Resemblances To DC Comics' Legion of Super-Heroes
The Imperial Guard has many intentional resemblances to DC Comics' Legion of Super-Heroes. The original members seen in Uncanny X-Men #107 were designed by artist Dave Cockrum, previously best known for his work on the LSH, and all had direct counterparts among the Legionnaires, with similar super-powers and costumes:
- Oracle = Saturn Girl
- Electron = Cosmic Boy
- Mentor = Brainiac 5
- Nightside = Shadow Lass
- Smasher = Ultra Boy
- Titan = Colossal Boy
- Astra = Phantom Girl
- Scintilla = Shrinking Violet
- Starbolt = Sun Boy
- Hobgoblin = Chameleon Boy
- Fang = Timber Wolf
- Magic (later renamed Magique) = Princess Projectra
- Pulsar = Wildfire
- Tempest (later renamed Flashfire) = Lightning Lad
The Imperial Guard is headed by Gladiator, the analog to Superboy (Gladiator's real name is Kallark; a combination of Superboy's names Kal-El and Clark Kent).
In X-Men #137, the Imperial Guard begins to move away from being strictly a Legion pastiche, introducing characters with no Legionnaire counterparts. More Guardsmen corresponding to the LSH were not introduced until the Avengers crossover "Operation: Galactic Storm" in the 1990s.
The real name of Kree Guardsman Commando is M-Nell; a nod to LSH member Mon-El.
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