Freedom Force (comics)
Encyclopedia
Freedom Force is the name of two teams within Marvel Comics
' universe
.
The original was a supervillain
team, though they occasionally acted in a heroic capacity as well. It was a government-sponsored team originally composed mainly of Mystique
's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
. They mostly interacted with the X-Men
, X-Factor
and New Mutants
, but also repeatedly met the Avengers
.
The second team was set up as Montana
's Fifty State Initiative
superteam.
. When mutant
and human relationships worsened, the team's leader Mystique
decided that it had become too dangerous for them to continue their current path. She offered the services of the Brotherhood to Valerie Cooper
, a United States National Security Advisor
in exchange for full pardon
s. Cooper saw a great opportunity in Mystique's offer, but wanted the team to prove their loyalty first by arresting the original Brotherhood's founder Magneto
. The team accepted, was renamed Freedom Force and the sorceress Spiral
was added to the team. They attacked Magneto at a remembrance ceremony for the Holocaust
and Magneto's new allies, the X-Men
opposed them. In the end, Freedom Force was successful when Magneto turned himself in.
On their next mission, the second Spider-Woman was added to the team's line-up. When the Avengers were framed by their embittered former member Quicksilver
, the U.S. government sent Freedom Force to arrest the Avengers, which they did successfully. Spider-Woman felt guilty for these actions, freed the Avengers from jail, and left Freedom Force, becoming a fugitive. Another three members were added; Crimson Commando
, Stonewall
and Super Sabre
had been World War II
veterans who had decided to take justice in their own hands and hunt down and execute criminals. When they erroneously targeted Storm, they were defeated and turned themselves in. It was thought that the former heroes could be redeemed and they were offered a position on Freedom Force.
Over the next few months, they were given many unpopular tasks, such as enforcing the Mutant Registration Act and arresting the outlaw X-Men
, they also acted heroically to save the people of Dallas
during the "The Fall of the Mutants
" storyline. Freedom Force had its own dark secrets though, secrets that would make them clash with X-Factor
and the New Mutants
; these "secrets" largely revolved around indications that Freedom Force was helping the U.S. government forcibly recruit young mutants and potential mutants for training and eventual government service. During this time Spiral left the team for her own reasons. Freedom Force also helped train John Walker to replace Steve Rogers as Captain America
and assisted Walker in apprehending the mutant terrorists known as the Resistants
. Walker would later become the hero known as the U.S. Agent
.
Freedom Force also participated in other missions of a more general nature, including the rescue of Senator Robert Kelly
from a South American drug syndicate that had kidnapped him during a diplomatic visit, as well as helping to contain a jailbreak at the Vault
.
The team slowly began to fall apart after the mutant Forge
asked them to protect Muir Island
against the Reavers
. During this mission Stonewall and Destiny were killed, and Avalanche was severely injured. The death of Destiny especially hit Mystique hard and the team would fight the Avengers
without her leadership. Shortly after the battle at Muir Island, Val Cooper was possessed by the Shadow King
and ordered to kill Mystique; however, Cooper resisted the Shadow King's influence and seriously injured herself rather than commit murder. Mystique then assumed Val's identity, passing Cooper's injured body as her own corpse, and later aided the X-Men and X-Factor in the Shadow King's defeat as a "mole" among the villain's servants.
Without Mystique, the remaining members of Freedom Force were sent on a disastrous mission in Kuwait
during the first Gulf War
, in which
Super Sabre was killed and Crimson Commando was severely injured. To save Commando's life, Avalanche left Pyro and the Blob stranded in enemy territory. This mission would mean the end of Freedom Force, though Avalanche and Commando, now a cyborg, would continue to work for the US government, apparently as covert operations agents. The team was soon replaced by a government team called X-Factor
, also under Val Cooper's supervision.
, registered superheroes were teamed up and assigned to a state. Montana
's Fifty States Initiative team is Freedom Force.
This Freedom Force team consists of Cloud 9
, Think Tank, Equinox
and Spinner, led by the Golden Age hero Challenger
. Spinner and Think Tank are two new characters. Spinner wakes up every day with a different power. Her known powers have included invulnerability, super-strength, super-speed, and flight. Think Tank possesses telekinesis.
