V-Battalion
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The V-Battalion is fictional organization. The V Battalion was the name of two incarnations of a highly secret organization composed of golden age super heroes and their descendents from Marvel Comics. The organization featured prominently in the original Thunderbolts series and the recent Invaders series.
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[edit] Publication history
There have been two limited series prominently featuring the V Battalion; Citizen V & the V Battalion and Citizen V & the V Battalion: The Everlasting
[edit] Fictional biography
[edit] Golden Age
The group was originally a British agency formed in WWII to fight Nazis.[1] The lead agent of the organization was John Watkins, however, as his superhero alter-ego, Citizen V, he was strangled to death by Heinrich Zemo. In time Heinrich hunted down and murdered most if not all of the original organization. Citizen V's pregnant lover Paulette Brazee was kept in hiding to protect her and her unborn child. She would later give birth to a son named John (JJ) Watkins Jr and marry a soldier she met in Europe. In time both Paulette and JJ took up the mantle as Citizen V as well as JJ's son John Watkins III.
[edit] Modern Age
With the original organization destroyed a group of golden age heroes choose to reconstitute the group including Roger Aubrey (the Destroyer), Betty Barstow (Silver Scorpion) and Helmut Grueler (Iron Cross). The organization operated out of the Symkaria and one of their primary missions was to hunt down nazi war criminals.
The V Battalion stayed a secret organization for many decades. When the Thunderbolts came onto the scene the V Battalion were interested in the fact that there was a new Citizen V claiming to be the grandson of the original Citizen V that they were not previously aware of. The V Battalion used a mole named Miles Warton (aka Miles Warbeck) that they had placed in the New York City mayor's office. The NYC mayor had appointed Dallas Riordan to be the Thunderbolts liasion (the mayor wanted to be closely affiliated with the new superheroes after the supposed deaths of the Avengers and Fantastic Four). Miles's job was to monitor Dallas.
Eventually it was revealed that the Thunderbolts were actually the Masters of Evil and that the new Citizen V was none other than Helmut Zemo, the son of Heinrich Zemo, the man who had murdered the original Citizen V and most of the original V Battalion. Shortly after this V Battalion leader Roger Aubrey offered Dallas the mantle of Citizen V. Dallas was offered the role because her paternal grandfather was one of the early members of the reconstituted V Battalion and he gave his life in service of the V Battalion. Dallas began hunting the Thunderbolts using the cover story that she was the granddaughter of the original Citizen V (she was not). After a few adventures (including being framed as the second Crimson Cowl and imprisoned[2] Dallas left the V Battalion after she was ordered to assassinate Henry Peter Gyrich.[3] The V Battalion tried to prevent Dallas from spilling their secrets to the Thunderbolts. Before Dallas could so she was teleported away by the Crimson Cowl but not before a skirmish between the V Battalion and the Thunderbolts ensued.[4]
Dallas was left crippled and a captive in Latveria[5] after her fight with the Crimson Cowl. Soon afterwards the actual grandson of the original Citizen V awoke from a 5 year coma in England. John Watkins III then became Citizen V. John went on to lead the Redeemers.[6] Eventually it was discovered that Helmut Zemo, who was thought to be deceased after a battle with Scourge, had his mind downloaded into Watkins body as a result of a prank played by the Thunderbolt member Techno.
Helmut then began serving in the V Battalion, his enemies unaware of his true identity. Eventually Helmut was removed from John's body and John chose to remain as Citizen V.[7] The Battalion would then go on to opposed Marduk, the Collective Man and Flag-Smasher,[8] after which they lost their ship/base the Vanguard[9]
Eventually Roger Aubrey chose to leave the V Battalion after a battle with the evil god Marduk. He appointed Jim Hammond the original Human Torch as his successor.[10]
[edit] Membership
| Character | Real Name | Joined in | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Destroyer | Roger Aubrey | ||
| Silver Scorpion | Betty Barstow | ||
| Bucky II | Fred Davis Jr. | ||
| Iron Cross (comics) | Helmut Grueler | ||
| Irene Martinez | Irene Martinez | ||
| Isadora Martinez | Isadora Martinez | ||
| Sam Sabuki | Hjiri Sabuki | ||
| Golden Girl | Gwenny Lou Sabuki | ||
| Goldfire | Ameiko Sabuki | Killed by the Collective Man | |
| Jim Hammond | James Hammond | Deactivated in New Invaders #10. | |
| Human Top | Davy Mitchell | ||
| Topspin | Darren Mitchell | ||
| Spitfire | Jacqueline Falsworth-Crichton | ||
| Union Jack II | Brian Falsworth | ||
| Whizzer | Robert Frank | Married to Miss America. Killed in Vision and Scarlet Witch #3. Father of Nuklo | |
| Miss America | Madeline Joyce Frank | Married to the Whizzer. Died in childbirth from radiation poisoning in Giant-Sized Avengers #1. Mother of Nuklo. | |
| Nuklo | Robert Frank Jr. | Son of Miss America and Whizzer. | |
| Angel | Tom Halloway | ||
| Reb Ralston | Reb Ralston | ||
| Andrea Sterman | Andrea Sterman | ||
| Guy Fontreax | Guy Fontreax | ||
| Piers | |||
| Andreas | |||
| Eamon | |||
| Vradec | |||
| Citizen V | John Watkins Sr. | ||
| Citizen V | Paulette Brazee | ||
| Citizen V | John "JJ" Watkins Jr. | ||
| Citizen V | John Watkins III | ||
| Citizen V | Dallas Riordan | Thunderblots #15
(behind the scenes) |
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| Citizen V | Helmut Zemo | In-between
Thunderbolts #45-46 |
[edit] Notes
- The V Battalion activities are governed by the Penance Council. The Penance council is composed of several golden age heroes and their descendants.
- The V Battalion used a powerful stealth ship called the Vanguard. The Vanguard uses technology reverse engineered from several alien civilizations.
- The V Battalion's primary base was Castle Masada in Sykaria.
- The V Battalion comprises several hundred non-powered agents who are not former superheroes.
[edit] Sources
- Thunderbolts #40-75
- Captain America/Citizen V 1998 annual
- Citizen V and the V-Battalion #1-3
- Citizen V and the V-Battalion: The Everlasting #1-4
