Created by Chris Claremont. Co-created by Dwayne Turner
Yes! In the last issue of the series (#36), the whole deal was revealed as an imaginary story. The whole Sovereign Seven story was a comic book written by two women, Morgan and Casey (how original). Morgan's daughter's name was Rhian. The bar where they wrote the comic was the bar in which S7 hung out. Supposedly, since the characters were owned by Chris Claremont (with the exception of Power Girl), he just decided to retcon them out of existence when the series got cancelled. Truly a slap in the face to anyone who stuck it out on this series.
This group hailed from the planet Meridian. It's membership included: Cascade (the leader) could turn into a fluid form; Reflex was massive, with super-strength; Rampart could form an earthen rampart (sheild); Finale was an agile, ninja-chick with a massive sword; Indigo ??; Network was a telepath; Cruiser has tactile telekenesis. Power Girl joined them in issue #25.
Sovereign Seven #1
Sovereign Seven, 36 issues (1995-97)
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adapted from Who's Who Update '88 #3
Soyuz is a team of adolescent Russian mutants with superhuman powers who operate u8jnder secret identities in their homeland. "Soyuz" is the Russian word for "alliance." The members' code names are taken from characters in Russian mythology.
The leader and organizer of Soyuz is Serafina Arkadina, alias Firebird. She can read minds, communicate mentally with others, and place hypnotic suggestions in the minds of others. She can mentally scramble the information that other people receive through their senses and alter their memories. She has total recall memory and minor telekinetic powers.
Ilya Trepilov calls himself Perun, after the Russian thunder god. Perun can mentally control electricity within 300 years of himself. Within that distance he can draw electricity into himself and then discharge it at will. He does not generate electricity himself, however.
Mashenka Medviedenko is known as Rusalka, after the water nymph of the same name. Rusalka can mentally control water or water vapor in quantities up to her own body weight. She can draw upon the water in her own body at the risk of dehydrating herself and dehydrate other people. It is more difficult for her to manipulate snow and ice than liquid water or water vapor.
Her brother Igor Medviedenko is code-named Morozko, after an ice demon. Ivor can mentally create bitter cold within an area of roughly 200 yards by drawing its heat into himself. He must eventually release this heat, which he can direct.
The youngest member, Feodor Piotrovich Sorin, is named Vikhor after the mythical demon in the whirlwind. Trained as a figure skater, Vikhor can spin about while reducing his supply of gravitons, the subatomic particles that carry the force of gravity. Thus he creates a whirlwind about himself and floats in the center of it. The whirlwind enables Vikhor to fly. He can also transport a person or object of mass equally or lesser mass than his own.
The members of Soyuz first worked together to rescue Ilya Trepilov under circumstances that have yet to be revealed. They adopted their costumed identities to rescue the wife and children of Serafina's uncle, Mikhail Arkadin (Firestorm), from the K.G.B., the Soviet Secret police.
Firebird has declared that Soyuz would never harm Russian interests but would instead fight against those people, including those in high places, who sought to misuse their power in order to harm innocent people.
At the group's formation, Firebird was 15 years old, Perun 17, Rusalka 16 and Morozko 18. In current DC continuity, this would have been roughly "five years ago."
Soyuz has not been seen since Arkadin's involvement with Firestorm ended (nor since the break-up of the Soviet Union).
Serafina: Firestorm v.2 #69. Team: #70, costumed in #72.
Firestorm v.2 #81, 83-84
Written by John "Mikishawm" Wells
S.T.A.R. Labs (Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Laboratories) was founded by Garrison Slate. (Blue Beetle #12) The institution has cultivated a number of strong relationships with costumed heroes over the years. Superman sought their assistance almost from the beginning of his career, whether dealing with a major viral outbreak (Superman for all Seasons #3) or simply gathering paraphernalia for a trip into outer space (Action Annual #7). The Man of Steel has been on particularly good terms with several of Metropolis’ previous S.T.A.R. administrators, notably Wilson Farr (Superman v.1 #246), Jenet Klyburn (#304) and Kitty Faulkner (Superman v.2 #7), the latter two of whom he met when they were still rising stars.