During the Secret Invasion
, Equinox was revealed to be a Skrull
infiltrator, and was killed by Cloud 9. Spinner dies soon after, trying to destroy a Skrull weapon system.
orders Freedom Force to attack the Heavy Hitters
after they secede from the Initiative. He feels he can trust the team to follow orders due both to Equinox's criminal past and to Challenger coming from a time where authority is to be respected and obeyed without question. They help the other Initiative teams to defeat and capture the Heavy Hitters' leader, Prodigy
.
Steve Rogers later reported that Challenger refused to take part in the attack on Asgard. Norman Osborn then excluded his team and Stark-formed teams from the Siege.
regarding magical hammers that have crashed into the earth.. Between these, there is also an inexplicably alive Spinner.
(with no connection to Marvel or its characters). These all-new characters were featured in two games and one comic book miniseries (through Image Comics
).
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
' universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
.
The original was a supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
team, though they occasionally acted in a heroic capacity as well. It was a government-sponsored team originally composed mainly of Mystique
Mystique (comics)
Mystique is a fictional character associated with the Marvel Comics' franchise X-Men. Originally created by artist David Cockrum and writer Chris Claremont, she first appeared in Ms...
's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
Brotherhood of Mutants
The Brotherhood of Mutants, originally known as the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, is a fictional Marvel Comics supervillain team devoted to mutant superiority over normal humans. They are among the chief adversaries of the X-Men...
. They mostly interacted with the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
, X-Factor
X-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
and New Mutants
New Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....
, but also repeatedly met the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
.
The second team was set up as Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
's Fifty State Initiative
Fifty State Initiative
The Fifty State Initiative, often referred to as simply The Initiative, is a fictional governmental plan that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics, in particular those related to The Avengers...
superteam.
Mystique's Freedom Force
Freedom Force started out as an incarnation of the terrorist organization the Brotherhood of Evil MutantsBrotherhood of Mutants
The Brotherhood of Mutants, originally known as the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, is a fictional Marvel Comics supervillain team devoted to mutant superiority over normal humans. They are among the chief adversaries of the X-Men...
. When mutant
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
and human relationships worsened, the team's leader Mystique
Mystique (comics)
Mystique is a fictional character associated with the Marvel Comics' franchise X-Men. Originally created by artist David Cockrum and writer Chris Claremont, she first appeared in Ms...
decided that it had become too dangerous for them to continue their current path. She offered the services of the Brotherhood to Valerie Cooper
Valerie Cooper
Valerie "Val" Cooper is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe who currently works for the Office of National Emergency. She is most notable for her work as the liaison for mutant affairs in the United States government.-Publication history:...
, a United States National Security Advisor
National Security Advisor (United States)
The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, commonly referred to as the National Security Advisor , serves as the chief advisor to the President of the United States on national security issues...
in exchange for full pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
s. Cooper saw a great opportunity in Mystique's offer, but wanted the team to prove their loyalty first by arresting the original Brotherhood's founder Magneto
Magneto (comics)
Magneto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the central villain of the X-Men comic, as well as the TV show and the films. The character first appears in X-Men #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
. The team accepted, was renamed Freedom Force and the sorceress Spiral
Spiral (comics)
Spiral is a fictional character, a supervillainess in the Marvel Comics universe. She first appeared in the Longshot miniseries by Ann Nocenti and Art Adams.-Fictional character biography:...
was added to the team. They attacked Magneto at a remembrance ceremony for the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
and Magneto's new allies, the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
opposed them. In the end, Freedom Force was successful when Magneto turned himself in.
On their next mission, the second Spider-Woman was added to the team's line-up. When the Avengers were framed by their embittered former member Quicksilver
Quicksilver (comics)
Quicksilver is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
, the U.S. government sent Freedom Force to arrest the Avengers, which they did successfully. Spider-Woman felt guilty for these actions, freed the Avengers from jail, and left Freedom Force, becoming a fugitive. Another three members were added; Crimson Commando
Crimson Commando
Crimson Commando is a fictional character, a mutant in the . He first appears in Uncanny X-Men #215 and was created by Chris Claremont and Alan Davis.-Fictional character biography:...
