immortality.
War Woman
The Immortal's comic book analog isn't readily apparent, but War Woman's is. She is an obvious homage to Wonder Woman. Though War Woman never encounters a villain with a Dreamstone, they are essentially the same person and play the same role in their respective teams.
War Woman is part of a colony of Amazons discovered by explorers in the past. Her lover succeeds her by becoming the second War Woman and taking revenge on the world of men.
The Green Ghost
The Green Ghost shares some connective tissue with another Justice League member, Green Lantern. His exact origins are unknown, but he swallowed an alien object that turns him green and intangible. His identity was obscured by the green light that emanated from his body.
Green Ghost is female in the animated series, in one of the bigger changes from the original comics. Their fates are sadly the same, however, with both dying at the hands of Omni-Man in his violent surprise attack on the team.
Darkwing
Darkwing is an obvious homage to Batman, and perhaps some of Batman's inspiration as well, like The Shadow. The first Darkwing in the Guardians of the Globe was a regular man with no superpowers. The second could enter something called the Shadowverse.
The first Darkwing was a complete mystery, and next to nothing was known about him when he died at the hands of Omni-Man. The second took his place and eventually took over the city he was responsible for protecting in the comics.
Black Samson
Black Samson is the only survivor of the violent attack on the team by Omni-Man, but that's only because he wasn't there when it happened. He had lost his powers temporarily before the ambush. He later regained them and would become a core member of the second iteration of the team.
Black Samson derives most of his super strength, speed, and stamina from a special power suit. Though his name evokes Black Adam, the subject of the upcoming movie starring The Rock, he actually has a bit more in common with Iron Man.
Omni-Man Wasn't An Official Member
Omni-Man is the Superman analog in the world of Invincible, but he wasn't actually a member of the Guardians of the Globe. He often fought beside them, but never formally joined the outfit. He did know the location of their base and had access to the secret installation.
Omni-Man is revealed to be a secret agent of the Viltrumites, an alien empire that conquers worlds across the cosmos through a combination of brute force and subversive tactics. Omni-Man was sent to weaken Earth's defenses before the Viltrumites invaded.
Brutal End
In the comics, Omni-Man lures all of the members of the Guardians of the Galaxy back to their base in Utah under false pretenses. He then ambushes them and kills them all. This happens fairly quickly and mostly off-panel in the comic. Not so in the animated series, where the fight is much longer and much more violent. Omni-Man takes each of the powerful heroes on one by one. It costs him, leaving him wounded and incapacitated, with authorities thinking he was also a victim.
New Beginning
The shocking murder of the team happens much earlier in the animated series, and fans of the show might think that's all there is for the Guardians of the Globe. Comic book fans know the team gets a second chance. The team is later reformed by the United States federal government.
In addition to Black Samson, who returns to the team, it also includes Mark Grayson, Invincible, as well as Robot, Bulletproof and other heroes. Robot serves as the leader for a time until The Immortal returns to life and takes over the squad.