It was through Dr. Klyburn that Wally West and most of the Teen Titans first became affiliated with S.T.A.R. (New Teen Titans v.1 #36). He formed a more personal connection thanks to a brief affair with nutritionist-researcher Tina McGee (Flash v.2 #3-4) and remains a friend to her and husband Jerry at S.T.A.R.’s Central City branch (#185-188). Typical of many of the company’s relationships with super-heroes, they helped Wally through medical research (#3-4, 117-118), enhanced costumes (#50) and simple technical expertise (#84) as much as he helped them.
The Titans had a personal stake in S.T.A.R. and its San Francisco branch for years. Karen “Bumblebee” Beecher was hired at this S.F. site during an early expansion (New Titans #57). Vic “Cyborg” Stone, aside from being the child of two S.T.A.R. scientists (New Teen Titans v.1 #7), was romantically involved with Dr. Sarah Charles, a major player in the field of medical science (Tales of the Teen Titans #57-58) and one-time protégé to the pioneering Helen Angelico (Superboy v.3 #80).
When S.T.A.R. decided to make the San Francisco branch the hub of its entire medical operation, Sarah agreed to head up the facility (New Teen Titans v.2 #41). The Red Star, Eric Forester (#48-49), Christopher King (Hawk & Dove Annual #1) and Crystallex (New Titans #118) were among the subjects of the facility’s metahuman studies and Mirage (New Titans #122, 125-127) and Rose Wilson (Deathstroke #51) were only two of those benefiting from its state-of-the-art medical wing. Sarah eventually transferred to New York (prior to Titans #7) and Metropolis (#20) but Karen Beecher-Duncan, after a short stay in Los Angeles (Titans Secret Files #2) has returned to the San Francisco branch (Titans #44).
In his days as an attorney, Josiah Power helped Slate in incorporating S.T.A.R. More recently, Josiah has been negotiating a contract with the company. (Power Company #5)
The Cadre has recently been engaging in raids at companies such as Ryder Technologies (P.C. #1) and Dayton Industries (#8). It was at Stagg Industries that the Power Company discovered Dr. Polaris’ involvement (#9). And, unbeknownst to Skyrocket, S.T.A.R. Labs is the Cadre’s final destination (#5).
Superman v.1 #246 (1971)
Kobra created this Strike Force to carry out a theft at Stagg Enterprises. Kobra placed two operatives inside Simon Stagg's operations and another infiltrated the Outsiders. Stagg's assistant, Java (motivated by his desire for Stagg's daughter, Sapphire) incapacitated Metamorpho, while another employee, Parker, gained access to Stagg's technology. A new Clayface (IV) infiltrated the Outsiders by impersonating Looker. The remaining three Strike Force members were engineered from remnants of Batman's rogues gallery: Elemental Woman, Planet Master and Zebra-Man. (#21) In the end, Kobra's moles at Stagg Enterprises betrayed him. Java reasserted his loyalty to Stagg and freed Metamorpho. This tipped the scales for the Outsiders just in time to fight Parker, who had been transformed into the Spectrumonster. In this form, Parker went berserk. He was dispersed by a black light ray, apparently permanently. Afterwards, Rex and Sapphire adopted Parker's orphaned daughter, Karen. (#22) Clayface escaped to menace Batman again; the others have never re-appeared.
Kobra later formed a new team led by his righthand... woman, Eve. Her team included former Outsiders foes Syonide II, Fauna, Windfall and Dervish (Fauna and Syonide were lovers). Also, Kobra had rescued Halo's dead body and revived it with the same powers as Halo. This entity was called Spectra. This team was easily decimated by the Eradicator's new band of Ousiders; Syonide was killed. When Eve called Kobra for help, he requested that they turn themselves in rather than commit suicide. (Kobra was busy menacing the Flash in Flash v.2 #100.) Dervish and Eve were imprisoned. Windfall, who had been duped by Spectra, joined the Outsiders. Spectra herself escaped. Fauna was spirited away and punished by her father, Felix Faust. (Outsiders v.2 #16)
Presumably, this incident drove a rift between Eve and Kobra, as they have become bitter enemies (Power Company: Sapphire). Dervish resurfaced briefly when the Joker wrought havoc in the Slab (Joker: Last Laugh #3).
Note: The villains of the original Strikeforce Kobra were based off obscure Batman villains from the 1960s:
It is unclear whether the existence of the first three remains in post-Crisis continuity.
