| The life
of Guy Gardner was touched by the stars billions of years before he was
even born. He would have great power and fight many battles, most of them
with himself. He wielded the power ring of the Green Lantern Corps, and
that of its greatest enemy, only to have it taken away. He would finally
learn his true destiny, that of a Vuldarian Warrior.
Over five billion
years ago, the planet Vuldar was home to a heroic warrior race. The
Vuldarians were bred to protect their quadrant from the dominating factors
of evil, an evil known as the Tormocks.
The Tormocks were led
by the sadistic genius Bronkk. With the aid of other armies, the Tormocks
slaughtered the bulk of Vuldarian warriors and lead a decimating attack on
unguarded Vuldar. Their drones, the Kraggz, captured most of the women.
For their support, the Tormocks killed their alien allies. The Tormocks do
not share victories.
With the destruction
of Vuldar, the remaining warriors made their way across thousands of
quadrants, trading their advanced science for the genetic material of each
sector's mightiest warriors, adding them to Vuldarian bloodline. They
continued searching the space sectors looking for species they could endow
with abilities and powers to help overcome the Tormocks' might. They
taught these species for the day the Tormocks would come burning through
the heavens, destroying everything in their paths. Despite their best
efforts at "seeding" planets, the Vuldarians were near
extinction.
Centuries ago, the
Vuldarians came to Earth, settling in the Nabba Jungle. The native humans
were anatomically and structurally compatible to the Vuldarians. They
could interbreed both species, continuing the lineage. The humans treated
the Vuldarians as gods, soon they selected a woman for marriage. This
first joining was tainted by the tribe's jealous witch doctor, Muddakka.
The result was fatal for the woman, it created the creature known as
Dementor.
The Vuldarians settled
in the jungle to conduct more research. Subsequent attempts would prove
more fruitful. The Vuldarians found it would take centuries of incubation
to create a successful merger of the two races.
[GG # 0]
Surprisingly, this
would all be the prelude to an event in the city of Baltimore, Maryland.
The event was the birth of Guy Gardner.
Guy's childhood was
rough, he had an alcoholic father, full of anger and prejudice. His
father's only soft spot was for his older son, Mace. The hero of his
school, Mace Gardner won many trophies in athletics, particularly
football. Guy's mother would turn a blind eye towards her husband's
abusive behavior. The young Guy Gardner found a hero in the comic book
adventures of General Glory. He was so enthralled with the General's
exploits that he had his hair cut in the distinctive bowl cut of General
Glory's sidekick, Ernie.
[GG # 11]
Life's lessons were
hard on Guy. Despite everything, he still craved the approval Mace had
been getting from their father. At thirteen years old, Guy learned that
Mace could never do any wrong in his father's eyes. Instead of going to
college as their father planned, Mace decided to join the Baltimore Police
Academy. Guy was sure this would anger their father. It didn't. His
father's pride for his elder son only grew. Guy decided he would do
something to win approval in his father's eyes. He worked extra hard
building a short wave radio as a school science project. Returning home
late, Guy found his "perfect" brother smoking pot. This would
hurt the old man if he'd found out, and Mace was scared of losing favor
with his father. Guy seemed to understand this, he kept Mace's secret.
Weeks later, Guy chose the wrong moment to show his father the science
project. He had been fired from his job as a crane operator for drinking
on the job. The sight of Guy angered his father and the child received yet
another beating.
[GG # 12]
At sixteen, Guy
decided if he couldn't be like his brother he'd be the complete opposite.
On one particularly eventful day he'd said some smart remarks to a girl
during a fire drill at school, stole a car from a parking lot in Rosedale,
and barely managed to escape police pursuit. Later at Scotty's restaurant,
the girl's boyfriend, Joey Stomp, and a couple of his pals beat up Guy,
sending him to the emergency ward. This didn't change anything in Guy's
life, he would repeatedly get in trouble with the law and get taken to
juvenile hall.
[GG # 12-13]
One week after his
eighteenth birthday was a different matter. Guy was caught by the police
trying to steal a car, he would be dealt with as an adult. Instead of
taking him to City Jail, they took him to the High School football field.
There his brother Mace was waiting. Guy had screwed up one too many times
for Mace. A wisecrack from Guy was answered by a couple of hard hits from
Mace. Guy had assumed Mace enjoyed hitting him as his father did, but
things were different. He told Guy to straighten out and get a job, giving
him some money to start out. Mace was giving Guy a second chance.
