The Great Lakes Initiative, originally known as
The Great Lakes Avengers (GLA), are a fictional
superheroA superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
team that appear in comic books published by
Marvel ComicsMarvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. The characters were first introduced in
West Coast AvengersThe West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. The team first appear in The West Coast Avengers #1 and was created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall.- Publication history :...
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 sporadic appearances throughout the title in issues #48 - 49, #55, #60, #64, and #69. The team also made two appearances in issues #309 and #313 of
AvengersThe Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
and in the 1990
Avengers Annual. This was followed by appearances in issues #15 - 17 and #25 of
ThunderboltsThe Thunderbolts are a Marvel Comics superhero team, which consists mostly of former supervillains. The group first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449 , and was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley.-Publication history:...
and issues #10 - 11 and #61 of
Deadpool.
The GLA were then featured in a four-issue mini-series titled
GLA: Misassembled (written by
Dan SlottDan Slott is an American comic book writer best known for The Amazing Spider-Man, Arkham Asylum: Living Hell and She-Hulk. He is the current writer of the twice monthly The Amazing Spider-Man.-Early writing:...
) and the
MarvelMarvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
one-shot
GLX-Mas Special (2005). This was followed in 2006 by a minor appearance in
I Heart Marvel: Masked Intentions,
The ThingThe Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
vol. 2, #8, and
Cable and Deadpool #30. In 2007, the team was featured in
Deadpool/GLI Summer Fun Spectacular. The team also makes cameo appearances in issues #19 and #25 of
Avengers: The InitiativeAvengers: The Initiative was a comic book series from Marvel Comics. Written by Dan Slott and Christos Gage with artwork initially by Stefano Caselli, Steve Uy and Harvey Tolibao, the series dealt with the aftermath of Marvel's Civil War crossover Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series...
.
Team name
The team has changed its name on several occasions. The Avenger
HawkeyeHawkeye , also known as Goliath and Ronin, is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. Hawkeye joined the Avengers in Avengers Vol. 1 #16 Hawkeye...
first protests their use of the name "Avengers", and eventually the GLA are sent a cease-and-desist order by the Maria Stark Foundation. The team rename themselves the
Lightning Rods after fellow super-team
The ThunderboltsThe Thunderbolts are a Marvel Comics superhero team, which consists mostly of former supervillains. The group first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449 , and was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley.-Publication history:...
. While working for
S.H.I.E.L.D.S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....
, Mr. Immortal suggests a name-change to
S.W.O.R.D., although ultimately the team's name is changed to
The Great Lakes X-Men when its members collectively realize that they are all mutants.
After team member
FlatmanFlatman is a fictional superhero in the Marvel Comics universe who first appeared in the pages of the Avengers West Coast in 1989.-Great Lakes Avengers:...
wins a superhero
pokerPoker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
tournament, the GLA rename themselves
The Great Lakes Champions. Following the events of
Avengers: Civil WarCivil War is a 2006-2007 Marvel Comics crossover storyline built around a self-titled seven-issue limited series written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, which ran through various other titles published by Marvel at the time...
, the team now operates as
The Great Lakes Initiative in the state of Wisconsin.
Fictional team biography
Craig Hollis discovers he is immortal and decides to fight crime as Mr. Immortal, but after being shot in the head by a group of thieves realizes that operating alone may not be feasible. After placing an advertisement for costumed adventurers in the local paper, Mr. Immortal recruits and assembles the Great Lakes Avengers, with a roster including
Dinah SoarDinah Soar is a fictional superhero in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional character biography:Dinah Soar was born in the Savage Land. Her lineage is never revealed; we don't know if she was a mutant or of alien descent....
,
Big BerthaBig Bertha is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics, notably as a member of the Great Lakes Avengers. The character was created by John Byrne and first appeared in West Coast Avengers vol. 2 #46 .-Fictional character biography:Not a lot is known of...
,
FlatmanFlatman is a fictional superhero in the Marvel Comics universe who first appeared in the pages of the Avengers West Coast in 1989.-Great Lakes Avengers:...
, and
DoormanDoorman is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe that first appeared in the pages of the Avengers West Coast in 1989.-Fictional character biography:...
. Mr. Immortal does, however, refuse one candidate—Gene Lorrene—a
leather fetishistThe leather subculture denotes practices and styles of dress organized around sexual activities. Wearing leather garments is one way that participants in this culture self-consciously distinguish themselves from mainstream sexual cultures...
called Leather Boy. Despite being advised that he has no superpowers and is therefore ineligible, Lorrene takes the rebuttal personally.
