Harbinger (DC Comics)

The Harbinger (Captain Lyla Michaels) is a superheroine appearing in publications by DC Comics. She had a supporting role in the Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline, where she gathered heroes to protect the multiverse from the Anti-Monitor.

The character appeared as a recurring character in The CW television series Arrow and The Flash television series, portrayed by Audrey Marie Anderson.

Lyla Michaels was created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, and first appeared in The New Teen Titans Annual #2 (July 1983). She first appeared as Harbinger in Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 (April 1985).

Lyla Michaels is an orphan whose ship sunk during a violent storm before she was rescued by the Monitor, a cosmic being locked in an eternal war against his anti-matter counterpart, the Anti-Monitor. Raising Lyla as an assistant, the Monitor observes the multiverse's heroes and tests them for an impending final battle against the Anti-Monitor.

During the Crisis on Infinite Earths event, Lyla assumes the "Harbinger" identity after entering a womb-like chamber which energizes her and gives her the ability to clone herself. Harbinger's clones recruit various heroes and villains to fight the Anti-Monitor's shadow demons and protect a series of vibration towers, designed to protect Earth-One and Earth-Two from the Anti-Monitor's antimatter waves.

While Harbinger is recruiting the hero Arion, a shadow demon merges with one of the Harbinger's duplicates, allowing the Anti-Monitor to control her. Under the Anti-Monitor's control, the Harbinger kills the Monitor. The Monitor, having foreseen the Anti-Monitor's gambit, has his life force power the vibration towers, saving Earth-One and Earth-Two. Harbinger reverts to her normal form and sacrifices her powers to save the other three remaining universes (home of the Freedom Fighters, the Charlton heroes, and the Marvel Family respectively) from annihilation.

When the five remaining universes merge, Harbinger records the history of the post-Crisis DC Universe into a computer satellite, which the Manhunters use as part of a greater plan to infiltrate the superhero community. Afterwards, she is offered membership with the Amazon tribe of Themyscira as the Amazons' historian.

In Superman/Batman, Kara Zor-El is resurrected, arrives on Earth, and is given shelter on Themyscira, where she befriends Harbinger. Remembering Supergirl's sacrifice during the Crisis, the Harbinger sacrifices herself in a failed bid to prevent Darkseid from kidnapping Kara.