Guy got a number of
jobs. He soon received his high school equivalency and was able to pay his
way to college. He hit the books, holding a solid grade average in his
undergraduate studies at Michigan University. Guy even won a few football
games in his junior year. At home, however, his accomplishments were still
overshadowed by Mace.
[GG # 13]
In his senior year,
Guy still had his sense of humor, putting "Atomic Balm" in John
Henry Irons' jock strap. The Michigan U football team made it to a bowl
game, Guy was held to the last quarter. They were behind three points, on
the other team's forty yard line with no time on the clock. Guy was on the
ten and wide open when he caught the ball. Sixty million people saw
Gardner win the game.
[Sh'96 # 1, GG # 13]
The studious Irons
went on to become a weapons designer, quitting when he learned his weapons
were being used by kids on the streets of America. Irons then became a
construction worker before becoming the superhero known as Steel.
[S:MOS # 22]
Guy would go home a
hero, though no one would meet him at the airport. His brother Mace had
been shot five times by a large caliber handgun, and a bullet severed his
spine. The worst of the news was still to come. The police department's
Internal Affairs Division had been investigating Mace Gardner for shaking
down drug peddlers. Mace had been raking in one thousand dollars a week.
The pushers decided they wanted to get rid of Mace and had left him for
dead. The police department hushed the matter, not wanting the press
involved. Mace was off of the force. A short time later, Mace apparently
drowned himself in the river. Guy's father didn't have much to live for
after Mace's death. His alcoholism consumed him, and he died soon after.
[GG # 13-14]
Guy finished college,
a Liberal Arts major earning degrees in Psychology and Education. He was
drafted by Cleveland to play in the pros but injured his knee in
mini-camp. Enraged by his accident, Gardner lost control and tore up the
weight room.
[GG # 14, SO # 7]
He realized he had to
channel his aggression and decided to help others who had destroyed their
own lives. Guy soon became a social worker counseling prisoners. His
destiny was growing nearer, blazing an emerald trail through the stars.
[SO3 # 7]
Abin
Sur
of Ungara, a member of the fabled Green Lantern Corps
was
mortally wounded in a battle with the creature known as Legion. The Green
Lantern crash landed in the Sierra Madres mountain range. His ring
fulfilled its last function: to find a worthy successor. The emerald
energies circled the planet, selecting numerous candidates, narrowing the
possibilities between test pilot Hal
Jordan and Guy Gardner. Due to his proximity to the crash site, Hal
Jordan was chosen.
[Sh # 22, GL2 # 59, SO3 # 7, GLED # 1]
Prior to his induction
to the Green Lantern Corps, Jordan had been involved in an automobile
accident while driving under the influence of alcohol. His new life with
the Corps made him realize the responsibilities of his actions. He plead
guilty to the charges and was sentenced to ninety days in a state
correctional facility. While in the prison, Jordan was wrongly suspected
of the murder of his cell mate. Jordan's caseworker was Guy Gardner.
The staff would have
been surprised to learn about Jordan's dual life. By day he was one of
hundreds of prisoners, by night he was a Green Lantern. Jordan was
undergoing training from Sinestro,
the Green Lantern of Korugar. Unfortunately, more than one of the
prisoners knew about Jordan's power ring.
Gardner disapproved of
Jordan's new cell mate, "Gentleman" Willie, a "revolving
door" criminal. Jordan defended Willie from another convict, one that
Jordan had put away as Green Lantern. The convict realized he could use
the power of Jordan's ring, and planned to use it to stage a mass
breakout.
The convicts started a
prison-wide riot and Guy Gardner was taken hostage. Their plan had one
flaw: Jordan had not been seen in the prison for two days.
Jordan's absence from
his cell was due to an uprising on Sinestro's homeworld of Korugar. Armed
with Khundish weaponry, the populace had driven off the oppressive
Sinestro. Sinestro then convinced Jordan to join him in hiding from the
Green Lantern Corps. Sinestro planned to use the prison as a refuge from
pursuit. The two arrived in the midst of the riot.
One of the inmates
held Gardner as a hostage for Hal's ring. Although the inmate gained the
power ring, it was only for a moment. He was easily beaten by Sinestro.
The stress had become too much for Gardner, who attacked the defeated
prisoner before being pulled off of him by Jordan. Sinestro wished to wipe
the humans' memories when they were interrupted by a trio of robotic
enforcers... The
Fists of The Guardians.
