Guardians of the Universe

"We have entrusted each Green Lantern with a great power. A power which all have used wisely... all, but one."
— Guardian^[1]

The Guardians of the Universe were ancient, blue-skinned humanoids living on the planet Oa and masters of the Green Lantern Corps.

History

Prior to the creation of the Green Lantern Corps, the Guardians created the Manhunter Robots to keep order throughout the universe. They soon discovered the Manhunters were unable to understand the differences between good and evil, so they assembled the Lantern Corps and reprogrammed the Manhunters for other duties.

Centuries later, the Guardians came under attack from the Manhunters, but with the help of the Justice League, they were able to repel the invasion.

Background information

The Guardians of the Universe are the male members of the Malthusans, possibly the oldest sentient species in the DC universe. After one of their own, Krona, witnessed the beginning of time, he somehow created the Antimatter Universe and introduced entropy into the universe. Feeling guilty, the male Malthusans emigrated to Oa and became the Guardians and dedicated themselves to combating evil in the universe, while their female counterparts became Zamorans. During their long history, the Guardians learned how to manipulate the collective embodiment of willpower, which is the energy used by the Lanterns. They were also responsible for imprisoning Parallax in the Central battery, splitting the Martians into two races, and guiding Kal-El's ship to Earth.

Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Guardians decided to reunite with the Zamorans and produce a second generation of Guardians, who were to be raised in another sector of the Universe. Later, Hal Jordan, under the influence of Parallax, wiped out all the Guardians save the unorthodox Ganthet, who gave the last ring to Kyle Rayner. After Rayner evolved into Ion, he recharged the Central battery and created a new generation of Guardians, this time of mixed sex.