Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Dave Cockrum, the original Imperial Guard characters were pastiches of prominent members of rival publisher DC Comics' superhero team the Legion of Super-Heroes.

Since then, they have been featured periodically in the X-Men titles; crossed paths with the Starjammers, the Kree, the Skrulls, Nova Corps, the Inhumans, and the Guardians of the Galaxy; and been featured in a number of limited series, including Imperial Guard (1997), the War of Kings crossover series (2009), and Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard (2010).

[2] More than 50 Imperial Guard Superguardians have appeared in Marvel Comics' titles; the core members number about 20, with the most notable being Gladiator, Oracle, Starbolt, Neutron, Smasher, Flashfire, Warstar, Electron, Manta, Mentor, Titan, Pulsar,[a] Hussar, Nightside, and Fang.

[1] Over time, for various reasons, some of the members' code-names were changed: Nightshade to Nightside,[16] Magic to Magique,[17] Midget to Scintilla,[17] Quasar to Neutron,[17] Tempest to Flashfire,[18] and Impulse to Pulsar.

"[7] Many centuries ago, the Phoenix Force entity ends up in Shi'ar space, where it bonds with a citizen of the Empire named Rook'shir.

In conjunction with his blade, Rook'shir learns to control the Phoenix Force, but is ultimately overwhelmed by its power, becoming the first known host to succumb to and go insane from its destructive impulses.

T'korr, Majestor of the Shi'ar Empire, creates the Imperial Guard to battle Rook'shir;[19] some of the first members are Gladiator, Magic, Mentor, and Quasar.

A renegade faction of the Imperial Guard — mainly made up of Borderers, but also including Fang, Hussar, Quasar, and Warstar — become traitors, deciding to serve Lord Samédàr, Deathbird, and the Brood in a conspiracy to overthrow Shi'ar Princess-Majestrix Lilandra.

Despite many of the Imperial Guard having joined with Deathbird against Lilandra, most team members are pardoned for their actions,[27] although Quasar, Warstar, Hussar, and Webwing are later banished.

[35] Some time later, the Imperial Guard are informed about a hijacked Shi'ar craft, and join Quasar in a battle against a group of interplanetary marauders known as the Starblasters, who attempt to push the moon away from Earth's orbit.

Black Bolt manages to defeat Ronan in personal combat;[39] the attempt on Lilandra's life fails because the Imperial Guardsman Hobgoblin dies in her place.

[10] During the "Infinity" storyline, a fourth Smasher is recruited by the Imperial Guard: a human member of the Avengers named Izzy Kane.

The Builders threaten all the galactic civilizations, leading the Shi'ar to join forces with the Kree, Skrulls, Spartoi, Brood, and Annihilus' Annihilation Wave to resist them.

[62] After many battles and losses — including the death of Earthquake[63] — the Avengers and Imperial Guard earn a convincing victory against the main Builders' fleet.

The Imperial Guard and the Avengers proceed to free the occupied worlds — including Earth, which has fallen to Thanos in their absence.

[64] Soon afterward, Gladiator kidnaps the time-displaced incarnation of Jean Grey, placing her on trial for the destruction done by the Phoenix Force years earlier.

The Avengers are ready to meet their end, but the Illuminati intervenes, using the controller disk of a rogue planet that shares the same space with Earth, while Iron Man uses Sol's Hammer to destroy the Shi'ar fleet, including the Imperial Guards.

[citation needed] In an alternate reality depicted in the miniseries, Age of Apocalypse, Lilandra became the Admiral of the Shi'ar Grand Fleet and leader of the Imperial Guard.

[72] In an alternate reality depicted in the miniseries "Heroes Reborn", the Imperial Guard is associated with Hyperion and most of its members were infected by the Brood.

[73][74] An older, alternate reality version of the original Lilandra appears in MC2 miniseries, Last Planet Standing, escaping the Shi'ar Empire after it is attacked and devoured by Galactus.