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. 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.
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. Registered superhumans are sent to Camp Hammond to train before they are assigned to an Initiative team.
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: Alabama, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Name
The name of the group is taken from the Fifty-State Strategy enacted by the Democratic Party in the U.S. in the mid-2000s as a political strategy aimed at making gains by the party in all U.S. states.
List of teams by state
| State |
Team name |
1st mention/appearance |
Members |
Former Members or
Infiltrator |
| Alaska |
N/A |
Patsy Walker: Hellcat #1 |
Hellcat[1] |
|
| Arizona |
Desert Stars[2] |
Avengers: The Initiative #12 (mentioned), #16 (shown) |
Member list |
Blacksmith (I Skrull), Komodo |
| Arkansas |
The Battalion |
Avengers: The Initiative #19[3] |
Razorback[4] |
Razorback (I Skrull), Tigra[3] |
| California |
The Order[5] |
Civil War #6 |
Member list |
Member list |
| Delaware |
The Women Warriors |
Avengers: The Initiative #26 |
Asp, Black Mamba, Diamondback, Quicksand, Skein |
| Florida |
The Command[6] |
Marvel Zombies 3 #1 |
Jennifer Kale,[7] Wundarr the Aquarian[8] |
Siege (D), The Conquistador (D), The Conquistador (D,I Skrull) |
| Georgia |
The Cavalry[9] |
Avengers: The Initiative #12 (mentioned), #18 (shown) |
Ultra Girl (L),[10] Thor Girl,[11] Crime-Buster,[9] Stunt-Master,[9] Red Nine[4] |
Thor Girl (I Skrull) |
| Hawaii |
Point Men[12] |
Avengers: The Initiative #12 (mentioned), #14 (shown) |
Stingray (L),[4] Devil-Slayer, Star Sign, Paydirt, Magnitude[11] |
3-D Man,[13] Magnitude (I Skrull) |
| Illinois |
Spaceknights |
Named in Civil War #6[5] |
Members List |
|
| Iowa |
Force Works[14] |
Named in Civil War #6 |
Cybermancer[15] |
| Kentucky |
Action Pack |
Avengers: The Initiative #7 |
Vox (L), Prima Donna, Frog-Man[11] |
Frog-Man (I Skrull) |
| Maryland |
Psionex |
Avengers: The Initiative #26 |
Member list |
|
| Montana |
Freedom Force |
Avengers: The Initiative #12 |
Challenger (L),[16] Cloud 9, Think Tank, Equinox[11] |
Equinox (I Skrull), Spinner (D) |
| Nebraska |
Unknown |
Iron Man vol. 4 #24 |
Captain Ultra(L) |
Gadget (D), Paragon (D)[17] |
| New Mexico |
Mavericks [18][19] |
Avengers: The Initiative #16 |
She-Thing,[11] Annex,[4] Geiger[20] |
Jocasta,[11] She-Thing (I Skrull) |
| New York |
(Mighty/Dark) Avengers[5] |
Civil War #6 |
Member list |
Member list |
| North Carolina |
Unknown |
Avengers: The Initiative #35 (mentioned) |
Butterball, Batwing |
|
| Ohio |
Unknown |
Marvel Zombies 5 #2 |
|
Howard the Duck |
| Oregon |
Force of Nature |
Avengers: The Initiative #26 |
Aqueduct, Skybreaker, Sunstreak, Terraformer |
|
| Pennsylvania |
Liberteens[21][22] |
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 [23] |
|
| 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,[11] 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
Other sanctioned heroes by assigned location
Teams no longer part of the Initiative
| Team name |
Status |
State |
1st mention/appearance |
Base of operations |
Members |
| Operation: Lightning Storm[24] |
Disbanded. |
Non-state assigned team |
Ms. Marvel vol. 2 #13 |
Minicarrier 13 |
Ms. Marvel, Agent Sum, Agent Locke (left),[25] Agent Baines (D),[25] Machine Man, Sleepwalker |
| Thunderbolts[26] |
Deactivated from the Initiative by Norman Osborn,[27] a new formation is now operating as black ops for Osborn, now disabled due to events following "Siege".[28] |
Colorado |
Thunderbolts #110 (as Initiative team) |
Thunderbolts Mountain |
Members list |
| Defenders[29] |
Team made defunct. Operated outside the Initiative for a short while before being disbanded by H.A.M.M.E.R.[30] |
New Jersey |
Last Defenders #1 |
Hoboken |
Member list |
| Fantastic Four |
Suspended from the Initiative.[31] 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[2] |
Seceded from the Initiative.[32] |
Nevada |
Avengers: The Initiative #12 (mentioned), #17 (shown) |
Heavy Hitters Hotel And Casino |
Prodigy[33] (L), Nonstop,[2] Telemetry[2] Hardball,[34] Gravity (L),[2] Outback[32] |
| U-Foes |
Suspended from the Initiative and incarcerated.[35] |
North Carolina |
Avengers: The Initiative #26 |
|
Member list |
- Notation: (L) Leader; (D) Deceased; (I) Infiltrator
References
See also
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Fifty State Initiative
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