Freedom Ring
Encyclopedia
Freedom Ring is a fictional superhero
in the Marvel Comics
universe
, created by writer Robert Kirkman
. Curtis first appeared in Marvel Team-Up
vol. 3 #20, becoming Freedom Ring in the next issue. He appeared across the series' storyline "Freedom Ring" for five issues. The character is depicted as a normal civilian who comes across a ring that grants him the ability to alter reality.
Kirkman intended Freedom Ring to be an example of a superhero who demonstrated inexperience with his superpowers, as he felt that most superheroes quickly adjusting to their powers and having a successful superhero career did not reflect reality. When asked by a fan about the number of visibly gay comic book superheros, Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics, Joe Quesada
, also touted the Freedom Ring as Marvel's leading gay
hero. However, in the next issue, the character was killed, leading to controversy and accusations of homophobia
from some comic book reviewers.
Kirkman defended his writing decision as having "nothing but good intentions," highlighting his original concept of "an inexperienced hero who would get beaten up constantly and probably die," claiming that Freedom Ring's sexuality was merely an attempt to simultaneously write a well-rounded ordinary male character who happened to be gay. Later, Kirkman admitted that he regretted killing Freedom Ring due to the relatively limited number of gay characters in mainstream comics.
vol. 3 #20 as part of the five-issue "Freedom Ring" storyline. The character adopts the Freedom Ring superhero persona in the next issue. The character is featured in the storyline until Issue #24, when he is killed in battle. The series was canceled by Issue #25.
arrives to take the reality-altering ring that the Ringmaster
was wearing into S.H.I.E.L.D.
custody. However, A.I.M.
sent a group of soldiers called a M.O.D.O.C. (Military Operatives Designed Only for Combat) Squad to fight Cap for an unknown reason and Captain America does not notice when the ring is lost.
The ring is eventually found by a young man, Curtis Doyle, whose friend Troy calls the ring a "free, dumb ring". This comment gives Curtis the idea for his superhero name. When he accidentally creates an ice cream sundae out of thin air, he discovers that the ring gives him the ability to alter reality. He runs away terrified, but when he returns, he finds that the sundae has disappeared without a trace. He calls Troy, and later, they have a long night of super-power practice.
The next day while Curtis is on a date with Jeffrey, a waiter from a diner that he frequented, the Abomination
attacks nearby and Curtis runs off to fight him. While fighting Abomination along with Spider-Man
and the X-Men
, Curtis was seriously injured. Spider-Man rushed him to the hospital while the X-Men defeat the Abomination.
Curtis recovers, but is told he will never walk again. Troy helps him return home, and Curtis uses the ring to restore his legs. Going after Troy, who just left, he finds that his neighbor is an undercover Skrull
who was sent to monitor the Avengers
just before they disassembled. Losing track of them, the Skrull turns his spy equipment toward his neighbors. He knows everything about Curtis, and having decided to become a superhero himself (dubbed the Crusader), asks Curtis if he wishes to be his partner.
Curtis is unsure, given what happened with the Abomination, but the Crusader convinces Curtis that he can do it, because if he fixed his legs, he can make himself stronger and faster, and less reliant on conjuring up the right item. Curtis agrees, making himself stronger, and practices with the Crusader for two weeks. In a later battle with Iron Maniac, who had just defeated Spider-Man and Wolverine
and was currently facing Captain America
, Luke Cage
and Spider-Woman
, Curtis reveals the source of his power. Though he is able to immobilize the villain, Curtis does not expect Iron Maniac's armor to expand outwards. When it does, his ring finger is sliced off and his body is pierced by the armor multiple times.
Captain America is able to defeat Iron Maniac, but it is too late to save Curtis, who is dead. Captain America notes that they didn't even know him and yet he saved them all by buying them time to recover.
The ring is then acquired by Crusader, who utilizes it as a member of the Initiative during the Skrull Secret Invasion. The ring is last seen with Crusader as it whisks him away to parts unknown after he is shot in the head by Skrull Kill Krew
member, 3-D Man.
Curtis Doyle originally had no inherent super-powers on his own, however the character comes into possession of a ring crafted from a fragment of a destroyed Cosmic Cube
which allows the wearer to alter reality within a radius of roughly 15 feet (4.6m) around him, giving him a 30 feet (9.1 m) sphere of reality he can alter.
After his first attempt as Freedom Ring, he altered his physiology to give himself superhuman strength, stamina, durability and enhanced speed.
touted him as Marvel Comics' leading gay hero a month prior to his death.
Robert Kirkman commented on the controversy, stating
Kirkman later stated,
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Marvel 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...
, created by writer Robert Kirkman
Robert Kirkman
Robert Kirkman is an American comic book writer best known for his work on The Walking Dead and Invincible for Image Comics, and Ultimate X-Men and Marvel Zombies for Marvel Comics. He has also collaborated with Image Comics co-founder Todd McFarlane on the series Haunt...
. Curtis first appeared in Marvel Team-Up
Marvel Team-Up
Marvel Team-Up is the name of several American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series featured two or more Marvel characters in one story...
vol. 3 #20, becoming Freedom Ring in the next issue. He appeared across the series' storyline "Freedom Ring" for five issues. The character is depicted as a normal civilian who comes across a ring that grants him the ability to alter reality.
Kirkman intended Freedom Ring to be an example of a superhero who demonstrated inexperience with his superpowers, as he felt that most superheroes quickly adjusting to their powers and having a successful superhero career did not reflect reality. When asked by a fan about the number of visibly gay comic book superheros, Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics, Joe Quesada
Joe Quesada
Joseph "Joe" Quesada is an American comic book editor, writer and artist. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, such as Ninjak and Solar, Man of the Atom...
