WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for "Toxin" by Steve Orlando, Gerardo Sandoval, Victor Nava, Erick Arienaga, and VC's Cory Petit from King in Black: Planet of the Symbiotes #3, on sale now.

The symbiote god Knull's invasion of Earth brought with it some truly terrifying new threats. From symbiote dragons to dark Celestials, there was nothing that King in Black threw 't bringing to the table. When the living darkness finally settled, it only made sense that humanity would take some extra steps to ensure their safety against any such threat arising again, though that doesn't mean those steps were taken with purely benevolent intentions.

As King in Black: Planet of the Symbiotes #3 put on full display, a classic villain, the Guardsman, has been given a few upgrades to overcome any symbiotic adversaries they might come across, and they might even have been made worse than ever because of it.

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King in Black Guardsman

In the aftermath of the symbiote takeover of the planet, the Toxin symbiote has recovered and found a new host willing to continue on with the symbiote's heroic tradition. When a hulking Brood creature escapes from an overturned Alchemax transport, Toxin is right there to step in and save the day. Unfortunately, a new and improved Guardsman is also on the scene and lands a vicious haymaker on their jaw.

The Guardsman armor made its initial appearance in 1971's Iron Man #43 by Gerry Conway and George Tuska. The armor was created by Tony Stark as something for his friend and confidant Kevin O'Brien to use in emergencies. When a flaw in the armor drove Kevin mad, Iron Man was forced to take action against him, and Kevin, unfortunately, lost his life in the encounter. Later on, the armor would be worn by Kevin's brother Michael before being produced in a much larger quantity for the United States government by Justin Hammer during his time running Stark Industries. While it was once used to keep supervillain prisoners in line, it looks like the Guardsman has a new backer, as well as a new pilot inside the armor.

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Toxin Guardsman

While the latest host to Toxin is a teenager named Bren, the new warrior behind the Guardsman armor is Bren's father. Yet to be named, this new Guardsman is fiercely devoted to putting down any and every symbiote that crosses his path, not to mention being just as dedicated to their handlers at Alchemax.

Between the human and alien experimentation and the investment in keeping those secrets safe with lethal force, it doesn't look like there is any chance the new Guardsman will be undertaking any heroic efforts any time soon. Additionally, if the armor still has the flaw of damaging the mental facilities of the wearer, this new incarnation of the Guardsman may ultimately prove to be more of a harm than a help.

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