Great Lakes Avengers

The Great Lakes Avengers (also known as The Lightning Rods, The Great Lakes X-Men, The Great Lakes Champions, and The Great Lakes Initiative) is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters were first introduced in West Coast Avengers vol. 2, #46 (July 1989), and were created by John Byrne.

Publication history

The team first appeared in The West Coast Avengers vol. 2, #46, and then made appearances in issues #48–49 and #64, and a cameo appearance in Avengers West Coast Annual #6. The GLA also make an appearance in issue #309 of Avengers and in the 1990 Avengers Annual. This was followed by appearances in issues #15–17 and #25 of Thunderbolts and issues #10–11 and #61 of Deadpool.

In 2005, the GLA were featured in a four-issue mini-series titled GLA: Misassembled (written by Dan Slott) and the one-shot GLX-Mas Special. This was followed in 2006 by a minor appearance in I ♥ Marvel: Masked Intentions, The Thing vol. 2, #8, and Cable and Deadpool #30. In 2007, the team was featured in the one-shot Deadpool/GLI Summer Fun Spectacular. The team also made cameo appearances in issues #19 and #25 of Avengers: The Initiative and a minor appearance in issue #3 of Age of Heroes. In 2011, the team made an appearance in issue #6 of Fear Itself: The Home Front.

Team name

The team has changed its name on several occasions. The Avenger Hawkeye first protests their use of the name "Avengers",^[1] and eventually the GLA are sent a cease-and-desist order by the Maria Stark Foundation.^[2] The team rename themselves the Lightning Rods after fellow super-team, the Thunderbolts.^[3] While working for S.H.I.E.L.D., Mr. Immortal suggests a name-change to S.W.O.R.D.,^[4] although ultimately the team's name is changed to the Great Lakes X-Men when its members collectively realize that they are all mutants.^[2]

After team member Flatman wins a superhero poker tournament, the GLA rename themselves the Great Lakes Champions.^[5] Following the events of Avengers: Civil War, the team operated as the Great Lakes Initiative in the state of Wisconsin.^[6] Some time later, the team reverts to the name Great Lakes Avengers.^[7]

Fictional team biography

Craig Hollis discovers that he is immortal, and he decides to fight crime as Mr. Immortal. After being shot by a group of thieves and left for dead, he realizes that operating alone may not be feasible. He places an advertisement for costumed adventurers in the local paper and assembles the Great Lakes Avengers, recruiting Dinah Soar, Big Bertha, Flatman and Doorman. Mr. Immortal refuses one candidate, Gene Lorrene, a leather fetishist calling himself Leather Boy. Turned down because he has no superpowers and is therefore ineligible, Lorrene takes the rejection personally.^[8]

The team is first seen in public by Avengers Hawkeye and Mockingbird, who watch the group as they foil a robbery attempt. Although annoyed by the team's naiveté and their use of the Avengers name without permission, Hawkeye and Mockingbird agree to act as the team's mentors.^[9] The Great Lakes Avengers assist the Avengers and West Coast Avengers from time to time, and once help them fight Terminus.^[10] After aiding the Thunderbolts against the villain Graviton,^[11] the GLA clash with the mercenary Deadpool.^[12]

After a period of inactivity, the team learns that the West Coast Avengers have been disbanded and that Hawkeye has been killed.^[13] The team subsequently battle Maelstrom, who is building a doomsday device. During this encounter, Dinah Soar is killed. New members Squirrel Girl (who has a pet squirrel Monkey Joe) and Grasshopper are then recruited. Although Maelstrom is defeated via Mr. Immortal's trickery, Doorman, Grasshopper and Monkey Joe are all killed (the last of these murdered by Gene Lorrene, who sought revenge against the GLA). Mr. Immortal is also killed several times, though he always recovers. Doorman is revived soon after his death and learns that he is connected to the Darkforce Dimension, and Mr. Immortal learns that as an immortal he is considered Homo sapiens supreme. Despite defeating Maelstrom and saving the universe, the Great Lakes Avengers' victory goes unnoticed. After receiving a subpoena from the Avengers and discovering that they are all mutants, the team decides to rename themselves the Great Lakes X-Men.^[2]

Squirrel Girl acquires a new partner, a female squirrel called Tippy-Toe; Grasshopper II dies after misjudging his armor's jumping capabilities and Doorman becomes an "angel of death" charged with conveying the souls of the dead to the afterlife.^[14] After Flatman wins a superhero poker tournament and Marvel Girl demands that they drop the "X-Men" name, the team assumes the name Great Lakes Champions.^[15]

With the beginning of Marvel: Civil War, the GLC decide to comply with the Superhuman Registration Act, in fact waiting in line to register the day the Act is announced. The team is renamed as the Great Lakes Initiative, becoming officially sanctioned by the Fifty State Initiative as the team for the state of Wisconsin.^[16]

The team and Deadpool stop A.I.M. from using an "inebriation ray" that induces drunkenness in superheroes. Deadpool is granted reserve membership on the team, but is forcibly evicted from GLI headquarters after proving to be too much of an annoyance.^[17] The team also appears during the Secret Invasion storyline confronting a Skrull disguised as Grasshopper, with help from Gravity and Catwalk.^[18]

When Norman Osborn assumes control of the Initiative, he transfers Gravity to a leadership role in the GLI, much to the superhero's dismay.^[19]

After a fight with Fin Fang Foom, Squirrel Girl elects to leave the team and return to New York,^[20] because she feels that the other team members (who simply stayed in their headquarters, playing cards, during the fight) have come to rely upon her too much, and that her continued presence will prevent them from reaching their full potential as heroes and as a team.^[7]

During the Fear Itself storyline, the team, having reverted to the name Great Lakes Avengers, end up fighting Asbestos Man, who had been taking advantage of the fear and chaos that is happening. After standing around him for hours, Mr. Immortal talks him into giving up in return for being remembered by the others.^[21]

Members

Founders

Trainers

Assisted the team by training them, but it is not clear if they officially joined the team.

Recruits

False members

Other versions

JLA/Avengers

Despite their marginal status as Avengers, members of the GLA appeared in the climax of the JLA/Avengers miniseries, where they assisted in the defeat of Krona.^[22]

In other media

Video games

• The Great Lakes Champions are mentioned in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2. In the briefing following the attack on Wakanda, Captain America and Iron Man mention that the Great Lakes Champions have been absorbed into The Fold.

Music

• The band Kirby Krackle released a song titled Great Lakes Avengers on their album E For Everyone in 2010.^[23]

Reception

In August 2009, TIME listed the Great Lakes Avengers among the "Top 10 Oddest Marvel Characters".^[24]

References

External links

• Great Lakes Avengers