| The Manhattan Guardian | |
|---|---|
 The Manhattan Guardian byCameron 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 |
TheManhattan Guardian (Jake Jordan) is asuperhero appearing in media published byDC Comics. Created byGrant Morrison andCameron Stewart and based on the characterGuardian, he first appeared inSeven Soldiers: Guardian #1 (2005), part of theSeven Soldiers of Victory "megaseries".[1]
The character originally appeared in theManhattan Guardianmini-series.[2] The inspiration came from the British newspaperThe Guardian which gave Morrison the idea for atabloid-sponsored superhero, translated to America.[3]
TheManhattan Guardian series is set in "Cinderella City" (to separate it from theugly sistersMetropolis andGotham) which isNew York City but with unrealised architectural projects including an idea for theHotel Attraction proposed byPaul Laffoley,Hans Hollein's "Rolls-Royce Building" concept for28 Liberty Street,Robert Moses'Mid-Manhattan Expressway andFrank Lloyd Wright's "Ellis Island Key". The original idea came fromPaul Laffoley's suggestion to reference Gaudi's architecture for inspiration in rebuildingGround 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 writerJames Robinson expressed a desire to have Manhattan Guardian team up with the original Guardian at some point in the near future.[4]
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 theManhattan Guardian tabloid from owner Ed Stargard and becomes the superhero Manhattan Guardian, deriving his name from the newspaper and the originalGuardian.[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 theNewsboy Army known as Baby Brain.
Following his debut, Manhattan Guardian makes minor appearances in various series, includingInfinite Crisis,World War III, andJustice League of America.[6][7][8]
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.
An alternate universe variant of Manhattan Guardian from Earth-23 appears inThe Multiversity andAction Comics as a member of the Justice League.[9][10]