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Harbingers are fictional comic book superhuman beings who appear in books published by Valiant Comics. Two different groups of Harbingers appeared in the comic book series Harbinger .
When Solar recreated the world that became known as the Valiant Universe, a number of super-powered beings emerged. The most notable of those were Harbingers, human beings with a wide range of psionic powers. Throughout history, their powers tended to lie dormant, emerging in occasional bursts that were usually brought on by stress. That changed when Toyo Harada, a Japanese-born Harbinger, established the Harbinger Foundation. He hoped to study the Harbingers and the full extent of their powers. He discovered that he was what he dubbed an Omega Harbinger, a Harbinger who possessed a full range of Harbinger potential, and could activate the latent powers of other Harbingers. Harada decided to use his powers and resources to change the world for the better, no matter the cost. He began recruiting other Harbingers and creating programs to teach them how to better use their powers. The most skilled recruits became Eggbreakers, Harada's elite enforcers charged with containing renegade Harbingers, among other things.
In the early 1990s, the Harbinger Foundation discovered the existence of Peter Stanchek, the only other Omega Harbinger that existed at the time. Harada hoped that he would become a valuable ally. However, Pete discovered the truth behind Harada's ultimate plan after his close friend, who was outspoken against the Harbinger Foundation and their methods, was murdered by Harada's assassins and an attempt was made to kill Pete Stanchek as well. Stanchek fled the Foundation, taking his girlfriend with him, and decided to stop the Harbinger Foundation from reaching its goals. To that end, they recruited other Harbingers, and undermined Harada's plans in any way they could.
(formerly)
Ax - an unstable Harbinger with the power similar to that of Geomancers, except in his case, it only extends to technological devices. It is also quite similar to The abilities displayed by Bloodshot and XO Manowar to communicate with and control technology. He is introduced in issue 3 of Harbinger when he is recruited by the team to break into Harada's protected files. Although they sense his moral ambiguity, Sting activated his Harbinger power. After a disastrous caper on the dark side of the moon, the team learn that Ax cannot be trusted and Sting considers taking his powers away. Ultimately they decide to leave him with his powers, though they understood the risk he posed. Ax then embarked on a life of crime, which brought him into conflict with both Bloodshot and XO Manowar. Although he wasn't able to steal their technology, Ax's powers continued to grow and he found himself in a race with Harada to acquire the "blood of heroes" (the nanites in Bloodshot's blood). Ax killed Bloodshot on a moonbase in 2028. His time with the blood of heroes was short, but he copied his personality into a hidden computer file within the nanites before being killed by Harada's troops. The file lay hidden for centuries before being accidentally opened by Rai in the distant future. Ax struggled to gain control of the body but is eventually trapped in a virtual reality world where he reins as supreme ruler.
Obadiah Archer ( Archer ) - a Harbinger with hyper-perception and enhanced coordination and reflexes. He is frequently partnered with the immortal Armstrong. In the future, he wound up marrying Flamingo. He founded a spiritual movement known as Archies which endured into the 41st century.
Angelo Mortalli ( Bloodshot ) - Although it was the nanotech enhancements given to him as part of Project Rising Spirit that granted him most of his superhuman abilities (super strength, speed, coordination, healing), the hero known as "Bloodshot" also had the innate Harbinger ability to communicate with and control machines.
Solar is an American fictional comic book superhero created by writer Paul S. Newman, editor Matt Murphy, and artist Bob Fujitani. The character first appeared in Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom #1 in 1962 by Gold Key Comics and has since appeared in other incarnations in books published by Valiant Comics in the 1990s, Dark Horse Comics in the 2000s, and Dynamite Entertainment in the 2010s.
Silver Samurai is the name of two different supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, both acquaintances of Wolverine.
X-O Manowar is a fictional superhero co-created by writers Jim Shooter and Steve Englehart, and artists Bob Layton and Barry Windsor-Smith.
Valiant Comics is an American comic book publisher, the first incarnation of which was founded in 1989 by former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter along with lawyer and businessman Steven Massarsky. In 1994, the company was sold to Acclaim Entertainment. After Acclaim’s 2004 bankruptcy, the company’s assets were purchased as part of Valiant Entertainment by entrepreneurs Dinesh Shamdasani and Jason Kothari in 2005. In 2011, Valiant received a capital infusion from private investment company Cuneo & Company, LLC. Peter Cuneo and Gavin Cuneo joined the company and a relaunch was announced.
