Harbinger (DC Comics)

Superherobox|

caption = The Harbinger
Art by George Pérez
comic_color = background: #8080ff
character_name = Harbinger
publisher = DC Comics
debut = (as Lyla) The New Teen Titans Annual Vol. 2 #2
(as Harbinger) "Crisis on Infinite Earths" #1
creators = Marv Wolfman, George Pérez
alliance_color = background: #ffc0c0
real_name = Lyla Michaels
alliances =New Guardians
aliases =
powers = Self duplication and reintegration, energy materialization, advanced strength, flight, and possessed an orb that recorded every bit of history in the multiverse and beyond while allowing for teleportation through space, time, dimensions, and realities.

Harbinger (Lyla Michaels) is a fictional character, a DC Comics superheroine created in the early 1980s.

Fictional character biography

She and her associate, the Monitor, made several short teasing appearances in various DC comic books up until 1985, when the Crisis on Infinite Earths began. Up until "Crisis", she and Monitor appeared to be simple, albeit somewhat pompous, weapons brokers. At the time, she was named Lyla Michaels, and served the Monitor as a fairly conventional secretary.

All that changed in "Crisis", where she adopted the name and appearance of Harbinger, revealed her power of splitting into various selves that could reintegrate later, and sent those selves through various points in time and space (across various realities, even), initially to recruit the aid of heroes for the Monitor's fight against his evil twin, the Anti-Monitor. That conflict and its consequences were the core of the "Crisis" limited series.

She was also a central character in the Millennium crossover, had a couple of spotlights (in "DC Presents" and "Titans Spotlight"), and was a member of the New Guardians. At one point she was invited to serve the island nation of Themyscira as the Amazons' official historian.

The newest version of Supergirl recently lived on Themyscira for a time, in order to learn battle tactics. She and Harbinger developed a close friendship that did not last long when Darkseid's forces attacked. Harbinger was slain on the shores of the island while Doomsday clones attracted the attention of the other warriors.

Post-"Infinite Crisis"'

Donna Troy acted like a "new" Harbinger during the "52" storyline. Within the new 52-Earth Multiverse, the Monitors employ several Harbingers, among them Dark Angel and The Forerunner. ["Countdown to Adventure" #1]

Other media

The DC Comics owned company DC Direct released an action figure of Harbinger as part of the line of "Crisis" action figures.

References