The team is first seen in public by Avengers
HawkeyeHawkeye , also known as Goliath and Ronin, is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. Hawkeye joined the Avengers in Avengers Vol. 1 #16 Hawkeye...
and
MockingbirdMockingbird is a fictional character, a superhero in the who first appears in the Ka-Zar story in Astonishing Tales #6 written by Gerry Conway and pencilled by Barry Smith...
, who watch the group as they break up a robbery attempt. Despite Hawkeye's annoyance at the team's naive insistence on acting like superheroes—and their use of the
Avengers name without permission—he and Mockingbird agree to act as the team's mentors. The Great Lakes Avengers assist the Avengers and West Coast Avengers from time to time, including against Terminus. After an encounter with the Thunderbolts—and aiding them against the villain
GravitonGraviton is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Avengers #158 and was created by Jim Shooter and Sal Buscema....
--the GLA clash with the mercenary Deadpool.
After a period of inactivity, the team learn that the West Coast Avengers have been disbanded and that Hawkeye has apparently been killed. The team subsequently reemerges to battle
MaelstromMaelstrom is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Marvel Two-in-One #71 , and was created by writer Mark Gruenwald.-Fictional character biography:...
, who is building a doomsday device. During this encounter Dinah Soar is killed. New members
Squirrel GirlSquirrel Girl, real name Doreen Green, is a fictional character and superhero in the . Her first appearance was in Marvel Super-Heroes #8 , in a story plotted and drawn by Steve Ditko and scripted by Will Murray. Her ability to control squirrels is surprisingly powerful and has allowed her to...
(who has a pet squirrel Monkey Joe) and
GrasshopperThe Grasshopper is the name of multiple humorous Marvel Comics superheroes, all created by Dan Slott. No Grasshopper to date has survived past the issue they first appeared in. The Grasshoppers are a simultaneous homage to and satire of stereotypical superheroes and Marvel's tendency towards...
are then recruited. Although Maelstrom is defeated via Mr. Immortal's trickery, Doorman, Grasshopper, and Monkey Joe are all killed during the course of the adventure (the last of these having been murdered by Gene Lorrene, who seeks revenge for being refused membership in 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-Description:It is a powerful, extra-dimensional energy that can be manipulated in slightly different ways by a handful of beings that are attuned to it. There are slight yet inconclusive hints that it may be a corruptive influence of some kind and perhaps even sentient...
, while Mr. Immortal learns that as an immortal he is considered
Homo Supreme. Despite defeating Maelstrom and saving the world, the Great Lakes Avengers' victory goes unnoticed. Discovering that they are all mutants, the team decide to rename themselves the
Great Lakes X-Men.
A series of unusual events follow: 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 dead to the afterlife. After Flatman wins a superhero
pokerPoker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
tournament (and
Marvel GirlRachel Anne Summers is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne for Marvel Comics....
demands that they drop the "X-Men" name), the team assumes the name
The Great Lakes Champions.
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 thereafter renamed
The Great Lakes Initiative, becoming the official
Fifty State InitiativeThe 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...
-sponsored team for the State of Wisconsin.
The team and Deadpool stop
A.I.M.A.I.M. is a fictional terrorist organization in the . The organization first appeared in Strange Tales #146 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Publication history:...
from using an "inebriation ray" that induces
drunkennessAlcohol intoxication is a physiological state that occurs when a person has a high level of ethanol in his or her blood....
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. The characters also appear during the
SkrullThe Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
invasion of Earth.
When
Norman OsbornThe Green Goblin is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 ....
assumes control of the Initiative, he transfers
GravityGravity is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in Gravity #1 and was created by Sean McKeever and Mike Norton.-Publication history:...
to a leadership role in the GLI, much to the superhero's dismay.
After a fight with
Fin Fang FoomFin Fang Foom is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #89 Fin Fang Foom is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #89 Fin Fang...
, Squirrel Girl elects to leave the team and return to New York, 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, preventing them from reaching their full potential as heroes and as a team.
During the
Fear Itself"Fear Itself" is a 2011 crossover comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of a seven-issue, eponymous miniseries written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Stuart Immonen, Wade Von Grawbadger, and Laura Martin, a prologue book by writer Ed Brubaker and artist Scott Eaton, and...
storyline, the Great Lakes Avengers end up fighting Asbestos Man who takes advantage of the the fear and chaos that is happening.
JLA/Avengers
Despite their marginal status as Avengers, members of the GLA appeared in the climax of the
JLA/AvengersJLA/Avengers is a comic book limited series and crossover published in prestige format by DC Comics and Marvel Comics from September 2003 to May 2004. The series was written by Kurt Busiek, with art by George Pérez...
miniseries, where they assisted in the defeat of
KronaKrona is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Green Lantern #40 , and was created by writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane.-Fictional character biography:...
.
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.
External links