Fifty State Initiative
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. 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. Its purpose is to provide a superhero team in every state of the United States after the conclusion of the 2006–2007 "Civil War" storyline.
Contents
History
The Initiative plan is #41 on the list of 101 items that Mister Fantastic, Iron Man and Yellowjacket came up with to ensure the increased security of super-human activities, following the Stamford tragedy that helped pass the Superhuman Registration Act.[citation needed] Registered superhumans are sent to Camp Hammond to train before they are assigned to an Initiative team.[citation needed]
Three comic books were directly launched as a result of this Initiative: Avengers: The Initiative, Mighty Avengers and The Order. These have since been followed by three different mini-series: The Last Defenders focusing on the first team assigned to New Jersey, Patsy Walker: Hellcat about the sole hero allocated to Alaska, and Marvel Zombies 3 which in its first issue centered on the team in Florida defending the Marvel Universe from zombie invasion.
Though the Initiative covers all 50 states, only 25 are shown to currently have heroes/teams assigned. The following states have their Initiative superhero assignment status unknown as of now:[when?] Alabama, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.[citation needed]
During the Fear Itself storyline, Captain America has Prodigy reassemble the known Initiative teams where they are briefed about the hammers that the Serpent had summoned to Earth.[1]
List of teams by state
| State | Team name | 1st mention/appearance | Members | Former Members or Infiltrator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | N/A | Patsy Walker: Hellcat #1 | Hellcat[2] | |
| Arizona | Desert Stars[3] | Avengers: The Initiative #12 (mentioned), #16 (shown) | Member list | Blacksmith (I Skrull), Komodo, |
| Arkansas | The Battalion | Avengers: The Initiative #19[4] | Razorback[5] | Razorback (I Skrull), Tigra[4] |
| California | The Order[6] | Civil War #6 | Member list | Member list |
| Delaware | The Women Warriors | Avengers: The Initiative #26 | Asp, Black Mamba, Diamondback, Quicksand, Skein | |
| Florida | The Command[7] | Marvel Zombies 3 #1 | Jennifer Kale,[8] Wundarr the Aquarian[9] | Siege (D), The Conquistador (D), The Conquistador (D,I Skrull) |
| Georgia | The Cavalry[10] | Avengers: The Initiative #12 (mentioned), #18 (shown) | Ultra Girl (L),[11] Thor Girl,[12] Crime-Buster,[10] Stunt-Master,[10] Red Nine[5] | Thor Girl (I Skrull) |
| Hawaii | Point Men[13] | Avengers: The Initiative #12 (mentioned), #14 (shown) | Stingray (L),[5] Devil-Slayer, Star Sign, Paydirt, Magnitude[12] | 3-D Man,[14] Magnitude (I Skrull) |
| Illinois | Spaceknights | Named in Civil War #6[6] | Members List | |
| Iowa | Force Works[15] | Named in Civil War #6 | Cybermancer[16] | |
| Kansas | Harvesters | Marvel Zombies Supreme #2 | Pioneer | Topeka, Grain Belt, Meadowlark,Sunflower (all D) |
| Kentucky | Action Pack | Avengers: The Initiative #7 | Vox (L), Prima Donna, Frog-Man[12] | Frog-Man (I Skrull) |
| Maryland | Psionex | Avengers: The Initiative #26 | Member list | |
| Montana | Freedom Force | Avengers: The Initiative #12 | Challenger (L),[17] Cloud 9, Think Tank, Equinox,[12] Spinner | Equinox (I Skrull) |
| Nebraska | Unknown | Iron Man vol. 4 #24 | Captain Ultra(L) | Gadget (D), Paragon (D)[18] |
| New Mexico | Mavericks[19][20] | Avengers: The Initiative #16 | She-Thing,[12] Annex,[5] Geiger[21] | Jocasta,[12] She-Thing (I Skrull) |
| New York | (Mighty/Dark) Avengers[6] | Civil War #6 | Member list | Member list |
| North Carolina | Unknown | Avengers: The Initiative #26, #35 (mentioned) | Butterball, Batwing | U-Foes (Ironclad, Vapor, Vector, X-Ray) |
| Ohio | Unknown | Marvel Zombies 5 #2 | Howard the Duck, Machine Man, Swift Cloud, Hurricane | |
| Oregon | Force of Nature | Avengers: The Initiative #26 | Aqueduct, Skybreaker, Sunstreak, Terraformer | |
| Pennsylvania | Liberteens[22][23] | Avengers: The Initiative Annual 1 | Member list | Revolutionary (I Skrull), Whiz Kid (D) |
| Texas | Rangers | Civil War #7 (as Initiative team) | Member list | Armadillo |
| Utah | The Called | Civil War #6 (mentioned), Avengers: The Initiative #17 (named) | Unknown group of heroes belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints[24] | |