Outsiders, v.1 #21
Outsiders, v.1 #21-22 Outsiders v.2 #16
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During World War II team of unruly and disrespectful soldiers was assembled to fight America's dirty fights. The original team spent much of their tour of duty on Dinosaur Island. These soldiers considered expendable were nicknamed the Suicide Squadron. Later in the war, another team was assembled and headed by Capt. Richard Montgomery Flag. In his first mission, Flag was the only survivor. After that he enjoyed increasing success and decreasing mortality. After the war, he married Sharon Race. In 1951, with the disappearance of the JSA and other super-heroes, President Truman again called on Flag when he created Task Force X. X would be comprised of two units: the military unit "Argent" (led by "Control") would deal with civilian matters masked villains and the like. General J.E.B. Stuart would lead the military side to deal with national and international crises. Though Argent's recorded activity ceased after 1960, Stuart's Suicide Squad continued on. Eventually, Flag sacrificed himself in stopping the former Blackhawks' nemesis, the War Wheel.
Flag was replaced in the Squad by his now-grown son, Richard Rogers Flag. Young Rick headed a new, public team which included his girlfriend, Karin Grace, Dr. Hugh Evans and Jess Bright. In one tragic mission in Cambodia, Evans died and Bright was lost for years. (Secret Origins v.2 #14) Bright was found by the Chinese who nursed him back to health. He then passed onto the Russians who transformed him into the bionic monster called Koshchei the Deathless. With his expertise in engineering, Bright assisted in the creation of the Rocket Red Brigade and lent a hand to the nation of Qurac in assembling their metahuman team, the Jihad. Grace also secretly bore Flag's son and placed him with an adoptive family. (Suicide Squad #50) Later, Rick was sent to infiltrate the Forgotten Heroes as a spy for the government. After the "death" of the Forgotten Heroes' leader, the Immortal Man (Crisis #??), the team disbanded and Flag worked covertly for the U.S. government.
During the affair known as "Legends," Amanda Waller organized a new Suicide Squad, which employed super-villians as canon-fodder. Waller was a congressional aide who had lost her husband and two children to violence. She researched the Suicide Squad's past and proposed its resurrection to the president. Following their success against Brimstone (Legends #3), Task Force X was reactivated. This new Squad was kept in line by Rick Flag and the Bronze Tiger. Their longer-standing members included Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, Nightshade and Vixen.
Bronze Tiger |
Vixen |
Deadshot |
Capt. Boomerang |
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Karin Grace was eventually revealed as an agent of the Manhunters. After surviving the earlier Squad's final mission, she became involved with the Manhunter Mark Shaw. When the Manhunters deployed their plan to take over the Earth, Grace learned of their evil nature and sacrificed herself in destroying their base. (S.S. #9) Eventually, the pre-existing organization, Checkmate, was also brought under Waller's wing in Task Force X.
Later, following a fiasco in New Orleans which left many civilians dead, Waller was charged with crimes and plea-bargained for a sentence of manslaughter. She willingly went to prison for a year before she was again approached by Sarge Steel to head another covert operation. The formerly disbanded Squad was reformed as an independent operation. This team had no government ties (and thus no government liability if things went wrong) and operatives were paid $1 million per mission. (#39-40) Koshchei eventually returned, seeking revenge on his former teammates by kidnapping Grace and Flag's son. This battle reunited many former members and Bright perished in his own explosion. (#50)
Oracle |
Shade |
Dr. Light |
Major Disaster |
Killer Frost II |
After Waller's departure, a second Task Force X and Suicide Squad, run by a mysterious Cabal that operated within the U.S. government (the identities of the Cabal leaders were never revealed). The Cabal was responsible for killing the subatomic band of criminals infiltrated by the Atom. (#61) Its Suicide Squad members were Bolt, Sudden Death, Shrapnel, Blockbuster II and Deadline. Its Task Force X members included Pathfinder, with a corrosive touch; Kaliber, who fired bolts of his kirilian aura; Metamorpheus, who could take the shape of anyone he touched (and possibly saw) as well as turn his arms into blades; and Sidewinder, whose lower torso and legs could become a snake like tail. (Suicide Squad #64-66) The fates of these teams and the Cabal are unknown.
