| Harbinger | |
|---|---|
.png) Harbinger as depicted inCrisis on Infinite Earths #3 (June 1985). Art by George Pérez. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | As Lyla Michaels:The New Teen Titans Annual #2 (July 1983) As Harbinger:Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 (April 1985) |
| Created by | Marv Wolfman George Pérez |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Captain Lyla Michaels |
| Species | Metahuman |
| Team affiliations | New Guardians Black Lantern Corps United States Army |
| Abilities |
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TheHarbinger (Captain Lyla Michaels) is a superheroine appearing in publications byDC Comics. She had a supporting role in theCrisis on Infinite Earths storyline, where she gathered heroes to protect themultiverse from theAnti-Monitor.
The character appeared as a recurring character inThe CW television seriesArrow andThe Flash television series, portrayed byAudrey Marie Anderson.
Lyla Michaels was created byMarv Wolfman andGeorge Pérez, and first appeared inThe New Teen Titans Annual #2 (July 1983). She first appeared as Harbinger inCrisis on Infinite Earths #1 (April 1985).
Lyla Michaels is an orphan whose ship sunk during a violent storm before she was rescued by theMonitor, a cosmic being locked in an eternal war against his anti-matter counterpart, theAnti-Monitor.[1] Raising Lyla as an assistant, the Monitor observes the multiverse's heroes and tests them for an impending final battle against the Anti-Monitor.
During theCrisis on Infinite Earths event, Lyla assumes the "Harbinger" identity after entering a womb-like chamber which energizes her and gives her the ability to clone herself. Harbinger's clones recruit various heroes and villains to fight the Anti-Monitor's shadow demons and protect a series of vibration towers, designed to protectEarth-One andEarth-Two from the Anti-Monitor's antimatter waves.[2]
While Harbinger is recruiting the heroArion, a shadow demon merges with one of the Harbinger's duplicates, allowing the Anti-Monitor to control her. Under the Anti-Monitor's control, the Harbinger kills the Monitor. The Monitor, having foreseen the Anti-Monitor's gambit, has his life force power the vibration towers, saving Earth-One and Earth-Two. Harbinger reverts to her normal form and sacrifices her powers to save the other three remaining universes (home of theFreedom Fighters, theCharlton heroes, and the Marvel Family respectively) from annihilation.
When the five remaining universes merge, Harbinger records the history of the post-Crisis DC Universe into a computer satellite, which theManhunters use as part of a greater plan to infiltrate the superhero community. Afterwards, she is offered membership with theAmazon tribe ofThemyscira as the Amazons' historian.[3]
InSuperman/Batman,Kara Zor-El is resurrected, arrives on Earth, and is given shelter on Themyscira, where she befriends Harbinger. Remembering Supergirl's sacrifice during the Crisis, the Harbinger sacrifices herself in a failed bid to preventDarkseid from kidnapping Kara.[4][5]
Harbinger is reanimated as aBlack Lantern during theBlackest Night crossover. She uses her knowledge of history to provoke her targets by bringing up emotional memories, but is destroyed with the other Black Lanterns.[6]
Anartificial intelligence of Harbinger who bears a resemblance to the original version is part of the House of Heroes, the Monitor's watchstation.[7]
Lyla Michaels appears in theArrowverse seriesArrow andThe Flash, portrayed byAudrey Marie Anderson.[8][9] This version is an agent, later the director, ofA.R.G.U.S. andJohn Diggle's estranged wife who secretly works forMar Novu.
Lyla Michaels / Harbinger received an action figure inDC Direct'sCrisis line in 2005.