Bloodshot is a superhero created in 1992 by Kevin VanHook, Don Perlin, and Bob Layton, appearing in comic books published by the American publisher Valiant Comics. The Bloodshot character has had different origins and incarnations, but he is consistently a character empowered by experimental nanites injected into his bloodstream, a procedure that leaves a red circular scar on his chest, hence the name. This gives Bloodshot enhanced physical traits, the ability to repair damage to his body, an internal database of weapons and hand-to-hand combat training, and a mental connection to computers (technopathy). A side effect of the use of his powers is that his skin becomes chalk-white and his eyes become red. Other powers vary with each incarnation.
Gilad Anni-Padda, also known as the Eternal Warrior, is a character/Superhero published by Valiant Comics and originally created by Jim Shooter and Don Perlin. Introduced originally in 1992, he was then rebooted in 1996 after Acclaim Entertainment bought Valiant Comics. He was rebooted yet again by Valiant Entertainment, Inc. in 2012. An ageless master fighter with enhanced abilities, Gilad helps protect Earth and humanity from various threats over his long life, often using methods considered ruthless by others.
Harbinger is an American comic book series published by Valiant Comics about a group of teenage super-powered outcasts known as Harbingers.
Ninjak is a fictional superhero appearing in comic books published by Valiant Comics. The original incarnation of the character was created by Mark Moretti and Joe Quesada, The character was first introduced as a ninja and spy in the Valiant Comics series Bloodshot in July, 1993. His appearance in that series served to encourage interest ahead of his own self-titled series, which began in November that same year. Acclaim Entertainment bought out Valiant Comics in 1996, after which Ninjak and other characters were rebooted. The Acclaim Ninjak series lasted only a year. Valiant Comics later returned and rebranded as Valiant Entertainment, and a new version of Ninjak, more in-line with the original incarnation, was introduced to readers in 2012.
Rai is a fictional superhero that appeared in books published by Valiant Comics. Rai was the first original hero created by Valiant and had its beginning as a flipbook back-up feature in Magnus, Robot Fighter #5, in Rai #1. The popularity of the flipbook back-up story later led to an ongoing series.
H.A.R.D. Corps is a fictional superhero team appearing in books published by the American publisher Valiant Comics. The H.A.R.D. Corps team first appeared in Harbinger #10, and were created by Jim Shooter and David Lapham.
The Harbinger Resistance is a fictional organization appearing in the Valiant Comics universe.
The Psi-Lords are a fictional team of superheroes from the Valiant Comics universe.
Sting is a fictional superhero. Created by legendary writer and former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter. First appearing in Harbinger #1, he is the star of the Harbinger comic book series, where he leads a group of renegade Harbingers against Toyo Harada and the Harbinger Foundation.
Joshua Dysart is an American comic book writer. He has done work for DC Comics, Vertigo Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Image Comics, Valiant Entertainment, IDW Publishing, Penny-Farthing Press, Virgin Comics and Random House Books.
Kano is the pseudonym of Spanish comic book artist Jose Ángel Cano López.
Livewire is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by Valiant Comics. Created by Bob Layton and Joe St. Pierre. Livewire first appeared in Harbinger #15. She later played a major role in the Secret Weapons (1993) series.
Unity is a superhero team featuring in titles published by Valiant Entertainment. Taking its name from the classic Valiant crossover Unity, the Unity team first appears in Unity #1 written by Matt Kindt and illustrated by Doug Braithwaite. Unity is a global law enforcement team of super-powered operatives dedicated to protecting humanity from top-secret threats. The team works as agents of the Global Agency for Threat Excision (G.A.T.E.) and acts under the direction of American and British intelligence.
Bloodshot is a 2020 American superhero film based on the Valiant Comics character of the same name. It is intended to be the first installment in a series of films set within a Valiant Comics shared cinematic universe. Directed by David S. F. Wilson from a screenplay by Jeff Wadlow and Eric Heisserer, the film stars Vin Diesel in the main role, with Eiza González, Sam Heughan, Toby Kebbell, and Guy Pearce in supporting roles. It follows a soldier who was killed in action, only to be brought back to life with superpowers by an organization that wants to use him as a weapon.
The Valiant Universe is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles that are published by Valiant Comics take place.