Waller also eventually disbanded this team. The concept of the Suicide Squad continued to appeal to those in the U.S. government however, and several one-time Squads were assembled. (Superboy #13-15) Hawk and Dove also encountered the Squad, the composed of Flex, Thermal and Quartzite. (Hawk & Dove v.4 #3-5)
President Lex Luthor received advance warning from Brainiac 13 of the coming of Imperiex. Earth was in dire trouble, so Lex created Project: Suicide Squad: Chemo, Plasmus, Shrapnel, Steel and Mongul II under the leadership of Manchester Black. Their mission was to free Doomsday and reprogram the monster to attack Imperiex. (Adventures of Superman #593-594)
Following the war, the Unknown Soldier recruited a mystery man to head the new Squad. This man posed as the legendary World War II hero, Frank Rock. Also on board was Rock's old comrade, Bulldozer. Their main operatives included Deadshot, Killer Frost II and Major Disaster. In their final battle against a new Jihad, Havana (Waller's daughter) and Modem were killed, but Rustam II was also killed in return. After this, "Rock" disappeared, leaving behind only a face mask. Bulldozer stood up out of his wheelchair and walked away saying "It was nice to feel young again." During this time, Task Force X was renamed and upgraded as Task Force Omega.
When Lex Luthor's Presidential treachery was exposed to the world (Superman/Batman #1-6), Amanda Waller and Sarge Steel were both imprisoned for treason. But someone else kept the Squad alive, hiring Nemesis to impersonate Sarge Steel and commission a group of villains (Boomerang, Frost, Killer Shark & Double Down) to assassinate Waller, who was in Belle Reve. She was saved by Superman. Those in control remained in shadow. (Superman Secret Files 2004)
POSTSCRIPT: Keith Giffen, writer of the second Suicide Squad series, gave no clues to the true identity of Frank Rock and conceded that the real Frank Rock probably did die in World War II. He purposely killed off Havana and Modem so that no other writer would "mess with" them. Bulldozer is another mystery. Said Giffen, "I like the fact that it ends in a really, really bizarre way that you can read whatever you want into it."
Original: Brave & the Bold #25 (1959). Modern: Legends #1 (1986)
Adventures of Superman #593-594 Brave & the Bold #25-27, 37-39 Captain Atom #30 Chase #2-3 Checkmate! #15-18 Doom Patrol & Suicide Squad #1 Firestorm #64-65, 86, Annual #5 Justice League International v.1 #13, 27 Legends #1-3 Manhunter #14 Secret Origins v.2 #14 Superboy v. 3 #13-15 Superman v.2 #182 Superman Secret Files 2004 • War of the Gods #3
Suicide Squad v.1, 66 issues (1987-92)
Suicide Squad v.2, 12 issues (2001-02)
Obscure Characters: Amanda Waller • Bodycount
Members who served for more than one mission are listed below.
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Created by Keith Giffen & J.M. DeMatteis
Max Lord |
L-Ron |
Blue Beetle |
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Sue Dibny |
Elongated Man |
Fire |
Captain Marvel II |
This hapless group was resurrected by Maxwell Lord IV from the long-cold ashes of the Justice League International. Despite his recent malevolent endeavors as Lord Havoc, Max abandoned his biomechanical armor and returned to life as a business man. As luck would have it, he bumped into one of his close JLI associates, L-Ron, at the drive through of Big Belly Burger. The two hoped to reinvigorate their lives by reuniting the members of their old organization and set immediately about contacting them. They were successful in swaying Captain Atom, Booster Gold, Fire, Elongated Man and Sue Dibny. Captain Marvel, however, refused the offer, so his sister Mary (Captain Marvel II) accepted in his stead. With much persuasion, Blue Beetle was also convinced to join (despite his heart condition). (FKAJL #1)
But nevermind super-villains, the group's first challenge was against their local neighborhood watch group. Justifiably, the locals did not welcome the presence of a potentially dangerous super-group in their quiet town. But the heroes managed to prove themselves to the community by defending it against the local gang, the E Street Bloodsuckers. (#2)
Much to the team's horror, Max produced a promotional video which dubbed the group "The Super Buddies." Before they could debate the name, the heroes were abducted by Roulette. In her casino, heroes are mind-controlled into a battle to-the-death. Under Roulette's influence, Captain Marvel severely trounced Captain Atom. (#3) It was Fire who overcame the mind control and freed her friends, but Captain Atom was already in critical condition. One challenge was over, but another loomed (literally) overhead: the Cluster ship of Manga Khan arrived on Earth. (#4)