[GLED2 # 5]
Sinestro and Jordan
were placed under arrest and ordered to Oa,
the Guardians' homeworld, for investigation of the anti-Green Lantern
uprising on the planet Korugar. Sinestro was found guilty of the charges
leveled against him and stripped of his power ring and honors. He was
banished to the antimatter universe of Qward.
Jordan returned to the
prison to contain the riot. The rest of his sentence was uneventful. He
saw Gardner before leaving, and the two talked for a while. Gardner
decided not to continue as a prison social worker, he believed the job
brought out his aggressive nature.
[GLED2 # 6]
Life went on for both
Gardner and Jordan. While Jordan was on Oa for further training, he
learned Guy had also been chosen to be Green Lantern. The Guardians of the
Universe played a postmortem scan of Abin Sur's final thoughts. The
advanced technology could simulate events that could have occurred had
Gardner received the ring instead of Jordan. The "history" ran
similar to that of Jordan's with the exception of a mission to the planet
Ghera. In this scenario, Gardner contracted a plague from which he died.
Upon his death he chose Hal Jordan as Green Lantern. In reality, Guy
Gardner was to be Jordan's alternate, a role he would fulfill in time.
Upon learning this, Jordan went out to see the would-be Green Lantern.
[GL2 # 59]
The fact that Gardner
did not appear surprised by Hal's visit or mention Hal's emerald identity
could be attributed to a mind-wipe by the Guardians of the Universe.
Though this cannot be proven, the Guardians have altered Gardner's mind a
number of times.
Guy Gardner became a
physical education teacher. The job brought out the best in him, as he was
teaching sports to special education kids. Gardner took his students on a
two month cross country field trip. A few miles outside of Coast City,
their bus ride was cut short by an earthquake measuring eight points on
the Richter scale. The students got off the bus, but one child, Suzy
Delancy, was trapped on the ruins of a canyon bridge. The young girl was
scared, and Gardner could not coax her back to safety. He bravely stepped
to the edge to pull her back. His weight was too much for the damaged
bridge. The school bus lurched forward, striking Guy in the back. Guy and
Suzy would have died but for the timely action of Green Lantern Hal
Jordan. Guy was brought to a nearby hospital. His otherwise perfect health
was credited for his survival, still, he would be bedridden for months.
The Guardians designated another substitute for Jordan. He would train a
young Detroit architect by the name of John
Stewart.
[GL2 # 87]
It was a few months
before Gardner was able to get out of bed. He returned to Baltimore, he
was able to walk with a cane. It would be a little while before he was
fully recovered. Visiting a carnival, he met fortune teller Kari Limbo.
She told Gardner he would be a heir to grandeur involving the color green.
He had an iron will, strict moral ethics, and a deep line of fate. He
would be the last of a great tradition.
Although he did not
believe in fate and fortune, he did ask Limbo out on a date. The two
quickly fell in love. After the carnival had moved on, Guy would travel to
meet her on weekends.
[SO3 # 7]
The two lovers were
soon planning their future together. Spending an afternoon in the park,
Guy was ready to propose to Kari. On what could have been one of the
happiest days of their lives, visions of the future came to them. A trio
of heroes were thrown through a time rift by the supervillain known as
Extant.
Lady Blackhawk was
pulled from the past with future versions of John Henry Irons as Steel and
an armor-clad Guy Gardner. The existence of two Guy Gardners in the same
time frame caused them considerable pain. The future Guy Gardner's body
morphed uncontrollably, and he struck at those around him.
This in turn was seen
by Coast City's resident protector, Green Lantern Hal Jordan. He did not
recognize Gardner, and he believed the future Guy Gardner was responsible
for the strange peril Coast City was facing which was actually due to the
effects of Zero Hour. The fight was short-lived, as the time rift pulled
Gardner back into the future.
[GG # 24]
With the coming of
winter, Kari Limbo returned to the shop she owned in St. Louis. Gardner
and Limbo were surprised to be visited by Green Lantern. He revealed his
identity as Hal Jordan and told Guy how he had almost been chosen by Abin
Sur.
[SO3 # 7]
He asked Gardner to
fill in for him while he went to Oa for repairs on his power ring. Jordan believed
the ring had been damaged in a fight with the Crumbler.
Hal gave Guy a power ring. Guy found he had some knowledge in the use of
the ring, having been given a mental implant from the Guardians. Guy would
use Jordan's battery which was in Oliver (Green
Arrow) Queen's apartment.
