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Winter Guard

Winter Guard
Darkstarwinterguard.png
Cover art for Darkstar and the Winter Guard #1 by Clayton Henry
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance Iron Man vol. 3 #9 (October, 1998)
Created by Kurt Busiek (writer)
Sean Chen (artist)
In-story information
Type of organization team
Agent(s) Crimson Dynamo
Darkstar
Red Guardian
Ursa Major
Fantasma
Powersurge
Sibercat
Sputnik
Vanguard

The Winter Guard is a fictional team of Russian superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

The Winter Guard are noted for being "Russia's answer to the Avengers". Several members of the group formerly belonged to the Soviet Super-Soldiers, the People's Protectorate and the Supreme Soviets. Unlike those teams, which were often adversarial towards other costumed superheroes, the Winter Guard is much more heroic and representative in nature.

Unlike other superhero teams, the Winter Guard currently has a rotating pool of candidates to fill one of three roles on the team: Darkstar, Crimson Dynamo, and Red Guardian.

The Winter Guard first appeared during the Kurt Busiek run of Iron Man, where they had several guest appearances. They would later appear in Busiek's stint on the Avengers.

The team made infrequent appearance in the Marvel Universe until Jeph Loeb brought them to attention in Hulk #1. The Winter Guard soon appeared in She-Hulk and War Machine: Weapon of SHIELD.

David Gallaher brought the team back in Hulk: Winter Guard which first appeared as a Marvel Digital Comic and was later reprinted as a comic book. Gallaher returned to writing the team with a 3-issue limited series called Darkstar and the Winter Guard in 2010.

The Winter Guard was apparently destroyed by The Intelligencia, who tested their ultimate weapon The Zero Cannon on the unsuspecting heroes.

The Winter Guard made their debut in Iron Man vol. 3, #9, and fought alongside the Avengers during both the "Maximum Security" crossover, and the "Kang War".


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