Manhattan Guardian

The Manhattan Guardian (Jake Jordan) is a superhero appearing in media published by DC Comics. Created by Grant Morrison and Cameron Stewart and based on the character Guardian, he first appeared in Seven Soldiers: Guardian #1 (2005), part of the Seven Soldiers of Victory "megaseries".^[1]

The Manhattan Guardian
The Manhattan Guardian by Cameron Stewart.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Seven Soldiers: Guardian #1 (May 2005)
Created by	Grant Morrison Cameron Stewart
In-story information
Alter ego	Jake Jordan
Team affiliations	Seven Soldiers of Victory Newsboy Army Justice League
Abilities	Skilled hand to hand combatant Excellent physical condition Carries a golden helmet and shield

Publication history

The character originally appeared in the Manhattan Guardian mini-series.^[2] The inspiration came from the British newspaper The Guardian which gave Morrison the idea for a tabloid-sponsored superhero, translated to America.^[3]

The Manhattan Guardian series is set in "Cinderella City" (to separate it from the ugly sisters Metropolis and Gotham) which is New York City but with unrealised architectural projects including an idea for the Hotel Attraction proposed by Paul Laffoley, Hans Hollein's "Rolls-Royce Building" concept for 28 Liberty Street, Robert Moses' Mid-Manhattan Expressway and Frank Lloyd Wright's "Ellis Island Key". The original idea came from Paul Laffoley's suggestion to reference Gaudi's architecture for inspiration in rebuilding Ground Zero. Morrison said: "I want it to be a more exalted New York, where things that were dreamed of were finally brought into reality".^[3]

In 2009, Superman writer James Robinson expressed a desire to have Manhattan Guardian team up with the original Guardian at some point in the near future.^[4]

Fictional character biography

Jake Jordan is an unemployed former police officer who left the force after killing a young boy he misidentified as the murderer of his partner. He accepts a job at the Manhattan Guardian tabloid from owner Ed Stargard and becomes the superhero Manhattan Guardian, deriving his name from the newspaper and the original Guardian.^[5] Jake later learns that Stargard is an elderly man who never physically developed beyond infancy and is a former member of a group called the Newsboy Army known as Baby Brain.

Following his debut, Manhattan Guardian makes minor appearances in various series, including Infinite Crisis, World War III, and Justice League of America.^[6][7][8]

Powers and abilities

The Manhattan Guardian has no superpowers but is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant in excellent physical condition, having been trained in the police force. Like the original Guardian, he wears a golden helmet and carries a golden shield as a weapon.

Other versions

An alternate universe variant of Manhattan Guardian from Earth-23 appears in The Multiversity and Action Comics as a member of the Justice League.^[9][10]