In Star City, Green
Arrow had a strange vision of the power battery exploding, shattering the
Green Lantern before he vanished. Green Arrow was concerned about what he
had seen, but decided against telling Gardner for fear of worrying the
rookie superhero. He would await the return of Hal Jordan. As Earth's
newest Green Lantern, Guy Gardner helped Green Arrow fight the mysterious
floating eyes of Professor Ojo.
On Oa, the Guardians
discovered the defect was not with the ring, it was the power battery
which had been damaged. Jordan was issued another power battery and warned
of possible time distortions from the damaged battery. It was dangerous
and should be destroyed upon reaching Earth.
Guy Gardner enjoyed
the life of Green Lantern. On a night patrol, he came across the floating
eye of Professor Ojo and managed to destroy it. He was proud of his
accomplishment and returned to Green Arrow's apartment to recharge the
power ring in private.
Returning to Earth,
Hal learned of Oliver's vision of the battery. Hal recalled the Guardians'
words regarding the time distortions and the danger of the faulty battery.
He quickly tore town the bedroom wall to reach Guy before he touched the
battery, but it was too late. In a blinding flash, Gardner was torn apart
by arcs of emerald energy. There was nothing left.
[GL2 # 116]
Jordan brought the sad
news to Gardner's fiancée. She struck him in anger, but eventually
realized it was not his fault. Not wanting to be alone, Kari moved in with
Dinah (Black
Canary) Lance. Kari Limbo's psychic powers proved very helpful to the
trio of super-heroes. Over a short period of time, she and Jordan found
they had fallen in love. As their love grew, so did Kari's sense of a soul
calling out for her. As a gypsy woman, she did not wish to be alone. After
Hal had almost been killed in a fight, Kari asked Hal to marry her.
[GL2 # 117-121]
Though it appeared Guy
had been completely annihilated, he had actually been thrown into another
dimension by the blast. The confusion and damage caused by the exploding
battery was only compounded by abuse he received in the dimensions beyond
Earth. He could manage glimpses into the real world where he saw Jordan
and Kari Limbo falling in love.
[GL2 # 117-122, SO3 # 7]
On the day of their
wedding, Kari had a vision of someone dear to her was in agony. In a
trance, she drew a symbol in the dust that was later learned to represent
a dimension beyond the Earth's, a phantom zone. Investigating further, Superman
was pulled into the zone by a tendril of green energy. Kari fainted at the
alter, she was overcome by visions of Guy Gardner being blasted apart by
the exploding battery. She hadn't stopped loving Guy.
Arriving in the
phantom zone to help Superman, Hal was attacked by power ring generated
objects. He was soon face to face with his attacker, Guy Gardner. The
alternate Green Lantern wanted Jordan's death. He had seen into the real
world and watched as Jordan had "stolen" Kari Limbo from him.
Guy was used by the wraithlike prisoners of the zone to fight Jordan and
Superman. The two heroes had to retreat.
Jordan returned to
Kari Limbo to tell her Guy had survived. She could not marry Hal while Guy
still lived. He was her first love and to marry Hal would not be fair to
anyone.
[GL2 # 122]
Gardner was taken to
Qward by Sinestro as a way to hurt the Green Lantern of Earth. Seeing
Jordan and Limbo together made Guy believe they had planned his death in
the power battery explosion. His rage grew towards his fellow Green
Lantern. Gardner was used as a puppet by Sinestro, his power ring
controlled by the villain.
[GL2 # 122-123, SO3 # 7]
Though Jordan finally
did rescue Gardner, it was almost too late. Gardner's mind was severely
damaged. The diagnosis for his recovery was far from optimistic. Guy was
brought to Mercy Memorial Hospital. Though she loved both Green Lanterns,
Kari Limbo would stay with Guy. She could still not marry Hal Jordan while
her first true love was alive. Hal returned to the stars to battle
Sinestro.
[GL2 # 124]
Guy remained in a
vegetative state for many years. The medical staff at the hospital
detected unusual alpha wave patterns but could not discover the cause.
Unknown to even Gardner himself, he was brought by Dementor into a
nether-region he jokingly called "Comaville". Gardner suffered
more mental manipulation at the hands of the Vuldarian-altered demon.
[GG # 25]
Deep in his coma,
Gardner could still feel the inner call of the Green Lantern Corps to
battle against one of their deadliest foes, Krona
the renegade Guardian and his master, Nekron,
Lord of the Unliving. The battle would be fought and won in the stars, far
from Earth. Yet even this was merely a small taste of disaster that
awaited the Green Lantern Corps.
