The Guardians

The Guardians were the first organized group of superheroes, at least in the United States, that formed at some point in the 1990's. The Guardians are the most widely-known group - however, they have since gone on to start their own lives and careers.

Lightbringer
The founding member of the Guardians, Lightbringer was the first widely-known superhuman to come. With her emergence, everyone learned of superhumans' existence. She has an extremely generous range of superpowers, from super strength to impenetrability to telepathy to teleportation, and more superpowers keep emerging as time goes by. Her most used superpower, however, and the one she's named for, is her control over light. Not too much is known about her past, save for the fact that she had a brother who was killed before she came into heroics. His death is what motivated her to help make the world a better place. Nowadays, she deliberately tries not to use her powers. She's retired, and currently works as the Harwell's Vice Principal and Alpha Class Head.

Nightwatcher
Though Nightwatcher is the second-in-command, he was not a founding member of the Guardians. In fact, he was actually one of the first villains they fought. Trained with his brother to be able to handle superhumans, he doesn't have any superpowers, yet keeps up just as easily with other powered beings. Ultimately, though, he and his brother were defeated by the first Guardians, and then were offered to join them. Though his brother did not accept that offer, Nightwatcher did. Though Nightwatcher has since kept most of his edge, he has certainly reformed, and became so trusted and invaluable that he became Lightbringer's personal right hand man. He has retired, and currently works as the Beta Class Head.

The Martial
The Martial was once a woman who just wanted to fight for her country. In a time where the US forces was only just beginning to properly integrate women into the army, she struggled to prove herself. . . until her superhuman strength, speed, and easy mastery over weaponry (later revealed to be telumkinesis) made her not only the strongest woman in the forces, but the strongest person there, period. When it became obvious that she was superhuman, Lightbringer extended the invitation for her to be among the Guardians, which she readily accepted. She has a soft spot for Empathy, her childhood friend, and currently works as the Gamma Class Head.

Empathy
While most of the Guardians are off fighting at the front lines, Empathy provides much-needed support. He's the primary healer of the group, and has the ability to enhance someone's strength or stamina for a certain period of time. His polite, soft-spoken demeanor makes him a great diplomat for the group. . . as does the fact that he can understand and alter emotions (as his name, Empathy, suggests), or compel people to do things with his voice. As kind as he genuinely is, these powers, along with his sharp mind, make him a far, far more dangerous threat than his initial appearance suggests. He is a childhood friend of the Martial's, and it's rumored that he may be carrying a torch for her. He currently works as the Delta Class Head.

The Sorcerer
The Sorcerer, as the name suggests, possessed magic. He particularly had an affinity for Clairvoyance Magic and Telekinetic Magic, with some Healing Magic up his sleeve. He worked as a magic teacher for Harwell's before his ultimate death three years ago. He has since been replaced by Samuel Beckwith.

Silverwave
Silverwave was a ferrokinetic superhero, possessing the ability to manipulate metal, frequencies, and has enhanced senses, as well as the ability to detect other nearby superhumans. He has since integrated back into society and has gone on to have a daughter, Tristen Madden, who inherited his abilities and currently attends the Institute as a Delta student.

Helios
Helios, son of Vasilia Weston, was the only non-powered member of the Guardians before Nightwatcher came alone. He fought with high-tech armor, and was a fairly popular superhero before his ultimate death at the hands of Blue Ruin and Alex Song.

William Harwell
While not a superhero by any means, William Harwell was heavily involved with the Guardians as their financial backer. As a very financially successful man, and an old friend of Lightbringer's, it was Harwell who provided the Guardians with the connections and the resources necessary to get off the ground. After his daughter revealed herself to be a superhuman, Harwell knew there should be a safe place for her to learn, as well as for other superhumans. So he founded Harwell's Institute, an invitation-only school where teenage superhumans could come to learn, train, and expand their limits. Other people have since followed in his wake, creating covert superhero schools in Britian, France, Japan, China, and Brazil. He still works as the school's Principal.