Khan's mission was simple and relatively non-threatening: he wanted to barter his former aide, L-Ron for his captive, G'nort (who was now a Darkstar). This kind of extraterrestrial presence drew the attention of the JLA who had already been keeping tabs on the Superbuddies. (#5) The JLA stepped in when things got sticky, but Sue and Max saved the day. They managed to convince Manga Khan that he had been captured! For his release, he agreed to give up his claim to L-Ron and to designate Earth a "barter-free" zone. Afterward, Khan confessed that his ploy had been fueled by his unrequited love for L-Ron. (#6)
The Super Buddies discovered that a reformed super-villain named Blackguard was moving in next door. Worse, his partner is the one and only Guy Gardner! (JLA Classified #4) While Sue and Max debated what to do about it, young Billy Batson appeared, forbidding Mary to continue her association with the team. He had a point; in classic Guy form, the chauvinist grabbed Mary in an inappropriate way, sending the team into a tizzy. To her credit, Mary retaliated on her own, and Guy actually apologized.
After Captain Atom resigned from the team (and died shortly thereafter), Max knew they could benefit from adding another "big gun." So he sent Beetle and Booster to JSA headquarters to try to recruit Power Girl. Kara was happy to see her old friends, but declined. Meanwhile, Booster went a-wandering and stumbled upon an artifact in Dr. Fate's chambers. As he held the artifact, he was consumed with malice towards his compatriots, who always treated him as an idiot. He would have some revenge: holding the artifact, he wished that the Super Buddies would all go to hell. And they did, immediately. (#5)
From hell, Fire was able to make a cell phone call to Sue, until her own anger burned up the phone. Just then, they encountered the Demon, Etrigan, who escorted them to their torment. Back on Earth, Guy offered to help find the Super Buddies. He grasped Fate's artifact and uttered the magic word, "Shazam," and he and Power Girl were whisked away to hell. Power Girl was amazed, then stunned because not only were they in hell, but Guy revealed that he was again in possession of the yellow power ring. He refused to explain how he reacquired it, but made it very clear that his recent trip to hell had left him... changed. Meanwhile, the Buddies were put to work at the Big Belly Burger of hell. One of their customers? Their late friend, Ice! (#6)
Guy and Fire were stunned to see Tora again. But the outpouring love was too much for the Demon Etrigan to bear. He bade them to leave and even allowed them to take Ice with them (he said that her presence in Hell was a mistake). The team could go but were bound by Hell's "Orpheus Protocol" — if on the way out of Hell, any were to turn and look behind them at Ice, her soul would again be forefeit (although Etrigan claimed that this time, she would pass on to her proper afterlife). The journey proved too difficult for Fire, who did turn to look. Ice vanished and the team returned to the surface. (#7)
Or did they? The team found themselves instead in an alternate dimension (perhaps the antimatter universe), where they met their evil counterparts: The Power Posse. They were a crime ring fronted by an adult strip club. Their "Oberon" worked the ticket booth; Max was again the mastermind; Ice and Sue were "entertainers"; Metamorpho a bouncer; and Booster a bartender. They also met a set of perverted Marvels: Mistress Mary and her brother; and a King Kong sized G'nort. (#8) These counterparts were none the quicker and the Buddies escaped their confrontation with the Posse. It could easily have b een that this hell was meant to be Beatriz' personal hell, which surely could include such a horrible ordeal. Beetle tried to convince Bea that it was in fact, not Tora. They were left wondering how to return home, when Guy jokingly tapped his heels and said "there's no place like home." Of course (!) this worked. Dr. Fate angrily reclaimed his artifact and the team went on about its... business. (#9)
After all their harmless escapades, the Super Buddies were destined to far worse than disrespect. Not long after their formation, its members were rocked with a series of shocking tragedies. First, Sue Dibny was murdered by her former friend, Jean Loring. (Identity Crisis #1) And in the fallout from this event, Max again revealed his true colors — he had used his time with the League to acquire sensitive information on all its members, including secret identities and weaknesses. He ascended to the title of Black Knight in the government organization called Checkmate and also stole control of the Batman's surveillance satellite, Big Brother. When the Blue Beetle discovered Max's plans to rid the world of metahumans, Max shot Ted in the head. (DC Countdown)
NOTE: This group was never considered an official branch of the Justice League.