[TGLC # 1]
Many months after the
battle with Krona, Hal Jordan resigned from the Green Lantern Corps. He
hoped to live the rest of his days as a normal human. The responsibility of
Space Sector 2814 was given to John Stewart. Jordan visited Guy in Broome
Memorial Hospital, wishing the former ring wielder the very best. He
pledged to visit Gardner often, as he felt they had a kinship in their
experiences as Green Lanterns.
[GL2 # 181-182, 185, 189]
In the deepest reaches
of time and space, matters beyond Earth were drawing close. The outcome of
these events would once more change Guy Gardner's life. During the
so-called Crisis on Infinite Earths, a splinter group of the Guardians
decided a lack of an alert to the growing antimatter anomalies meant
something was seriously amiss. They began to power a secondary Main
Battery with their own energy.
These six Guardians
planned the creation of a small, new Green Lantern Corps. They would use
selected individuals to destroy the Anti-Monitor and return order to the
stars. Whatever their guilt for the actions of an ancestor was, they would
guard the universe, not "until the end" but "until there is
no end."
They chose Guy Gardner
as the first of this new Corps. In the space of days, they brought Gardner
from the depths of his coma. Guy awoke for the first time in years.
[GL2 # 190-193]
On Oa, the monitor of
Universal Anomalies detected a new power, capable of destroying whole
worlds. On Earth, the skies grew red... Guy Gardner left the hospital,
determined to find the power he had so long been denied.
[GL2 # 193]
The Guardians
attempted to warn the Green Lantern Corps of the threat of the
Anti-Monitor. They were struck down by a blast from the Central Power
Battery. The Anti-Monitor turned the magic of the Central Power Battery
against them, imprisoning fifteen of them in a stasis beam from which they
could not be freed.
[CIE # 2, GL2 # 194-195]
On Earth, Guy Gardner
started desecrating the burial site of Abin Sur, the predecessor of Hal
Jordan, looking for the power ring. He was interrupted by Hal Jordan, who
had drove up to Abin Sur's grave to visit his predecessor. The two were
blinded by the emerald glow signifying the arrival of a Guardian. He had
come in the hour of the universe's gravest crisis to award the ring of
power to Guy Gardner.
The Guardian explained
how his comrades had fanned the spark of life remaining within Gardner. He
was brought back from his coma in order to be granted a ring. Soon Guy
would fully recover. The small group of Guardians would have brought Guy
further by then, but they dared not act directly until the Crisis had
begun. In a wisp of energy, all three vanished....
[GL2 # 194]
The Guardian brought
Gardner to Oa. Jordan had grabbed on to the pair, but fell unharmed to the
planet's surface, far from the Citadel. Gardner was taken to meet the
other renegade Guardians.
The increase of the
anti-matter effect choked off all other power from the battery. Power
rings across the universe lost their emerald energy. Jordan made his way
to the Citadel where he met a handful of free Guardians. They had given up
the fight against the Anti-Monitor, and sent Jordan home to Earth.
Guy was angered by his
treatment at the hands of the Guardians. For years he was allowed to
remain in a coma while the Guardians did nothing. The Guardians countered
his charges, for he was only a standby for one of 3600 Green Lanterns.
They had never authorized his enrollment into the Corps, and did not
concern themselves with a Green Lantern's personal crises. With John
Stewart embroiled in the Monitor's battles, they now wanted to enroll Guy.
[GL2 # 195]
Gardner was given a
customized uniform, resembling that of the Guardians' trio of robotic
enforcers. Gardner's ring and battery was powered by the life energy of
the six Guardians. He would seek out evil and destroy it as the first of
the new Corps. The Guardians plans were short-lived. A wave of antimatter
swept across their gathering. Five of the Guardians were instantly killed.
Gardner swore his allegiance to the surviving Guardian and flew home to
Earth.
[GL2 # 195, CIE # 9]
Keying in on precise
emanations while warping time back over itself, Guy Gardner was able to
revive the Shark,
who quickly defeated him. The Shark left Gardner, searching for the mind
of Hal Jordan.
Hal revealed his
secret identity to John Stewart, hoping to offer his experience as a Green
Lantern and warn about Guy Gardner. They were suddenly attacked by the
Shark. John defeated the Shark, imprisoning him in an emerald bubble. Guy
soon arrived to free the captive Shark. For his protection, Stewart sent
Jordan into space in a power ring created bubble.
