Lance Hunter (comics)
Encyclopedia
Lance Hunter is a fictional character
within the Marvel Comics
' Universe
. He first appeared in Captain Britain
Weekly #19 (February 16, 1977) and was created by Gary Friedrich
. Hunter is a Royal Navy
Commander
who became Director of S.T.R.I.K.E.
before later gaining the rank of Commodore
and becoming Joint Intelligence Committee Chair.
, and first penciled by Herb Trimpe, Hunter made his debut in Captain Britain Weekly #19 on February 16, 1977. He was the UK, and S.T.R.I.K.E., counterpart to Marvel's Nick Fury
, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
. Hunter continued to appear within the pages of Captain Britain Weekly throughout the rest of 1977 but would not appear on panel again until 30 years later in the Civil War
: Battle Damage Report one-shot in 2007.
, was exposed, Commander Lance Hunter introduced himself as the Director of S.T.R.I.K.E. to Nick Fury
. The agents of S.T.R.I.K.E. and S.H.I.E.L.D. worked together to track down Red Skull's Nazi activities. It was then revealed that Red Skull had kidnapped the British Prime Minister, James Callaghan
and had set a germ bomb
over London
to be detonated at midnight. Hunter, aided by Fury and the pairs respective superheroes; Captain Britain
and Captain America
, stopped the bomb which had been placed on the minute hand
of the Big Ben and thwarted the Red Skull's plans.
Hunter aided Captain Britain in the capture of villain Lord Hawk, and took the injured hero to S.T.R.I.K.E. headquarters to recover. However, while there Captain Britain's spirit was summoned away by Merlin
where he did battle with a monstrous giant. Injuries suffered in this spirit realm transferred to the Captain's real body. Hunter ordered the doctors to keep working to save the stricken hero. When Hunter finally admitted defeat at the bed side of Captain Britain's lifeless body, the Captain returned to the real world and left the base.
Sometime after S.T.R.I.K.E. was dissolved, Hunter gained the rank of Commodore
and was seen alongside Contessa Valentina Allegro de Fontaine
, and Alistaire Stuart
briefing British superhumans on the details of the British Superhuman Registration Act. Following the Skrull invasion of Earth
, and the revelation that the then-Joint Intelligence Committee chair person was in fact a Skrull
impostor, Hunter was made the new JIC Chair.
member who featured in Excalibur vol. 2 #1 (2001).
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
within the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel 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...
' Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. He first appeared in Captain Britain
Captain Britain
Captain Britain , briefly known as Britannic, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Chris Claremont and Herb Trimpe, he first appeared in Captain Britain Weekly, #1...
Weekly #19 (February 16, 1977) and was created by Gary Friedrich
Gary Friedrich
Gary Friedrich . is an American comic book writer best known for his Silver Age stories for Marvel Comics' Sgt...
. Hunter is a Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
who became Director of S.T.R.I.K.E.
S.T.R.I.K.E.
S.T.R.I.K.E. is a fictional, comic book counter-terrorism and intelligence agency in the . The organization, that often deals with superhuman threats, was introduced in Captain Britain Weekly #17, as the United Kingdom's version of the United Nations' S.H.I.E.L.D.The acronym stands for Special...
before later gaining the rank of Commodore
Commodore (Royal Navy)
Commodore is a rank of the Royal Navy above Captain and below Rear Admiral. It has a NATO ranking code of OF-6. The rank is equivalent to Brigadier in the British Army and Royal Marines and to Air Commodore in the Royal Air Force.-Insignia:...
and becoming Joint Intelligence Committee Chair.
Publication history
Created by Gary FriedrichGary Friedrich
Gary Friedrich . is an American comic book writer best known for his Silver Age stories for Marvel Comics' Sgt...
, and first penciled by Herb Trimpe, Hunter made his debut in Captain Britain Weekly #19 on February 16, 1977. He was the UK, and S.T.R.I.K.E., counterpart to Marvel's Nick Fury
Nick Fury
Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the...
, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
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....