Formerly Known as the Justice League #1 (Named: #2).
Formerly Known as the Justice League, 6-issue limited series (2003-04)
JLA: Classified #4-9 (2005)
JLA > Super Friends
Created by Chuck Dixon and Alcatena
Special thanks to Gon Fernández
Little is known about this Argentinian group. In thieir first recorded adventure, they contacted two FlashesJay Garrick and Wally Westto help free them from the clutches of the wizard, Gualicho. Wally freed their sole female member, the sorceress Salamanca, and she dispatched the villain. NOTE: "Gaulicho" is a kind of a bad spell thrown on to someone by a tribe wizard.
They are:
El Bagual, with a horse's head and hooves. In Spanish, "bagual" means "horse" in the "bronco/rodeo/cowboy" sense.
Cachirú, a winged hero with former romantic ties to Salamanca. Cahirú is a fierce mythological bird-creature.
Cimarrón, the swashbuckling type. Dixon described him as a gaucho, or Argentine cowboy. "Cimarrón" means "wild (animal)."
El Lobizon, with the head of a wolf. El Lobizon is a legendary South American werewolf.
Pampero, who wears a white and light blue uniform. "Pampero" is a word used to describe the winds across the Argentine plains.
Salamanca, a sorceress who can project an astral form from her body. The legends of northern Argentina tell of a cave called Salamanca where people go to sell their souls to the devil to become wizards and obtain powers and eternal lust.
Vizacacha, sporting a rodent-like cowl and claws. The vizacaha are common Argentine rodents.
The speedster is El Yaguareté. Real yaguarités were jaguar-like cats; they are now extinct.
Salamanca and Cachirú also solved a case whereby they reunited a century-old ghost with his lost love. (Flash Annual #13)
This group appeared briefly to quell a mob of laborers outside the Ballesteros Corporation in Buenos Aires. Its head, Sebastian Ballesteros, was in fact the Cheetah (III). When his predecessor, Barbara Minerva (Cheetah II), came looking for him, one of the Malon (Yaguarité) was seriously injured by her wrath. (Wonder Woman #186-187)
Flash v.2 Annual #13 (2000)
Wonder Woman v.2 #186-187
From the Jeff Rovin's Encyclopedia of Super-Villains
Members: Dramx, Fwom, Nakox, Nryana, Rava, Ulyro, Vlatuu and many others over the years; the roster is constantly changing due to death and attrition. Founded by the militaristic denizens of the planet Wexr II, whose plans of conquest Superman has foiled, the squad of "Revengers" is committed to destroying the man of steel. A secondary goal is the destruction of earth. The Squad is based on a "shrouded planet... millions of light-years and thousands of galaxies" from earth. They hold their meetings in the Hall of Hate, which is chockfull of statues of members who have died because of Superman (the penalty for failure is death). All their ships are emblazoned with a broken "S" on the hull.
Action Comics #286 (1962). Featured appearances: ??
The current Revenge Squad was assembled by Metropolis media magnate, Morgan Edge. Edge sought to incite destruction which could be blamed on his nemesis, Lex Luthor. To this end, he guarded his identity and formed a volatile group of Superman's foes: Riot, Maxima, Misa, Barrage and Anomaly. Led by Maxima, this team was torn apart by Misa's childishness and Barrage's vendetta against Maggie Sawyer. Also, Riot rigged Edge's psi-helmet so that it would reveal his duplicitous thoughts to the team. Misa and Maxima quickly bolted and all parties involved were left with the impression that Lex Luthor had been behind it all. (Adv. of Superman #543, Man of Steel #65, Action #730)
Soon, Barrage escaped from Stryker's prison with the help of the Parasite. Edge recruited them along with Rock and Baud. This time, Edge revealed his identity and agenda to the group. This team also self-destructed: because of the Parasite's instability. Edge escaped without a trace, and left all clues of the group's acts pointing towards Luthor. (Action #736, Man of Steel #71, Superman #127)
Adventures of Superman #543
Action #730, 736 Adventures of Superman #543 Superman v.2 #127 Superman: Man of Steel #65, 71
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Created by Stuart Immonen
The Supermen of America came about during a phase when Superman was possessed by the evil Dominus. Dominus had switched minds with the Man of Steel and, to the world, it looked as though Superman were trying to exert total control.
