V-Battalion
Encyclopedia
The V-Battalion is the name of two incarnations of a fictional secret organization composed of Golden Age
superhero
es and their descendents in stories from Marvel Comics
. The organization featured prominently in the original Thunderbolts
series and The New Invaders.
agency formed in World War II
to fight Nazis
. The lead agent of the organization was John Watkins. However, in his superhero alter-ego, Citizen V, he was strangled to death by Heinrich Zemo. In time Heinrich hunted down and murdered most if not all of the original organization. Citizen V's pregnant lover Paulette Brazee was kept in hiding to protect her and her unborn child. She would later give birth to a son named John (JJ) Watkins, Jr. and marry a soldier she met in Europe. In time both Paulette and JJ took up the mantle as Citizen V as well as JJ's son John Watkins III.
), Betty Barstow (Silver Scorpion
) and Helmut Grueler (Iron Cross
). The organization operated out of the Symkaria
and one of their primary missions was to hunt down Nazi war criminals.
The V Battalion remained a secret organization for many decades. When the Thunderbolts came onto the scene the V Battalion were interested in the fact that there was a new Citizen V claiming to be the previously unknown grandson of the original Citizen V. The V Battalion used a mole named Miles Warton (aka Miles Warbeck) that they had placed in the New York City mayor's office. The NYC mayor had appointed Dallas Riordan
to be the Thunderbolts liaison (the mayor wanted to be closely affiliated with the new superheroes after the supposed deaths of the Avengers
and Fantastic Four
). Miles's job was to monitor Dallas.
Eventually it was revealed that the Thunderbolts were actually the Masters of Evil
and that the new Citizen V was none other than Helmut Zemo, the son of Heinrich Zemo, the man who had murdered the original Citizen V and most of the original V Battalion. Shortly after this V Battalion leader Roger Aubrey offered Dallas the mantle of Citizen V. Dallas was offered the role because her paternal grandfather was one of the early members of the reconstituted V Battalion and he gave his life in service of the V Battalion. Dallas began hunting the Thunderbolts using the cover story that she was the granddaughter of the original Citizen V (she was not). After a few adventures (including being framed as the second Crimson Cowl and imprisoned) Dallas left the V Battalion after she was ordered to assassinate Henry Peter Gyrich
. The V Battalion tried to prevent Dallas from spilling their secrets to the Thunderbolts. Before Dallas could so she was teleported away by the Crimson Cowl but not before a skirmish between the V Battalion and the Thunderbolts ensued.
Dallas was left crippled and a captive in Latveria
after her fight with the Crimson Cowl. Soon afterwards the actual grandson of the original Citizen V awoke from a 5 year coma in England. John Watkins III then became Citizen V. John went on to lead the Redeemers
. Eventually it was discovered that Helmut Zemo, who was thought to be deceased after a battle with Scourge
, had his mind downloaded into Watkins body as a result of a prank played by the Thunderbolt member Techno.
Helmut then began serving in the V Battalion, his enemies unaware of his true identity. Eventually Helmut was removed from John's body and John chose to remain as Citizen V. The Battalion would then go on to opposed Marduk, the Collective Man
and Flag-Smasher
, after which they lost their ship/base the Vanguard
Eventually Roger Aubrey chose to leave the V Battalion after a battle with the evil god Marduk. He appointed Jim Hammond the original Human Torch as his successor.
Golden Age of Comic Books
The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or early 1950s...
superhero
Superhero
A 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 —...
es and their descendents in stories from 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...
. The organization featured prominently in the original Thunderbolts
Thunderbolts (comics)
The 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:...
series and The New Invaders.
Publication history
There have been two limited series prominently featuring the V-Battalion, Citizen V and the V-Battalion and Citizen V and the V-Battalion: The EverlastingGolden Age
The group was originally a BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
agency formed in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
to fight Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
. The lead agent of the organization was John Watkins. However, in his superhero alter-ego, Citizen V, he was strangled to death by Heinrich Zemo. In time Heinrich hunted down and murdered most if not all of the original organization. Citizen V's pregnant lover Paulette Brazee was kept in hiding to protect her and her unborn child. She would later give birth to a son named John (JJ) Watkins, Jr. and marry a soldier she met in Europe. In time both Paulette and JJ took up the mantle as Citizen V as well as JJ's son John Watkins III.
Modern Age
With the original organization destroyed, a group of golden age heroes choose to reconstitute the group, including Roger Aubrey (the DestroyerDestroyer (Roger Aubrey)
Destroyer is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe. He is the lover of previous "Destroyer", Brian Falsworth....
), Betty Barstow (Silver Scorpion
Silver Scorpion
Silver Scorpion is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe. She first appeared in Daring Mystery Comics #7 .-Fictional character biography:...