In the ensuing fight
with Guy, John paused to aid the Shark in his airless bubble. The Shark
and Gardner double teamed Stewart and made their escape. Guy convinced the
Shark to join his strike force.
Retrieving Hal Jordan
from space, Stewart was surprised to find Hal was no longer in the power
ring bubble. He had vanished without a trace. Stewart could not find
Gardner, who had ordered his ring to counter any tracking attempts.
Jordan had been
transported to Oa by the Guardian that had given Guy the ring. He was now
prepared to trust Jordan with a ring, provided Jordan follow Guy Gardner's
lead in the mission. Jordan argued against the use of Gardner, citing his
mind had been damaged somehow by his years in a coma. While the Guardian
agreed with Jordan's observation he believed Gardner had been damaged in a
manner which removed any doubts he might have about achieving his
objectives. Guy Gardner was the perfect choice to lead an assault on the
moon of Qward.
Gardner and the Shark
made fast work freeing Hector Hammond from confinement. Sonar, Throttle
and Blindside were freed by Guy with the offer to join or die. Hector
Hammond had plotted to take over Guy's group before he was shut down by
the Green Lantern. Gardner went off to free Goldface from prison.
[GL2 # 196]
The growing strike
force was soon apprehended by two Green Lanterns. Katma
Tui and John Stewart planned to return the criminals to prison.
Surprisingly, they were ordered to stop by Hal Jordan. Although he was
wearing regular street clothes, he was backed up by the power of the
verdant ring. Jordan sided with Gardner in his attack on Qward's moon. No
sooner had Gardner and company departed when Sinestro arrived, telling
Stewart and Katma of the error of Gardner's mission.
[GL2 # 197]
At the very edge of
the solar system, Gardner's small army prepared for the assault on Qward.
Guy warned his group not to attack Jordan under the penalty of death. The
former Green Lantern thanked Gardner, and was glad that Gardner had
finally become a Green Lantern. Gardner considered Hal a jerk.
In Qwardian space, the
group engaged the Weaponers.
Jordan refused to kill his enemies and would return to the positive matter
universe. Gardner would not let Jordan leave with the power ring and he
attacked him for it. Gardner pulled the ring from Jordan's finger, leaving
him for dead.
Jordan was later
rescued by the Green Lantern Corps. He had taken the life support off of a
dead Weaponer and survived until they found him. The Corps joined in the
battle, against the Weaponers and Gardner's group.
On the dark moon of Qward, Guy prepared to destroy the birthplace of the Anti-Monitor. Jordan
tried to stop him, but without his power ring he was unable to prevent the
inevitable. Guy's blast was thrown off by John Stewart. The two Green
Lanterns fought a battle of wills but the pressure was too much for
Gardner. He was knocked out by the effort. Somewhere far beyond the Green
Lantern Corps, the Anti-Monitor fell. The Crisis was finally over.
[GL2 # 198]
Soon after, the
criminals turned on Gardner. They realized if they had followed his lead
they would have destroyed the very universe. Though they were in no shape
to attack Gardner in Qward, they vowed revenge on the Green Lantern.
[GL2 # 199]
Unwilling to face the
villains or the Green Lantern Corps, Guy quickly escaped to look for
allies. He found one likely candidate on the planet Zamaron in Sector
2813. There, he proposed a partnership with Star Sapphire, a queen who had lost her Zamaron followers. They were joined
by the mental projection of Hector Hammond and together the "Triumvirate of Terror" planned an
unsuccessful ambush of Hal Jordan. They were easily beaten by the veteran
Green Lantern. Hammond was incapacitated on Earth, Jordan brought Sapphire
and Gardner to Oa for judgment by the Guardians.
[GL2 # 199-200]
Meeting with the
surviving members of the Green Lantern Corps, the Guardians announced they
were leaving our universe with their mates, the Zamarons.
The Corps was given independence from their sector assignments, they could
now patrol the universe as they saw fit. Apros and K'ryssma of the Green Lantern Corps Honor Guard were to protect the mortal Guardian,
Appa
Ali Apsa, on Maltus Hal Jordan and John Stewart were assigned to Earth, the prophesied
birthplace of the next race of immortals.
Because he had been
chosen as a Green Lantern by an Oan, the Guardians would let Guy keep his
power ring, provided he met one requirement. He would have to undergo
training on the Guardians' homeworld, Maltus. He would work with the Honor
Guard and Appa Ali Apsa while rebuilding the world which was ravaged in
the Crisis. He reluctantly agreed.