. Hunter continued to appear within the pages of Captain Britain Weekly throughout the rest of 1977 but would not appear on panel again until 30 years later in the Civil War
Civil War (comics)
Civil 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...
: Battle Damage Report one-shot in 2007.
Fictional character biography
After Tod Radcliffe, a Special Tactical Reserve for International Key Emergencies traitor; secretly working for the Red SkullRed Skull
The Red Skull is a name shared by several fictional characters, all supervillains from the Marvel Comics universe. All incarnations of the character are enemies of Captain America, other superheroes, and the United States in general....
, was exposed, Commander Lance Hunter introduced himself as the Director of S.T.R.I.K.E. to Nick Fury
Nick Fury
Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the...
. The agents of S.T.R.I.K.E. and S.H.I.E.L.D. worked together to track down Red Skull's Nazi activities. It was then revealed that Red Skull had kidnapped the British Prime Minister, James Callaghan
James Callaghan
Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC , was a British Labour politician, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980...
and had set a germ bomb
Biological warfare
Biological warfare is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war...
over London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to be detonated at midnight. Hunter, aided by Fury and the pairs respective superheroes; Captain Britain
Captain Britain
Captain Britain , briefly known as Britannic, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Chris Claremont and Herb Trimpe, he first appeared in Captain Britain Weekly, #1...
and Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
, stopped the bomb which had been placed on the minute hand
Clock face
A clock face is the part of an analog clock that displays the time through the use of a fixed numbered dial or dials and moving hands. In its most basic form, recognized universally throughout the world, the dial is numbered 1–12 indicating the hours in a 12-hour cycle, and a short hour hand...
of the Big Ben and thwarted the Red Skull's plans.
Hunter aided Captain Britain in the capture of villain Lord Hawk, and took the injured hero to S.T.R.I.K.E. headquarters to recover. However, while there Captain Britain's spirit was summoned away by Merlin
Merlin (Marvel Comics)
Merlin is the name of multiple fictional characters in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional character biography:The first Merlin of the Marvel Universe is apparently the figure of Arthurian legend, hailing from 6th century A.D. Britain. He was born in Carmarthen, Wales. He was a powerful sorcerer who...
where he did battle with a monstrous giant. Injuries suffered in this spirit realm transferred to the Captain's real body. Hunter ordered the doctors to keep working to save the stricken hero. When Hunter finally admitted defeat at the bed side of Captain Britain's lifeless body, the Captain returned to the real world and left the base.
Sometime after S.T.R.I.K.E. was dissolved, Hunter gained the rank of Commodore
Commodore (Royal Navy)
Commodore is a rank of the Royal Navy above Captain and below Rear Admiral. It has a NATO ranking code of OF-6. The rank is equivalent to Brigadier in the British Army and Royal Marines and to Air Commodore in the Royal Air Force.-Insignia:...
and was seen alongside Contessa Valentina Allegro de Fontaine
Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
La Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine is a fictional, comic book espionage agent in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer-artist Jim Steranko, she first appeared in the "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." feature in Strange Tales #159 .-Publication history:The Contessa appeared...
, and Alistaire Stuart
Alistaire Stuart
Alistaire Stuart is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. He is a scientist, an ally of the superhero team Excalibur and head of MI-13, an intelligence agency...
briefing British superhumans on the details of the British Superhuman Registration Act. Following the Skrull invasion of Earth
Secret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008....
, and the revelation that the then-Joint Intelligence Committee chair person was in fact a Skrull
Skrull
The 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....
impostor, Hunter was made the new JIC Chair.
Powers and abilities
He also has years of Naval training, with an expertise in munitions, as well as experience in espionage from working for British Intelligence.Earth-22110
Lance Hunter is Rifleman a Captain Britain CorpsCaptain Britain Corps
In Marvel Comics, the Captain Britain Corps is a league of super-heroes all known as, or appear as an alternative version of, Captain Britain. They are all essentially the same hero except they each come from an alternative reality.-Fictional team history:...
member who featured in Excalibur vol. 2 #1 (2001).