) and Helmut Grueler (Iron Cross
Iron Cross (Marvel Comics)
Iron Cross is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Invaders #36 and was created by Roy Thomas and Frank Robbins.-Fictional character biography:...
). The organization operated out of the Symkaria
Symkaria
Symkaria is a fictional Eastern European country created by Stan Lee for the Marvel Universe.-Nation Information:Location: The Balkans, near Transylvania and Latveria...
and one of their primary missions was to hunt down Nazi war criminals.
The V Battalion remained a secret organization for many decades. When the Thunderbolts came onto the scene the V Battalion were interested in the fact that there was a new Citizen V claiming to be the previously unknown grandson of the original Citizen V. The V Battalion used a mole named Miles Warton (aka Miles Warbeck) that they had placed in the New York City mayor's office. The NYC mayor had appointed Dallas Riordan
Dallas Riordan
Dallas Riordan is a character in the Marvel Comics universe.-Fictional character biography:Dallas Riordan's family had a long storied history of being police officers. Dallas was once an NYPD officer and a soldier before she went into politics and became the aide to the New York mayor...
to be the Thunderbolts liaison (the mayor wanted to be closely affiliated with the new superheroes after the supposed deaths of the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
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 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 Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
). Miles's job was to monitor Dallas.
Eventually it was revealed that the Thunderbolts were actually the Masters of Evil
Masters of Evil
The Masters of Evil is a name for a number of fictional supervillain teams that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first version of the team appeared in The Avengers #6 , with the lineup continually changing over the years....
and that the new Citizen V was none other than Helmut Zemo, the son of Heinrich Zemo, the man who had murdered the original Citizen V and most of the original V Battalion. Shortly after this V Battalion leader Roger Aubrey offered Dallas the mantle of Citizen V. Dallas was offered the role because her paternal grandfather was one of the early members of the reconstituted V Battalion and he gave his life in service of the V Battalion. Dallas began hunting the Thunderbolts using the cover story that she was the granddaughter of the original Citizen V (she was not). After a few adventures (including being framed as the second Crimson Cowl and imprisoned) Dallas left the V Battalion after she was ordered to assassinate Henry Peter Gyrich
Henry Peter Gyrich
Henry Peter Gyrich is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Avengers Vol. 1 #165 and was created by Jim Shooter and George Pérez.-Fictional character biography:...
. The V Battalion tried to prevent Dallas from spilling their secrets to the Thunderbolts. Before Dallas could so she was teleported away by the Crimson Cowl but not before a skirmish between the V Battalion and the Thunderbolts ensued.
Dallas was left crippled and a captive in Latveria
Latveria
Latveria is a nation in the . It is an isolated European country ruled by the supervillain Doctor Doom, supposedly located in the Banat region. It is surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains, and also borders the Symkaria to the south. Its capital is Doomstadt.-Publication history:Latveria first...
after her fight with the Crimson Cowl. Soon afterwards the actual grandson of the original Citizen V awoke from a 5 year coma in England. John Watkins III then became Citizen V. John went on to lead the Redeemers
Redeemers (comics)
The Redeemers were a team of supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe who, under government control, adopted the prior identities of several of the Thunderbolts in return for lighter sentences...
. Eventually it was discovered that Helmut Zemo, who was thought to be deceased after a battle with Scourge
Scourge of the Underworld
The Scourge of the Underworld is the name of a series of fictional characters that have appeared in various series set in the Marvel Comics universe....
, had his mind downloaded into Watkins body as a result of a prank played by the Thunderbolt member Techno.
Helmut then began serving in the V Battalion, his enemies unaware of his true identity. Eventually Helmut was removed from John's body and John chose to remain as Citizen V. The Battalion would then go on to opposed Marduk, the Collective Man
Collective Man
The Collective Man is a fictional character, a Chinese superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. The Collective Man is actually an identity shared by the Tao-Yu brothers, a set of quintuplets. They possess the mutant power to merge into one body, which variously possesses the collective abilities...
and Flag-Smasher
Flag-Smasher
The Flag-Smasher is the name used by two fictional supervillains appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. The original was most often a foe of Captain America while other adversaries of the Flag-Smasher include The Punisher, Moon Knight, Ghost Rider, The Runaways, and The Liberteens.-Fictional...
, after which they lost their ship/base the Vanguard
Eventually Roger Aubrey chose to leave the V Battalion after a battle with the evil god Marduk. He appointed Jim Hammond the original Human Torch as his successor.
V-Battalion
- Andreas Faulkner
- Tom Halloway (Angel)
- Fred Davis Jr. (Bucky)
- Paulette Brazee (Citizen V)
- Dallas Riordan (Citizen V)Dallas RiordanDallas Riordan is a character in the Marvel Comics universe.-Fictional character biography:Dallas Riordan's family had a long storied history of being police officers. Dallas was once an NYPD officer and a soldier before she went into politics and became the aide to the New York mayor...
