| “ | We are the Guardians. We will not be stopped." | „ |
| ~ A new motto of the Guardians of the Universe. |
The Guardians of the Universe are an ancient immortal alien group from the planet Oa and supporting characters in the Green Lantern franchise. While normally used for heroic purposes, due to the Guardians abandoning emotions long ago they often mishandled the solutions of dealing with a situation on what is best to resolve it. In addition there have been a few guardians that have gone rogue such as Scar and Krona. Prior to the New 52 relaunch, despite their faults, the guardians were usually there to deal with the situation. Following the relaunch, they have begun to head towards a more villainous role due to their unemotional nature to which they ultimately descend into madness.
They would serve as the main villains for the Rise of the Third Army crossover event.
New 52[]
Rise of the Third Army.
After brainwashing to strip him of his emotions Ganthet to whom they previously banished before changed as a result of this procedure and due to his previous experience as a member of the Green Lantern Corps, he began bringing up the flaws in their group, just like the case of the Manhunters and the Guardians now believe that the time has come to revive the First Lantern and working on creating the third army that will replace the Green Lantern Corps.
Among the goals of their agenda, besides wiping out their own Lantern Corps, they also intend to wipe out the other Lantern Corps as well as they deeply resent them, and have also taken action against them as well.
The actions they took prior to the Rise of the Third Army event:
- Tried to capture Kyle Rayner and the other Lantern Corp representatives when they went to Oa to discover why the rings from the other corps were attracted to Kyle.
- Allowed Sinestro to remain as a Green Lantern, only so they could use him to dismantle his own Sinestro Corps, leaving Arkillo as they only active Yellow Lantern who was forced to seek an alternate ring from a Weaponer of Quard that was not connected to their main power battery.
- After learning from Lyssa Drak that Sinestro had the Book of Black (whom they could not kill without arousing suspicion), killed an alien named Starstorm (whom Sinestro used earlier to locate Drak) during their quest to locate Sinestro.
- Altered footage to make it look like John Stewart murdered fellow GL Kirrt instead of killing him to prevent Kirrt from divulging information on Oa's defenses just as Kirrt was about to crack under pressure. This resulted in the reason behind this covert action to be accomplished in the end, the complete destruction of the Alpha Lanterns without having to do it themselves.
- Sent a bounty hunter equipped with Oan technology to capture Kyle Rayner.
- Responsible for the revival of Atrocitus's creation Abysmus to poison the Red Central Power Battery to eliminate the Red Lanterns, before Atrocitus was able to capture him as well as killing Abysmus, and restore the Battery.
- Hinted to be responsible for informing the Reach of Odym's secret location to eliminate the Blue Lanterns, resulting in the Blue Lanterns losing their home to the Reach.
- Hinted to be responsible for freeing Larfleeze's old enemy Invictius to eliminate Larfleeze and his Orange Lanterns.
- Promoted Guy Gardner to the new rank "Sentinel Lantern" hoping to use his pride to destroy his career as part of their plans to remove all the Earth Lanterns to keep them out of the way.
- Recovered the First Lantern Volthoom's body and killed one of the Templar Guardians guarding it, then left the other Templar Guardians imprisoned.
Afterwards they first set in motions their plans by reviving Volthoom. After discovering Sinestro was with Hal Jordan on Earth and fighting Black Hand as well as learning that Hal Jordan was wearing a Green Lantern ring, they intervene and then they use Black Hand to seemingly kill Hal Jordan and Sinestro. With Volthoom's body, they combine their own flesh with his power to create their newest army-The Third Army. It begins by the first soldier attacking and assimilating a security guard and turning him into one of the Third Army soldiers.
Rise of the Third Army[]
At the beginning of the Rise of the Third Army event the Guardians conducted many different actions:
- They assign John Stewart to locate GL member Planet Mogo's remains so Mogo can be reformed with their hidden agenda to assimilate him into the Third Army, though Mogo ultimately repelled the Third Army after being reborn.
- They assign Guy Gardner to guard an ambassador, but they secretly release Guy's old enemy Xar from their Science-Cells Prison, so Guy would abandon his duties to protect his family, where they were ambushed by the Third Army. While Guy survives they had Xar covertly murder the ambassador to frame Guy to force him to resign from the Corps.
- Imprisons their Chief of Staff Salaak after he overhears their plans but unknown to them he had already secretly communicated with Kilowog about their suspicious actions and secretly sent B'dg to Earth to locate Hal Jordan.
- Had Ganthet and a group of Third Army soldiers to attack Zamaron to eliminate the Zamarons and the Star Sapphire Corps, but were repelled when Kyle Rayner mastered the other powers of the Emotional Spectrum, becoming a White Lantern, and forcing Ganthet to flee.
- After discovering Guy Gardner was arrested on Earth for trying to fight crime as a vigilante without his ring, the Guardians sent the Third Army to assimilate him, but unknown to them, Guy was saved by B'dg and the newest Earth Lantern Simon Baz.
Afterwards the Guardians set up a announcement of a fake inoculation treatment that requires their GL members to report to Oa as part of their plans to assimilate them into the Third Army, with a communications blackout to prevent them from communicating with each other. After B'dg uses his ring to send Guy to Oa, Guy learns that Kilowog had secretly assembled a small unit of trusted Green Lanterns to face the Guardians. While Guy was used as a distraction, the members of Kilowog's army faced off against the Third Army, while Kilowog gains control of the Green Lantern's Central Power Battery, to free the Lantern members that the Guardians had paralyzed and end the communications blackout to warn approaching members of the Guardian's betrayal.
After reinforcements arrive in their form of John Stewart, Kyle Rayner and his New Guardians group, Atrocitus and the Manhunters he re-programmed to face the Guardians, the Guardians attempts to draw more power from Volthoom to fight them off, results in Volthoom breaking free, and as a result the Guardians are imprisoned.
Following the destruction of Volthoom, and the Third Army, Sinestro kills the Guardians excluding Ganthet out of revenge for the loss of his homeworld Korugar, though he spared one of them to Atrocitus. The Templar Guardians have since then become the new Guardians of the Universe, but as they have been out of touch with reality for so long they decide to leave Hal Jordan in charge of the Green Lantern Corps until they gain the necessary experience, although he was very reluctant and was not fit to lead because he was expelled from the Air Force for punching his superior officer.
Eventually after a number of adventures which left a few of the Templar Guardians dead, during the DC Rebirth/DC Universe event, they along with Ganthet, Sayd, and Rami, a former Guardian were captured he Controllers in the Twilight of the Guardians storyline to convert them into their race. Though a few of the Templar Guardians were successfully assimilated the rest of the hostages were saved by Hal, Guy, John, and Kyle. Since they are now the last of their people, the remainder of the Templar Guardians along with the now reinstated Rami, Ganthet and Sayd, decide to become the new Guardians of the Universe in order to preserve what was left of their race's true legacy.
