The Old Guard

In the midst of a bustling city, a small café becomes the backdrop for an extraordinary reveal. The scene unfolds quietly, devoid of the chaos that typically accompanies superhero origin stories. Nile Freeman, played by KiKi Layne, an African American Marine and former combat medic, enters the makeshift lair of the team's leader, Andy (Marssa Marin). The air is heavy with anticipation, not just for the promise of adventure but also for the weight of centuries-long secrets. As a former soldier, Nile's been subjected to rigorous training. Her presence in the mysterious underground bunker where Andy and the rest of the team reside suggests she's been tested in a completely different manner. There are rules that have been broken just by her being brought here. It's here, however, that the world collides with hers. Andy, Martez, Booker (Matthew Bohrer), Joe (Charles Melton), and Nicky (Luca Marinelli) – collectively known as 'The Immortal Supersoldiers' or more locally as 'The Old Guard' – make their presences known. Each an alluring sight, with a certain elegance in their mannerisms that stems from their unrelenting struggle with the burden of their existence, with their battle-hardened scars a testament to their many battles. By living eternally, in an immortal existence like no other, The Old Guard have watched and helped guide humanity through milestones. Secrecy has always been paramount – it is their main protective mechanism against inquisitive and even ambivalent public attention. However, Andy is getting older. His tired and weathered visage bespeaks something that transcends his age – pain, despair, guilt, and loneliness. He watches and waits, an eternal guardian, enduring another round of battles that pose not just threats to human lives but to the fragile sustenance that immortal beings like themselves bring to society. Their ages become issues which undermine the safety provided by the little known immortal network that sustains them all. They'll need to be much on guard to keep their ages from giving them away, as loss of anonymity was seen to have dire consequences for those in The Guard, who knew the impact history reveals once people become 'famous.' Andy also introduces Nile to the principle of not allowing her powers to attract unwanted world attention. To live for an eternity one has to exercise sufficient control in regards to discovery. There's another matter - if immunity was desired, eradicating evidence of there being an immortal existence, they cannot shed skin - each immortal becomes self-conscious with regards shedding and trying hard to keep low a suspicion from developing with anyone who sees the immortals now 'changing' as happens between many normal human beings when skin is cast off - though the physical loss could conceal much. Cut back in time over centuries of military engagements – Britain, German, and Ottoman battles fought through from the Age of Chivalry to Second World War which involve and set up various components involving secret armies along which humanity has fought throughout history with particular groups of human warriors which The Guard supported all along until later more recent times all ended up running their time up, taking that to mean the group could stay around for much longer periods because human organizations along them get more dependable strength resulting mostly around that point of new power creation periods ending once armies begin to rely too heavily on human innovation and technology alone and not all people to ensure defense.