"GUARDIANS OF MANKIND"

Membership: At least four (including Abbot, Masters (first names unrevealed), and unidentified psychiatrist)

Purpose: A secret society dedicated to the cause of peace and contentment in the world, they used their extraordinary powers to protect mankind from evildoers.

Aliases: "Men from tomorrow," "men of tomorrow" (as referred to in captions (see comments))

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Clayton

Base of Operations: Their headquarters

First Appearance: Astonishing#56/1 (December, 1956)

Powers/Abilities: By some means, the members of this group were able to walk through walls -- it is unrevealed if they had any additional powers (see comments).

Despite putting themselves in potentially dangerous situations, they didn't carry guns, and they refused to resort to physical violence.

They used some form of airplane to transport themselves from their isolated headquarters.

History:
(Astonishing#56/1 (fb) - BTS) - The origin of this group is largely unrevealed, but when the first of them was born and grew up, he developed his power; he eventually met other similarly empowered individuals like himself, and he decided that they should use their paranormal abilities to covertly protect mankind. The group established an isolated mountaintop headquarters, and became "Guardians of Mankind" (see comments).

   At some point, the group somehow learned that Clayton and his associates were making plans to overthrow the United States government, so they took action. Masters, Abbot, and a third unidentified member used their plane to fly from their headquarters, and after obtaining a car, they drove to confront Clayton.

(Astonishing#56/1) - Clayton was holding a meeting with his associates, where he mentioned that their organization was growing, and in a few more months, he'd be ruler of the country; but then they were shocked when the three "Guardians" came walking through the wall! Although Clayton's associates were about to draw their guns to protect their leader, the "Guardians" were able to dissuade them against it (see comments) because they only wanted Clayton. Having no choice but to obey, Clayton accompanied the three "Guardians" as they drove him back to their plane, then they all climbed aboard the aircraft. During the flight back to their headquarters, Masters and Abbot told Clayton that they knew about his plans, and mentioned the purpose of their group.

   When they finally landed at their headquarters, the trio of "Guardians" explained to Clayton that it would be his new home -- he would be well treated, but he would have to remain there so he could do no harm. Realizing that the strange men meant to imprison him, Clayton threw a punch at one of his three captors; when another mentioned to Clayton that they couldn't harm him, Clayton realized the trio had a weakness: They were too civilized to use violence, while he had no such compunctions! Swearing to get his revenge, Clayton ran off, heedless of the pleas of the "Guardians" for him to come back, because he was hundreds of miles from civilization.

   But Clayton did not go back, for his dream for power drove him on and on. In the days that followed, he finally found a road, where the exhausted, disheveled, and delirious Clayton managed to flag down a passing motorist before he collapsed.

   When Clayton awoke, he found himself under the care of a doctor in a hospital. Thinking that he could still carry out his plans to overthrow the government if the "Guardians" could be destroyed, Clayton told the doctor about his amazing encounter with the three strangers, but with a major alteration of the facts -- he claimed that it was the "Guardians" who were plotting to overthrow the government, and he raved that their headquarters had to be bombed; but the incredulous doctor merely humored Clayton's wild claim and advised him to get some rest. Realizing that the doctor probably thought him to be insane, and determined to be released from the hospital, Clayton demanded for the doctor to send in a psychiatrist so he could prove his sanity.

   When the psychiatrist came, Clayton spoke quietly and sanely as he told his story; the psychiatrist told Clayton that he had determined him to be in his right mind...even after he heard Clayton's story. Then Clayton asked the psychiatrist if he'd release him from the hospital, and if he'd see to it that the right people heard about the "Guardians'" (supposed) plot -- the psychiatrist assured Clayton that his report would take care of everything.

   Afterward, as he stood alone in his hospital room, Clayton rejoiced in his triumph -- he had fooled the psychiatrist, and soon he would be able to carry out his own scheme, because the "Guardians" would be dead and unable to stop him!.

   Meanwhile, the psychiatrist was in the doctor's office, where he showed the doctor his written diagnosis of Clayton -- the psychiatrist's report concluded that Clayton was hopelessly mad, and recommended that he be confined indefinitely.

   As the psychiatrist walked back to his own office, he regretted having to falsify his report on Clayton, but there was no other way, for mankind had to be protected; then the psychiatrist entered his office...by walking through the wall!

Comments: Created by an unidentified writer and Paul Reinman.

This 4-page story -- They Walk Thru Walls! -- featured Clayton as the central character, so there was very little information provided about the "Guardians."

After Clayton was taken into their custody, Masters and Abbot told him a little about their organization -- Abbot mentioned that they were "Guardians of Mankind" (see second image, underlined in red), so I went with that for the group's profile name.

Considering that they were referred to as "men of tomorrow," my guess is that the "Guardians" were intended to be mutants, although that term was never actually used in the story.

The "Guardians" only demonstrated the ability to walk through walls, but possibly they were also telepathic -- maybe when Clayton's associates were about to draw their guns (see third image), the "Guardians" were mentally persuading them not to do so; that could also explain why Clayton put up no resistance when he was originally taken into custody by the "Guardians."