[GL2 # 200]
The conditions on
Maltus angered Gardner. He despised the tasks he was to perform, such as
bring water across space to the planet. He was considered too violent in
his defense of Maltus from an attack by an armada of starships from
Palomaris, who needed women for their world.
[GL2 # 201]
Maltus' overcrowding
atmosphere and the lack of training by Appa Ali Apsa, who Guy thought was
a wimp anyway, gave Guy the idea of sneaking away. The Honor Guard members
confronted the Green Lantern from Earth. While they were satisfied with
his work they could not abide by his escape plans. They easily beat
Gardner, and Apros invaded Gardner's mind, disabling him. They did not
tell Appa Ali Apsa of the confrontation - but there would be no second
time.
[GL2 # 204-205]
Guy waited until for a
more opportune moment to escape. He took advantage of sulfur storms to
escape Maltus. On Earth, Gardner declared himself leader of the Green
Lantern Corps of Earth. His fellow emerald warriors balked at this,
and Gardner attacked. Guy waited until for a
more opportune moment to escape. He took advantage of sulfur storms to
escape Maltus. On Earth, Gardner declared himself leader of the Green
Lantern Corps of Earth. His fellow emerald warriors balked at this,
and Gardner attacked.
The Honor Guard
pursued the errant Green Lantern to Earth. Subduing Gardner, they were
prepared to take his power ring from him when they were stopped by Hal
Jordan. The Earth based Green Lanterns offered to take Gardner as their
responsibility. They felt he would eventually need to learn how to fit
into society and was better off learning on his homeworld. Satisfied with
this offer, Appa Ali Apsa returned to Maltus with the Honor Guard.
Despite Appa Ali
Apsa's approval, the Green Lanterns were not in complete agreement. Kilowog
was opposed to the aspect of someone as irresponsible as Guy Gardner as a
Green Lantern. The Bolovax Green Lantern left his teammates, eventually
assisting the Soviet Union in the creation of the Rocket Red Brigade.
[GL2 # 207]
Due to the
machinations of G. Gordon Godfrey, a wave of anti-superhero sentiment
swept the nation. Gardner was one of many superheroes affected by the
public's growing mistrust of their superhuman protectors.
The true identity of
Godfrey was revealed to be Glorious Godfrey of Apokolips. In service to
Darkseid, Godfrey had used his powers to destroy Earth's
"legends" by manipulating the thoughts of the American people.
The government quickly imposed a ban on super human activities. Godfrey
was ultimately defeated when he put on Doctor Fate's mystic helmet, in a
futile attempt to gain the Lord of Order's powers. It was through the
organization of Doctor Fate that the super heroes banded together, and
soon reformed the Justice League.
[LEGENDS # 1-6]
Learning of Kilowog's
activities in the Soviet Union, Guy Gardner invaded the U.S.S.R. to bring
back three "defecting" Green Lanterns and almost started World
War Three in the process. He went one-on-one with Kilowog until the
Bolovax Green Lantern learned he had been betrayed by the Soviets.
[GL2 # 209-211]
Following his latest argument with the Green Lanterns, Guy went on to become one of the
charter members of the new Justice League (later Justice League
International). He considered himself leader, though his teammates didn't
recognize his claim to the title. Alongside Batman, Black Canary, Blue
Beetle, Captain Marvel, Doctor Fate, Doctor Light, the Martian Manhunter,
Mister Miracle and Oberon, Guy quickly made a bad impression. Batman
appeared to be one of the few people able to keep Gardner in line.
[JLA2 # 1]
The League's first
case had actually been set up by Maxwell Lord. A group of terrorists at
the UN were stopped by the Justice League earning them instant
recognition. Their next case involved a return to the U.S.S.R. for Gardner
as they came into conflict with the Rocket Red Brigade. The Justice League
had been sent to the Soviet Union to block the Heroes of Angor from
dismantling the Soviets' nuclear arsenal.
[JLA2 # 2-3]
New members, such as
Booster Gold, joined the League, but command of the team was still a sore
spot for Guy. He took off his ring to fight Batman but was KO'ed with one
punch from the Dark Knight. Coming to a while later, he hit his head on
the underside of console while trying to find his ring.
