A new player enters the picture in this clip from "Manhunter," the next episode of "Supergirl." Col. James Harper arrives, along with Lucy Lane, to investigate J'onn J'onzz's "infiltration" of the DEO -- and Supergirl and her sister, Alex Danvers, are none too pleased with the situation.
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Of course, whenever a new character joins a DC Comics-based television series, the question arises: are they going to become a superhero or supervillain? In the case of Harper, the former is a definite possibility.
Jim Harper (no Col. designation for the comics incarnation) is a superhero created by Simon and Kirby in 1942; with no super powers, he relied on his athletic prowess and indestructible shield to fight crime, not unlike Captain America, who Simon & Kirby had introduced a year earlier. The original Guardian was a police officer patrolling the streets of Suicide Slum, operating as a superhero in order to tackle criminals he couldn't stop via official channels.
In the '70s, Kirby introduced a clone of the original Jim Harper as part of the cast of "Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen." This Golden Guardian worked for Cadmus, an organization dedicated to cloning experiments, and home to a number of other Kirby creations which went on to influence the DC Universe in numerous ways. In the '90s, Cadmus used Superman and Lex Luthor's DNA to create a superpowered clone who would become Superboy. A version of this Guardian was introduced to millions of viewers through a recurring role on the "Young Justice" animated series.
"Supergirl" airs on Mondays at 8 PM ET on CBS.