Since the psychiatrist appeared to be older than the other three, I'm guessing he was the original founder of the group -- maybe he could be considered a pre-Marvel Professor Charles Xavier, and the other "Guardians" could be a pre-Marvel version of the X-Men.

There's a lot of unused potential with this group -- maybe they could work with Jimmy Woo's "G-Men," or the Monster Hunters, or the First Line.

This story would be reprinted in Beware#8 (May, 1974), where it was mistakenly credited as being from Astonishing Tales#56.

Profile by Ron Fredricks

CLARIFICATIONS:
The "Guardians of Mankind"/"men of tomorrow" have no known connections to:

Masters has no known connections to:

Abbot has no known connections to:

Clayton has no known connections to:

"Guardians of Mankind" headquarters

A complex of ultra-modern buildings located on a mountaintop somewhere in America, it was where the "Guardians" maintained their secret base.

It was hundreds of miles from civilization; since it was an unspecified distance from the nearest roads, it was only accessible by airplane.

--Astonishing#56/1

unidentified doctor

At an unidentified hospital, he was the physician that treated the delirious Clayton, who had been found wandering in the wilderness.

When Clayton revived, he told the doctor that he had escaped from a trio of men who could walk through walls. Suspecting that Clayton was not in his right mind, the doctor called in a psychiatrist to examine his patient.

Later, the psychiatrist reported to him that Clayton was hopelessly mad; when the psychiatrist recommended that Clayton should be indefinitely confined, the doctor assured him that they would give Clayton the best of care.

--Astonishing#56/1

unidentified psychiatrist

He was secretly a member of the "Guardians of Mankind" (see comments), a covert group that was dedicated to protect humanity; like his fellow members, the psychiatrist also had the ability to walk through walls.

While he was stationed at a hospital, a doctor asked him to speak to Clayton, to determine if he was insane.

Clayton told the psychiatrist an incredible story about how he had escaped from a trio of men who could walk through walls; the psychiatrist assured Clayton that he believed his story, and told him that he had found him to be sane.

But later, the psychiatrist met with Clayton's doctor and reported that Clayton was hopelessly mad, so he recommended for him to be indefinitely confined.

Afterwards, as he walked back to his own office (through the wall), the psychiatrist was remorseful that he had to falsify his report about Clayton; but he was able to overcome his regret because Clayton was planning to overthrow the U.S. government.

--Astonishing#56/1

Clayton

Clayton (first name unrevealed) dreamed of becoming a dictator, so he met with a group of associates to plan the overthrow of the U.S. government.

But Clayton's meeting was interrupted by a trio of men ("Guardians of Mankind") who came walking through the wall. Clayton was captured by the men and taken to their isolated secret headquarters, but he managed to escape from his three captors. Several days later, he made his way back to civilization, and the exhausted and delirious Clayton was taken to a hospital.

When Clayton revived, he told the doctor about the men who could walk through walls, but the doctor only nonchalantly humored his incredible story; thinking that the doctor thought him to be insane, Clayton demanded to speak to a psychiatrist so he could prove his sanity.

Clayton spoke quietly and sanely with the psychiatrist -- he told the psychiatrist about the three strange men, and he (falsely) warned that it was they who were planning to overthrow the government. Afterward, the psychiatrist told Clayton that he found him to be sane, and assured him that his warning would get to the right people.

Later, while he was alone in his room, Clayton rejoiced in his triumph, because he figured the "Guardians" would be killed, then he would be free to continue with his own evil scheme.

But he was unaware that his hospital stay would last longer than he anticipated, because the psychiatrist's report determined that Clayton was hopelessly insane, and it recommended that he had to be indefinitely confined.

Clayton was also unaware that the psychiatrist himself was a member of the "Guardians of Mankind".

--Astonishing#56/1

images: (without ads)
Astonishing#56/1, p1, pan1 (Main Image - (presumably) Masters and Abbot walking through wall)
Astonishing#56/1, p2, pan4 (Masters, Clayton, and Abbot aboard plane)
Astonishing#56/1, p1, pan3 (Masters and Abbot (presumably), advising Clayton's associates not to draw their guns)
Astonishing#56/1, p2, pan2 (three "Guardians" escorting Clayton aboard their airplane)
Astonishing#56/1, p2, pan5 (airplane flying over "Guardians'" headquarters)
Astonishing#56/1, p3, pan5 (unidentified doctor at Clayton's bedside)
Astonishing#56/1, p4, pan5 (unidentified doctor (left) speaks with unidentified psychiatrist)
Astonishing#56/1, p4, pan2 (unidentified psychiatrist)
Astonishing#56/1, p4, pan6 (unidentified psychiatrist thinks about Clayton)
Astonishing#56/1, p4, pan7 (unidentified psychiatrist walks through wall)
Astonishing#56/1, p1, pan1 (Clayton speaks to his associates)
Astonishing#56/1, p3, pan1 (Clayton speaks to "Guardians")
Astonishing#56/1, p3, pan2 (Clayton runs away from "Guardians")

Appearances:
Astonishing#56/1 (December, 1956) - unidentified writer, Paul Reinman (pencils & inks), Stan Lee(editor)

First Posted: 10/16/2021
Last updated: 10/16/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

Special Thanks to http://www.g-mart.com/ for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!

Back to Groups