[JLA2 # 4-5]
Green Lantern Hal
Jordan was visited by Maxwell Lord to assist the new Justice League, but
Jordan felt the participation of Gardner would screw up the reputation of
the League. Though Lord wanted Jordan's help, he didn't want the veteran
Green Lantern's advice. [JLA2 # 6]
Guy started out as an
idealistic football player, who turned into a lawyer, and during this
time, he first met Hal Jordan while Hal was in jail for drunk driving
charges right after he first received his ring, later Guy became a Green
Lantern, during his time he helped support the GL Corps taking a little
vacation in Comaville, coming back a harder meaner Guy Gardner and help to
found a new one, later in a battle with Jordan on who would get to protect
earth as the Official Green Lantern of that sector, he lost to Jordan in a
hand to hand fight and lost his ring and membership in the corpse. Later
he tricked Lobo into helping him find Sinestro's yellow power ring on the
planet Oa's Green Lantern burial hall, and started his new carrier with
the ring in his possession. Unfortunately even thou he had the a new power
ring it still would loose it's charge at a moments notice, even during
fights, so he eventually had Blue Beetle create a new suit of armor for
him so he'd finally have something he could count on. When Hal Jordan
finally snapped due to years of manipulations from the Guardians of The
Universe who started the GL Corps he defeated the several Green Lanterns
in battle, killed a reborn Sinsestro, and absorbed the power of the
central battery witch powered all the Green Lanterns and evens Guy's ring
that came from the central battery. Without his ring Guy fought Hal once
again in the Blue Beetle's armor and was defeated and put into another
coma. After being powerless once again he teamed up with Buck Wargo and
his Monster hunters in an attempt to attain super-powers in order to get
back into the fight against Hal, and help his girlfriend Ice, and the
Justice League America. Believing the entire adventure a one in a million
chance at powers he met up with them in the Naba Jungle, and with their
help made it to the ancient Temple the Vuldarians had left for him, and
drank from the sacred Warrior Waters, and had his full potential realized
1 releasing dormant memories planted by the Vuldarians along with his
powers, believing himself to be turned into some kind of freak, and
blaming the Vuldarians his guide Cardonne, shut down his memories again,
and slowed his powers down until he could come to grips with the
situation.
Even without knowing
his full potential Gardner set out on an illustrious super-hero carrier
that led him to saving the President's life from terrorist, and exposing a
secret government agency that his brother works for. When Gardner caused
to much trouble for the agency they sent Major Force after him, who
proceeded to try to kill guy's mom and shove her in the refrigerator.
During the ensuing fight Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner) showed up and lent guy a hand when Major Force threw a bus full of people at Guy, while he
made his escape. When Gardner return to his mom's house Green Lantern
noticed that the refrigerator door was open, and remembered it was the
same thing he saw when Major Force killed his own girlfriend for
information on him, and his power ring. Fortunately for Guy and his mother
she was out of town, unfortunately for his mother's neighbor she was house
sitting, and was the one to be killed. Eventually Green Lantern, and Guy
teamed up together, and went after Quorum
Eventually Gardner's
denial led to a breakdown over the control over his powers and his powers
began to flare whenever he was around a alien, as in the case when he
fought Superman. Eventually he gained some control over his powers after a
Tormock attack and Buck Wargo, exposed him to the device that catalyzed his
Vuldarian heritage, and sent his mind into the device where he confronted
his ancient ancestor Cardonne, who made Gardner go through one of the most
significant moments in Cardonne's life a led to the death of his beloved.
When Gardner finally came out of the induced experience he embraced his
heritage, and powers. Armed with the truth about himself and the Tormocks he set out on a preemptive strike against the
Tormocks with the help of the
Justice League America. Defeating the Tormocks and killing there leader
Bronkk with the help of his ancestor Cardonne, Gardner completed his main
mission in life, and he and the JLA returned to earth.
Now, Guy devotes most of his time to his
super-hero-themed restaurant Warriors, where he and Sentinel (Alan Scott)
meet with new Green Lantern Kyle Rayner to talk about their adventures.
Guy still loves a good scrap and is ready to help
Earth's heroes should the need arise.
Notes of Interest:
-
Guy Gardner has probably
been in more coma's than any other super hero.
-
While
Gardner and Jordan are near the same age Gardner used his GL ring to slow
his aging process right after he received it.
-
Gardner
has had at least 3 separate rings on separate occasions, 2 GL rings and
Sinestro's.
-
Dementor
used Guy's Morphing power to turn him into a Gal.
-
Gardner
and Steel were on the same College football team.
-
Gardner's
brother was a cop turned government supervillain called Militia, out to kill
Guy. Guy has two hearts, after having one ripped out by Major Force, it
jump started his powers and he ultimately killed him.
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