Harbinger (DC Comics)

During the events of the "Return of Donna Troy" mini-series, it was revealed that Donna Troy's arch enemy (and temporal doppelganger) Dark Angel served a similar role to Harbinger during the original Crisis before severing ties with the Anti-Monitor. Furthermore, the Titans of Myth revealed that Donna was a temporal anomaly thanks to the Crisis changing her and Wonder Woman's histories. The Titans, seeing potential in exploiting Donna's unconscious knowledge of the Pre-Crisis universe, rescued her as a child in order to manipulate her into becoming their own version of Harbinger.

Following the events of the Infinite Crisis, Donna recorded a new version of the "History of the DC Universe" reflecting the changes in the timeline following Infinite Crisis. Meanwhile, a new incarnation of Harbinger, a genetically altered being called The Forerunner was introduced that was tasked with killing anyone who crossed over between universes for the Monitors.[6]

Harbinger was reanimated as a Black Lantern during the Blackest Night crossover. She uses her knowledge of history to provoke her targets by bringing up emotional memories, but is destroyed with the other Black Lanterns.[7]

In Multiversity #1, the AI of the Monitor watchstation known as the House of Heroes refers to itself as Harbinger and bears a resemblance to the previous character.[8]

Audrey Marie Anderson as Lyla Michaels/Harbinger in the Arrowverse crossover "Crisis on Infinite Earths".

• Lyla Michaels was reimagined and adapted for live-action television on The CW's Arrow, portrayed by Audrey Marie Anderson, also making guest appearances in the spin-off show The Flash. She is introduced in season one as an A.R.G.U.S. agent who is the ex-wife of John Diggle, Green Arrow's crime-fighting partner. In season two, she becomes a member of the Suicide Squad and recruits Diggle to the team on behalf of Amanda Waller, and resumes her relationship with Diggle. In season three, she gives birth to Diggle's daughter Sara, and the pair remarry in "Suicidal Tendencies" before another Suicide Squad mission. In season four, she becomes head of A.R.G.U.S. following Amanda Waller's death. After Barry Allen alters the timeline in The Flash, Lyla and Diggle's baby daughter Sara is replaced by a son, John Diggle Jr., although neither Lyla or John remember Sara. They are later informed of her previous existence as well as their son's status as a temporal aberration during the "Invasion!" crossover. While on A.R.G.U.S. missions, Lyla is called "Harbinger" as her code name. In the eighth season of Arrow it is revealed that she has been in contact with the Monitor. Minutes before Crisis takes place, she becomes a "harbinger of things to come" when she absorbs energy from Lian Yu and activates a weapon the Monitor requires. As such, the character has now become a more faithful adaptation of her comics counterpart, and plays a major role in the crossover event "Crisis on Infinite Earths".[9] Once the Crisis is averted and the multiverse rebooted, Lyla is restored to her original-self, and baby Sara returned to her; now as Diggle Jr.'s sister. In the series finale of Arrow, Lyla and Diggle move to Metropolis; due to the former getting a promotion there.[10]

• Lyla appears in the animated film Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, voiced by Rachel Quaintance. In the film she lives on Themyscira among the Amazons. When she begins to receive horrible visions of Kara Zor-El's death she joins Wonder Woman in trying to save her. Over their time in Themyscira, the two bond and become very close friends. In trying to save Kara from Darkseid's forces, she dies in her place.

• On July 7, 2005 the DC Comics owned company DC Direct released an action figure of Harbinger as part of the line of Crisis action figures.