We just celebrated 250 years as a country and that gave me the idea for my latest entry into the blog. I could do all the patriotic characters in comics but I felt that was a little too easy and repetitive. Then I thought why not patriotic teams. The superhero teams that do it for their country. I had to narrow down a little. Every superhero team in the 40s was patriotic because it was World War II and they were fighting the Axis powers. So in this entry I am going to write about the teams that I have read in my time here on earth. You could start off with the Justice League of America but that team ended up being more of a total Earth protector instead of one country. I am going to focus on teams that pretty much protect their home country.
One of the first teams that comes to mind for me is the DC’s Freedom Fighters. The team is led by Uncle Sam! You cannot get any more patriotic than that. The team was from the DC era of multiple Earths. They came from Earth X where the Nazis won World War II. The team fought against oppressive totalitarianism to try and bring back freedom and democracy to the United States. They tried to retcon the team into pot-Crisis books but to me it never really worked without the big baddie of the Nazis to fight.
Another team that scream patriotism is US Avengers. A team made up to protect the United States. The first mission was to fight against the Secret Empire. You remember that Empire that had Captain America say “Hail Hydra”. Another mission was to fight against the Gold Skull (from the future) who was going to steal all the wealth. This team really had the American interests in mind while dealing with their missions.
There were also the World War II team books that came out in the 70s. The one I liked the best was the Invaders. It was based off the early 40s comics. It had Captain America, Bucky, Sub-Mariner, and Human Torch with a revolving cast of other heroes. Even though they were fighting in Europe they were keeping up a patriotic front for America. Yet the home front still needed protecting so out of the Invaders the Liberty Legion was formed to protect interests in America. Like Captain America being the patriotic hero of the Invaders, the Liberty Legion has Miss America and the Patriot. Nothing scares the Axis like star spangled heroes coming at them.
Not all patriotic teams are heroes. There was the Force of July. They were a team that first appeared in Batman and the Outsiders. They were a team of metahumans tasked with eliminating subversive activities that go against the best interests of the United States. They were not villains per se but the fanatical patriotism made them blind to the motives of the ones leading them. They have a sad history. They were captured by the Soviets and in with dealings with the Suicide Squad the team was pretty much killed. The teams powers and names were pretty much icons of America. Long may they rest.
Like the invaders, DC had their own teams like the Justice Society. The book that was out when I was reading was the All-Star Squadron. Unlike the Invaders book, this team fought on both fronts European and the home front. They are still the patriotic front for the entire DC Universe even to this day.
There is also one for the ladies. There is the Daughters of Liberty. It is a generations old sisterhood that secretly is dedicated to the preservation of freedom. Currently this team reformed to help Captain America when he was framed for murder. The roster included Invisible Woman, Spider-Woman, Shuri, and Black Widow. It is nice to know we have some ladies secretly watching out for our freedom.
There are so many more teams that look out for America interests but let’s not forget about other countries and their state sponsored patriotism. Canada has Alpha Flight who has helped other American teams when problems get bigger than the United States. Russia has the Winter Guard whose government puts them at odds with other America teams. Russia also has in the DC universe the Rocket Red Brigade. They are a power armored group of soldiers that the state has sponsored. They have worked with the Justice League International.
I could go on even further with all the patriotic teams that I have either read or rediscovered through my research but the shop does not run itself. I hope you enjoyed my dip into patriotic teams. Here’s hoping my next entry is as fun as this one to investigate. If you have any ideas for me to work with please let me know. You know where I am always at, behind the counter in Naperville. Feel free to let me know. As always thanks for reading my rantings.
Truth, justice, and the American way.
Mike