| Vermont | The Garrison | Penance: Relentless #3 (shown), The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z hardcover Volume #5 (named) | Fin, Man-Eater | |
| Washington | Earth Force | Civil War: Frontline #11 | Skyhawk,[12] Earth Lord, Wind Warrior | Skyhawk (I Skrull) |
| Wisconsin | Great Lakes Initiative | Deadpool/GLI Summer Fun Spectacular (as Initiative team) | Member list | Grasshopper IV (I Skrull) |
- Notation: (L) Leader; (D) Deceased; (I) Infiltrator
Non State assigned teams
| Team name | 1st mention/appearance | Base of operations | Members |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Initiative | Avengers: The Initiative #4 | Camp Hammond / Camp H.A.M.M.E.R. | Members list |
Other sanctioned heroes by assigned location
| Location | Name(s) | 1st appearance |
|---|---|---|
| New York City | Jackpot | Amazing Spider-Man #546 (January 2008) |
| New York City | Blue Shield | Amazing Spider-Man #550 (February 2008) |
| New York City (Harlem) | Falcon | Captain America #26 (May 2007) |
| New York City | Slyde (undercover police officer) | Amazing Spider-Man #602 (September 2009) |
Teams no longer part of the Initiative
| Team name | Status | State | 1st mention/appearance | Base of operations | Members |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operation: Lightning Storm[25] | Disbanded. | Non-state assigned team | Ms. Marvel vol. 2 #13 | Minicarrier 13 | Ms. Marvel, Agent Sum, Agent Locke (left),[26] Agent Baines (D),[26] Machine Man, Sleepwalker |
| Thunderbolts[27] | Deactivated from the Initiative by Norman Osborn,[28] a new formation is now operating as black ops for Osborn, now disabled due to events following "Siege".[29] | Colorado | Thunderbolts #110 (as Initiative team) | Thunderbolts Mountain | Members list |
| Defenders[30] | Team made defunct. Operated outside the Initiative for a short while before being disbanded by H.A.M.M.E.R.[31] | New Jersey | Last Defenders #1 | Hoboken | Member list |
| Fantastic Four | Suspended from the Initiative.[32] Still operating outside the Initiative | New York City | Baxter Building | Member list | |
| Camp Hammond | Disbanded / Demolished | Connecticut | Avengers: The Initiative #1 | Camp Hammond | Camp Hammond Staff & Trainees |
| Heavy Hitters[3] | Seceded from the Initiative.[33] | Nevada | Avengers: The Initiative #12 (mentioned), #17 (shown) | Heavy Hitters Hotel And Casino | Prodigy[34] (L), Nonstop,[3] Telemetry[3] Hardball,[35] Gravity (L),[3] Outback[33] |
| U-Foes | Suspended from the Initiative and incarcerated.[36] | North Carolina | Avengers: The Initiative #26 | Member list |
- Notation: (L) Leader; (D) Deceased; (I) Infiltrator
References
- ↑ Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt #1
- ↑ New Patsy Walker: Hellcat Series Coming? - Newsarama
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Avengers: The Initiative #21
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Mark Millar (w), Dexter Vines (i). Civil War 6: 3/1,4 (December 2006), Marvel Comics Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ WW Philly: Fred Van Lente on Marvel Zombies 3 - Newsarama
- ↑ Van Lente talks Marvel Zombies 3 - CBR News
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Avengers: The Initiative #18
- ↑ The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z hardcover Volume #5 (October 2008)
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Avengers: The Initiative #20
- ↑ CIVIL WAR ROOM: ONE LAST TIME - NEWSARAMA
- ↑ War Machine: Weapon of S.H.I.E.L.D. #33
- ↑ In All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z vol. 2
- ↑ In Iron Man (vol. 4) #24
- ↑ In MySpace Mycup O' Joe Blog Week 12
- ↑ WW Philly: Mondo Marvel Panel - Newsarama.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Dan Slott (w), David Meikis (i). "State of Readiness" Avengers: The Initiative Annual 1 ((January) 2008), Marvel Comics
- ↑ Civil War #6
- ↑ Ms. Marvel vol. 2 #27
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Ms. Marvel vol. 2 #17
- ↑ Mark Millar (w), Steve McNiven (p), Dexter Vines (i). Civil War 7: 35/2 (December 2006)
- ↑ within Thunderbolts #126
- ↑ Thunderbolts' #143
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Marvel Zombies 4 #1
- ↑ Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #1
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 Avengers: The Initiative #28
- ↑ Avengers: The Initiative #25
- ↑ Avengers: The Initiative Special #1
- ↑ Avengers: The Initiative #35