, Stonewall
Stonewall (comics)
-Louis Hamilton:Stonewall and his allies, Crimson Commando and Super Sabre, were all super-powered U.S. veterans of World War II. The trio wished to continue their government service after the war by combatting communism during the Cold War, but they were rebuffed by the U.S. government and forced...
and Super Sabre
Super Sabre (comics)
Super Sabre is a fictional character, a mutant in the Marvel Comics Universe. His first appearance was in Uncanny X-Men #215.-Fictional character biography:...
had been World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veterans who had decided to take justice in their own hands and hunt down and execute criminals. When they erroneously targeted Storm, they were defeated and turned themselves in. It was thought that the former heroes could be redeemed and they were offered a position on Freedom Force.
Over the next few months, they were given many unpopular tasks, such as enforcing the Mutant Registration Act and arresting the outlaw X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
, they also acted heroically to save the people of Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
during the "The Fall of the Mutants
Fall of the Mutants
"The Fall of the Mutants" was a comic book crossover event by Marvel Comics spanning January to March 1988. It spanned three issues each of The Uncanny X-Men , X-Factor , and The New Mutants ; unlike most crossovers however, the various titles' storylines did not intertwine, but were instead linked...
" storyline. Freedom Force had its own dark secrets though, secrets that would make them clash with X-Factor
X-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
and the New Mutants
New Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....
; these "secrets" largely revolved around indications that Freedom Force was helping the U.S. government forcibly recruit young mutants and potential mutants for training and eventual government service. During this time Spiral left the team for her own reasons. Freedom Force also helped train John Walker to replace Steve Rogers as Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
and assisted Walker in apprehending the mutant terrorists known as the Resistants
Resistants (comics)
The Resistants, also known as Mutant Force are a fictional supervillain group in the Marvel Comics universe. They were originally the second incarnation of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, but have become completely independent of the other incarnations of that group, except that they were...
. Walker would later become the hero known as the U.S. Agent
U.S. Agent
U.S. Agent is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually those starring Captain America and the Avengers. He was created by Mark Gruenwald and Paul Neary in Captain America vol...
.
Freedom Force also participated in other missions of a more general nature, including the rescue of Senator Robert Kelly
Robert Kelly (comics)
Robert Edward Kelly is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He most often appears in Marvel's X-Men and X-Men-related comic books. He is a prominent United States Senator who began his career on an anti-mutant platform, and as the X-Men team is made up entirely of mutants, his role...
from a South American drug syndicate that had kidnapped him during a diplomatic visit, as well as helping to contain a jailbreak at the Vault
Vault (comics)
The Vault is the widely used nickname of a fictional defunct prison facility for technological-based superhuman criminals in Marvel Comics' Marvel Universe. The prison's full official name is the United States Maximum Security Installation for the Incarceration of Superhuman Criminals.It first...
.
The team slowly began to fall apart after the mutant Forge
Forge (comics)
Forge is a fictional character in the , a superhero associated with The X-Men.A mutant with an unsurpassed brilliance in technology, Forge has had a lengthy career as a government weapons contractor. He shared a romantic relationship with Storm, and a brief affair with Mystique which led him to...
asked them to protect Muir Island
Muir Island
Muir Island is a small, fictional island off the northern coast of Scotland in the Marvel Comics universe. It plays a prominent role in the X-Men comics and its related series.-History:...
against the Reavers
Reavers (comics)
In the fictional Marvel Comics universe the Reavers are a team of criminal cyborgs. The most significant team of Reavers were dedicated to the destruction of the mutant X-Men, and a number of them especially wanted to take revenge on one particular X-Man, Wolverine. The name was originally used by...
. During this mission Stonewall and Destiny were killed, and Avalanche was severely injured. The death of Destiny especially hit Mystique hard and the team would fight the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
without her leadership. Shortly after the battle at Muir Island, Val Cooper was possessed by the Shadow King
Shadow King
The Shadow King, also known as Amahl Farouk, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Shadow King exists as an entity of pure psychic energy that feeds on the hatred of humanity...
and ordered to kill Mystique; however, Cooper resisted the Shadow King's influence and seriously injured herself rather than commit murder. Mystique then assumed Val's identity, passing Cooper's injured body as her own corpse, and later aided the X-Men and X-Factor in the Shadow King's defeat as a "mole" among the villain's servants.