, also touted the Freedom Ring as Marvel's leading gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
hero. However, in the next issue, the character was killed, leading to controversy and accusations of homophobia
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
from some comic book reviewers.
Kirkman defended his writing decision as having "nothing but good intentions," highlighting his original concept of "an inexperienced hero who would get beaten up constantly and probably die," claiming that Freedom Ring's sexuality was merely an attempt to simultaneously write a well-rounded ordinary male character who happened to be gay. Later, Kirkman admitted that he regretted killing Freedom Ring due to the relatively limited number of gay characters in mainstream comics.
Publication history
Freedom Ring first appeared as a civilian, Curtis Doyle" in Marvel Team-UpMarvel Team-Up
Marvel Team-Up is the name of several American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series featured two or more Marvel characters in one story...
vol. 3 #20 as part of the five-issue "Freedom Ring" storyline. The character adopts the Freedom Ring superhero persona in the next issue. The character is featured in the storyline until Issue #24, when he is killed in battle. The series was canceled by Issue #25.
Fictional character biography
After the Master of the Ring story arc in Marvel Team-Up concludes, Captain AmericaCaptain 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...
arrives to take the reality-altering ring that the Ringmaster
Ringmaster (comics)
Ringmaster is the name of two characters in Marvel Comics. The best known Ringmaster in the Marvel Universe is Maynard Tiboldt who debuted in Hulk #3.-Publication History:The second Ringmaster is Maynard Tiboldt...
was wearing into S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....
custody. However, A.I.M.
Advanced Idea Mechanics
A.I.M. is a fictional terrorist organization in the . The organization first appeared in Strange Tales #146 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Publication history:...
sent a group of soldiers called a M.O.D.O.C. (Military Operatives Designed Only for Combat) Squad to fight Cap for an unknown reason and Captain America does not notice when the ring is lost.
The ring is eventually found by a young man, Curtis Doyle, whose friend Troy calls the ring a "free, dumb ring". This comment gives Curtis the idea for his superhero name. When he accidentally creates an ice cream sundae out of thin air, he discovers that the ring gives him the ability to alter reality. He runs away terrified, but when he returns, he finds that the sundae has disappeared without a trace. He calls Troy, and later, they have a long night of super-power practice.
The next day while Curtis is on a date with Jeffrey, a waiter from a diner that he frequented, the Abomination
Abomination (comics)
The Abomination is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics...
attacks nearby and Curtis runs off to fight him. While fighting Abomination along with Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
and 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...
, Curtis was seriously injured. Spider-Man rushed him to the hospital while the X-Men defeat the Abomination.
Curtis recovers, but is told he will never walk again. Troy helps him return home, and Curtis uses the ring to restore his legs. Going after Troy, who just left, he finds that his neighbor is an undercover 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....
who was sent to monitor 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...
just before they disassembled. Losing track of them, the Skrull turns his spy equipment toward his neighbors. He knows everything about Curtis, and having decided to become a superhero himself (dubbed the Crusader), asks Curtis if he wishes to be his partner.
Curtis is unsure, given what happened with the Abomination, but the Crusader convinces Curtis that he can do it, because if he fixed his legs, he can make himself stronger and faster, and less reliant on conjuring up the right item. Curtis agrees, making himself stronger, and practices with the Crusader for two weeks. In a later battle with Iron Maniac, who had just defeated Spider-Man and Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
and was currently facing 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...
, Luke Cage
Luke Cage
Luke Cage is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Archie Goodwin and artist John Romita, Sr., he first appeared in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1...
and Spider-Woman
Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew)
Spider-Woman is a fictional character, a superheroine in the Marvel Comics Universe. The character first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #32 , and 50 issues of an ongoing series titled Spider-Woman followed...
, Curtis reveals the source of his power. Though he is able to immobilize the villain, Curtis does not expect Iron Maniac's armor to expand outwards. When it does, his ring finger is sliced off and his body is pierced by the armor multiple times.
Captain America is able to defeat Iron Maniac, but it is too late to save Curtis, who is dead. Captain America notes that they didn't even know him and yet he saved them all by buying them time to recover.
The ring is then acquired by Crusader, who utilizes it as a member of the Initiative during the Skrull Secret Invasion. The ring is last seen with Crusader as it whisks him away to parts unknown after he is shot in the head by Skrull Kill Krew
Skrull Kill Krew
The Skrull Kill Krew are a fictional group from Marvel Comics who first appeared in their own limited series published in 1995. They were created by Grant Morrison, Mark Millar and Steve Yeowell.The group are humans modified by eating Skrull-infected beef...
member, 3-D Man.
Powers and abilities
Cosmic Cube
The Cosmic Cube, called the Tesseract in the film Captain America: The First Avenger, is the name of a fictional object that appears in the Marvel Universe. The concept was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Tales of Suspense #79 .-Publication history:The first Cosmic Cube...
which allows the wearer to alter reality within a radius of roughly 15 feet (4.6m) around him, giving him a 30 feet (9.1 m) sphere of reality he can alter.
After his first attempt as Freedom Ring, he altered his physiology to give himself superhuman strength, stamina, durability and enhanced speed.
Robert Kirkman on Freedom Ring's character
Curtis's death was met with some negative reactions, including accusations of homophobia from gay comic book sites Gay League and Prism Comics, specifically because Joe QuesadaJoe Quesada
Joseph "Joe" Quesada is an American comic book editor, writer and artist. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, such as Ninjak and Solar, Man of the Atom...
touted him as Marvel Comics' leading gay hero a month prior to his death.
Robert Kirkman commented on the controversy, stating
Kirkman later stated,