Michael O'Brien
Michael o'Brien was a police sergeant who believed Iron Man was responsible for his brother's death. After fighting Iron Man as the Guardsman, he discovered his mistake and became an ally to Iron Man and the Avengers. He acted as Iron Man briefly and fought Sunfire and the Mandarin.
Name:
Michael O'Brien
Publisher:
Real name:
Michael O'Brien
Aliases:
- Iron Man
- Guardsman
Birth date:
None
Gender:
Male
Powers:
- Blast Power
- Flight
- Power Suit
- Super Strength
- Unarmed Combat
First issue:
Brief History
O' Brien, New York City police sargeant, didn't believe that his brother, Kevin, died accidentally in battle with Iron Man. He re-opened the case without authorization believing that there was a cover up of Iron Man's actions. O' Brien managed to get access to the Guardsman armor and put it on hoping to go after Iron Man. O' Brien was affected by the faulty cybernetic circuitry and as the Guardsman, insane with rage, attempted to kill Iron Man. During the battle, Guardsman was convinced by Iron Man that the armor had a malfunction that caused irrational behavior. Iron Man removed the Guardsman armor from O' Brien and took O' Brien into his custody rather than turn him over to the police.
After two separate battles with Sunfire and the Mandarin, Iron Man revealed that he was Stark to O' Brien. Stark repaired the malfunction in the Guardsman's cybernetic circuirty and the Guardsman hoped to make up for past mistakes. The Guardsman continued to be a reliable ally to Iron Man.
Later, the Guardsman was the security director at Project: Pegasus but resigned a few years later and came to work for the Avengers as part of the support staff. Years later, O' Brien was contacted by War Machine who was recruiting close friends of Iron Man to fight Ultimo.
The Guardsman was later stationed at the Super Villain Peniteniary known as the Vault.
Publication History
Michael O' Brien first appeared as himself in Iron Man vol 1 #82 and then first appeared as the Guardsman in Iron Man vol 1 #97.
Powers and Abilities
Guardsman Mark I
30 Minute Self Contained Atmosphere
Cybernetic Interface & Battle Computer
Chemical Fueled Boot Jets
Rechargeable Power Supply
Palm Repulsors
Guardsman Mark II
Short-Range Broadcast Power Batteries
15 Minute Emergency Battery Backup
Cybernetic Interface & Battle Computer
Chemical Fueled Boot Jets
Energy Dampening Field - Protected Armor from a strike that cracked a Mark I's shell.
Palm Repulsors (Enhanced)
In Other Media
Television
- Michael O'Brien appears as a recurring character in Iron Man: Armored Adventures, voiced by Brian Drummond. He is the chief of security at Stark International, and works for Obadiah Stane. Unlike in the comics, he is the pilot of the Crimson Dynamo armor rather than the Guardsman suit.
Merchandise
- Guardsman was featured in the Minimates line from Diamond Select.
- Guardsman was featured in the HeroClix figure game.
- Crimson Dynamo was featured in the Iron Man: Armored Adventures line from Hasbro.