Without Mystique, the remaining members of Freedom Force were sent on a disastrous mission in Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
during the first Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
, in which
Super Sabre was killed and Crimson Commando was severely injured. To save Commando's life, Avalanche left Pyro and the Blob stranded in enemy territory. This mission would mean the end of Freedom Force, though Avalanche and Commando, now a cyborg, would continue to work for the US government, apparently as covert operations agents. The team was soon replaced by a government team called X-Factor
X-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
, also under Val Cooper's supervision.
Initiative Freedom Force
After the superhuman Civil WarCivil War (comics)
Civil War is a 2006-2007 Marvel Comics crossover storyline built around a self-titled seven-issue limited series written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, which ran through various other titles published by Marvel at the time...
, registered superheroes were teamed up and assigned to a state. Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
's Fifty States Initiative team is Freedom Force.
This Freedom Force team consists of Cloud 9
Cloud 9 (comics)
Cloud 9 is a fictional teenage comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. She was created by writer Dan Slott and artist Stefano Caselli, and first appeared in Avengers: The Initiative #1 ....
, Think Tank, Equinox
Equinox (comics)
Equinox is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in publications from Marvel Comics.-Publication history:...
and Spinner, led by the Golden Age hero Challenger
Challenger (comics)
The Challenger is a fictional superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics, beginning with the company's 1940s iteration as Timely Comics during the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books.-Publication history:...
. Spinner and Think Tank are two new characters. Spinner wakes up every day with a different power. Her known powers have included invulnerability, super-strength, super-speed, and flight. Think Tank possesses telekinesis.
During the Secret Invasion
Secret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008....
, Equinox was revealed to be a Skrull
Skrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
infiltrator, and was killed by Cloud 9. Spinner dies soon after, trying to destroy a Skrull weapon system.
Dark Reign
New Initiative leader Norman OsbornGreen Goblin
The Green Goblin is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 ....
orders Freedom Force to attack the Heavy Hitters
Heavy Hitters (comics)
Heavy Hitters is a fictional superhero team in the Marvel Comics universe. The group of heroes first appear as the official Nevada Fifty State Initiative team and were created by Christos Gage and Stefano Caselli.-Fictional history:...
after they secede from the Initiative. He feels he can trust the team to follow orders due both to Equinox's criminal past and to Challenger coming from a time where authority is to be respected and obeyed without question. They help the other Initiative teams to defeat and capture the Heavy Hitters' leader, Prodigy
Prodigy (Ritchie Gilmore)
Prodigy is the name of a superhero in Marvel Comics.-Fictional character biography:Ritchie Gilmore is a typical jock, captain of his college wrestling team, and one of the most popular guys in school. But Ritchie wants more from life; he wants to be stronger and more powerful...
.
Steve Rogers later reported that Challenger refused to take part in the attack on Asgard. Norman Osborn then excluded his team and Stark-formed teams from the Siege.
Heroic Age
Members of Freedom Force appear at a meeting held by ProdigyProdigy (Ritchie Gilmore)
Prodigy is the name of a superhero in Marvel Comics.-Fictional character biography:Ritchie Gilmore is a typical jock, captain of his college wrestling team, and one of the most popular guys in school. But Ritchie wants more from life; he wants to be stronger and more powerful...
regarding magical hammers that have crashed into the earth.. Between these, there is also an inexplicably alive Spinner.
Freedom Force trademark
Marvel Comics abandoned the Freedom Force trademark in the 1990s and it was eventually re-registered by computer game developer, Irrational Games, which used it as the name for their own team of comic book heroesFreedom Force (computer game)
Freedom Force is a real-time tactical role-playing game developed by Irrational Games and published by Electronic Arts and Crave Entertainment in 2002. The player guides a team of superheroes as they defend Patriot City from a variety of villains, monsters, and other menaces. A sequel, Freedom...
(with no connection to Marvel or its characters). These all-new characters were featured in two games and one comic book miniseries (through Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
).