The club began with Mitch Andersen, a boy whose family had been saved by Superman shorty before his death at the hands of Doomsday (Superman #74). Andersen later developed magnetic abilities, took the name Outburst, and saved Luthor's life (Superman #142). Soon thereafter, Lex Luthor lured Outburst to him by over-exposing the young hero in the media. Recognizing an opportunity, Luthor formed the "Supermen of America" as a volunteer organization designed to embody Superman's principles. In truth, Luthor sought a way to use the movement to subvert and replace Superman.
Mitch agreed with Luthor's plans, and was tapped as the leader of the so-called "Elite Brigade." Metahumans and civilians alike were soon recruited. The core group consisted of the behemoth, Brahma; the magician, White Lotus; Loser, who generates a personal force field; Pyrogen, a flame-handler; and Psilencer, who had tactical intuition. These six were promoted in a TV spot and introduced publicly (including their real names). In one of their more serious battles, Psilerncer was killed. Shaken, Outburst refused any further monetary compensation from Luthor, but continued to uphold Superman's ideals.(Supermen of America v.1 #1)
Their inexperience was evident. On their first several outings, they managed to confound Lois Lane repeatedly, which inspired her to write a deprecatory article (Action #752). This corps grew to include many civilians as well. They and the "elite brigade" were undeterred when the Man of Steel seemed to show no interest in them. They merely assumed he had more important matters at hand (Superman: Man of Steel #87). Their faith in him was so strong that they even opposed "Team Superman" and warned Superman that the United Nations had declared war on him (Action #753).
When Dominus was exposed, the group--and the movement--remained strong. The organization went on to refurbish buildings across Metropolis as community centers. The main one (Outreach-1) served as the elite's headquarters. They met with Maximum, a young hero whose identity was public and who defended the streets of Suicide Slum. Maximum joined them in battle against one Calvin Broderick. Broderick was a disgruntled Lexcorp employee with a secret... (Supermen v.2 #1) Broderick knew that S.T.A.R. Labs had hidden a chamber called Lockdown-6 deep underwater. It contained an unspeakable power, one which Lex Luthor was keen to possess. Luthor successfully deployed Pyrogen to retrieve the capsule, where the Supermen encountered the Deep Six of Apokolips. It seemed their lord, Darkseid was also after its power. (#2) In distant space, the race known as the Okaarans sensed the imminent danger in opening this capsule, and dispatched a "cleansing batallion" to Earth. (#3)
The Okaarans overpowered Earth's forces and the White Lotus was left to attempt to negotiate a peace settlement. To save Earth from worse attacks, the Lotus agreed that Earth would hand over the capsule. Just then, however, in Lexcorp tower, the chamber was opened and unleashed an anti-matter wave. (#4) This wave paralyzed everyone except Loser, whose null force field made him immune. He discovers that the force inside the chamber was the Unimaginable. Its host, Dr. Bendorion, sought to transfer the energy to a new host. then deduced that this host was Maximum, who had been engineered by Lexcorp to serve such a purpose. In this, Bendorion succeeded, and Max inherited the powers of a God. (#5) In the end, Maximum's parents convinced him to relinquish the power, which he sent " everywhere." (Secretly, Luthor devises a plan to gradually retrieve the energy.) In exchange for the Supermen's silence about his involvement with the Unimaginable, Luthor cut its ties with the Superman organization. All property deeds were signed over to the organization. (#6)
Note: This series ignores the Unimaginable's appearances in Valor #6-10 (4-8.93).
Supermen of America #1 (March 1999)
Action #752-753 Superman: Man of Steel #87 Superman #142 Superman: King of the World #1 Young Justice #49-50
Supermen of America, one-shot (1999)
Supermen of America v.2, 6 issue mini-series (2000)
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