Smasher stands near Gladiator in the launch spread, a broad-shouldered figure in a white-and-dark uniform with red accents and goggles over his eyes. He has the familiar outline…

Smasher stands near Gladiator in the launch spread, a broad-shouldered figure in a white-and-dark uniform with red accents and goggles over his eyes. He has the familiar outline of a costumed strongman in the middle of a very unfamiliar crowd. That familiarity helps the Guard's first appearance work. Some of its members are visibly strange, while others could almost belong to another superhero team on Earth. Put them together and the X-Men seem to have arrived in a setting that already has its own champions and conventions. Smasher's name reinforces the impression of direct physical force. The goggles hide his eyes, while the red chest symbol, belt and gloves make the dark-and-white figure stand out from Gladiator's cape beside him. His place here is as one of the recognizable figures making up the Guard's depth. Gladiator has more than one dangerous person beside him, and defeating a spectacular opponent doesn't empty the rest of the lineup. Smasher helps sell that depth before the individual fights begin. He looks like somebody with a full superhero career of his own. For now, the X-Men only need to know that he is standing on the other side.