- John Watkins Sr (Citizen V)
- John "J.J." Watkins Jr. (Citizen V)
- John Watkins III (Citizen V)
- Baron Helmut Zemo (Citizen V)
- Roger Aubrey (Destroyer)Destroyer (Roger Aubrey)Destroyer is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe. He is the lover of previous "Destroyer", Brian Falsworth....
- Eamon
- Guy Fontreax
- Gwenny Lou Sabuki (Golden Girl)
- Ameiko Sabuki (Goldfire) - Killed by the Collective ManCollective ManThe Collective Man is a fictional character, a Chinese superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. The Collective Man is actually an identity shared by the Tao-Yu brothers, a set of quintuplets. They possess the mutant power to merge into one body, which variously possesses the collective abilities...
- Jim Hammond (Human Torch) - Currently deactivated.
- David "Davy" Mitchell (Human Top)Human Top (David Mitchell)Human Top is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:The Human Top first appeared in Invaders #27-28 and was created by Roy Thomas and Frank Robbins....
- Helmut Grueler (Iron Cross)Iron Cross (Marvel Comics)Iron Cross is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Invaders #36 and was created by Roy Thomas and Frank Robbins.-Fictional character biography:...
- Irene Martinez
- Isadora Martinez
- Madeline Joyce Frank (Miss America)Miss America (Marvel Comics)Miss America is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. She first appeared in Marvel Mystery Comics #49 Miss America (Madeline Joyce Frank) is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. She first appeared in Marvel Mystery...
- Married to the Whizzer. Died in childbirth from radiation poisoning. Mother of Nuklo. - Robert Frank Jr (Nuklo)NukloNuklo is a fictional character, mutant in the Marvel Comics Universe.-Publication history:Nuklo first appeared in Giant-Size Avengers #1 , and was created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Dan Adkins....
- Son of Miss America and Whizzer. - Piers
- Rebel RalstonRebel RalstonRobert "Rebel" Ralston is a fictional character in Marvel Comics' shared universe, the Marvel Universe. His first appearance was in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos vol. 1 #1 .-Fictional character biography:...
- Hjiri "Sam" Sabuki
- Betty Barstow (Silver Scorpion)Silver ScorpionSilver Scorpion is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe. She first appeared in Daring Mystery Comics #7 .-Fictional character biography:...
- Jacqueline Falsworth-Crichton (Spitfire)Spitfire (comics)Spitfire is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe and was introduced as a member of the World War II era Invaders superhero team.-Fictional character biography:...
- Andrea Sterman
- Darren Mitchell (Topspin)Topspin (comics)Topspin is a fictional character, a mutant in Marvel Comics' shared universe, the Marvel Universe. His first appearance was in Thunderbolts #37.-Fictional character biography:...
- Brian Falsworth (Union Jack)
- Vradec
- Robert Frank (Whizzer)Whizzer (Robert Frank)The Whizzer is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared during the 1930s-1940s period that fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books.-Publication history:...
- Married to Miss AmericaMiss America (Marvel Comics)Miss America is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. She first appeared in Marvel Mystery Comics #49 Miss America (Madeline Joyce Frank) is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. She first appeared in Marvel Mystery...
. Killed. Father of Nuklo. - Guy Fontreax
- Mitchell
- One-Eyed Team - communications analysis department, handles espionage, encoding, decoding, preparation wetwork, paperwork, business administration, and legal work
- Ploughshares
- Steam Team - scientific research/analysis department
Penance Council
- Tom Halloway (Angel)
- Fred Davis (Bucky)
- Golden Sun
- Golden Woman
- Goldfire
- David Mitchell (Human Top)
- Iron Cross
- Irene Martinez
- Isadora Martinez
- Roger Aubrey (Destroyer)
- Miss America
- Nuklo
- Elizabeth Barstow (Silver Scorpion)
- Topspin
- Twister
- Brian Falsworth (Union Jack)
- Whizzer
Details
- The V Battalion activities are governed by the Penance Council. The Penance council is composed of several golden age heroes and their descendants.
- The V Battalion used a powerful stealth ship called the Vanguard. The Vanguard uses technology reverse engineered from several alien civilizations.
- The V Battalion's primary base was Castle Masada in Sykaria.
- The V Battalion comprises several hundred non-powered agents who are not former superheroes.
Appearances
- Comedy Comics Vol. 1 #3
- Thunderbolts #40-75
- Captain America/Citizen V 1998 annual
- Citizen V and the V-Battalion #1-3
- Citizen V and the V-Battalion: The Everlasting #1-4