Avengers: The Initiative

Avengers: The Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative #1 solicited cover
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
Schedule	Monthly
Publication date	April 2007 - present
Creative team
Written by	Dan Slott
Artist(s)	Stefano Caselli

Avengers: The Initiative is a comic book series from Marvel Comics. Written by Dan Slott with artwork by Stefano Caselli, the series deals with the aftermath of Marvel's Civil War crossover. (It should not be confused with "The Initiative", a banner running across Marvel books from February 2007 to May 2007, similar to Marvel's earlier Decimation banner after the House of M event, or the Civil War: The Initiative special by Brian Michael Bendis). A preview of the title was shown in Civil War: The Initiative

Publication history

The first issue of Avengers: The Initiative was released on 4 April 2007. The tagline initially used in solicitations was "Marvel's Army of Super Heroes just became a Super Hero Army".

The series was originally solicited as a six issue limited series, but prior to the publication of the first issue, Marvel announced that this had changed and that Avengers: The Initiative would instead be an ongoing series, becoming the third regularly published 'Avengers' title from 2007 onwards, after the New Avengers and the Mighty Avengers.

Start of The Initiative

In the aftermath of the Civil War, the pro-registration side stands victorious and has launched the 50 States Initiative which calls for one S.H.I.E.L.D. sponsored super team for each state. The series will focus on the training facility located at Camp Hammond, in Stamford, Connecticut. In addition the series will explore the people on those line ups and the unique situations that come with these new locations. Each issue will reveal more about the teams from each state. It will also show these teams adapting and growing through different situations, and is confirmed to play a major part in World War Hulk, resisting the Hulk's return.

The first issue deals with a group of young heroes that have been sent to 'Hero Boot Camp' in Stamford, Connecticut, the site of the explosion that launched the whole civil war. The issue largely follows the young heroes M.V.P., Cloud 9, Armory, and Trauma, as well as their drill-sergeant, Gauntlet. MVP is established as one of the most capable young heroes there, and begins to express some feelings for the shy and self-conscious Cloud 9. During a training exercise, however, Trauma's powers accidentally cause Armory to lose control of her powers, and MVP is apparently killed pushing Cloud 9 out of the way. In response, they get rid of Armory's powers, and kick her out of the camp. Henry Peter Gyrich, who is overseeing the entire project, informs everyone present that the mishap 'never happened.'

In the next issue, while the recruits struggle to deal with the aftermath of MVP's death and Armory's wash out, Justice continues to be unhappy with Gauntlet's constant use of "New Warriors" as an insulting term. He also begins to become unhappy about not being in the loop on the recent incident and angrily demands to be let in, so he can better help the young heroes cope with their training. As the kids finish the obstacle course, Trauma again loses control of his transformation, first feeding off of Cloud 9's guilt at being responsible for the death, and then transforming into an image of a beaten and bloody Janet Van Dyne when Yellowjacket attempts to intervene. As Justice and Gauntlet clean up the situation, Dr. Pym is called to the lab where Baron Von Blitzschlag informs him and Gyrich of MVP's anatomy; instead of being enhanced by the Super Soldier Serum as everyone believed, he is actually an "Übermensch", the ultimate human specimen. As Blitzschlag and Gyrich laud the benefits of such a test subject, Pym again has a crisis of conscience, only enhanced when the German scientist recounts his past "villainous" acts and remarks "I am your greatest fan."

When a crisis over Texas, where the President is visiting, involving the HYDRA Terrorcarrier requires that the recruits join the fray, Cloud 9, Komodo, Hardball, Gauntlet, War Machine, Justice and Yellowjacket all arrive on the scene (with Hardball, Gauntlet and Komodo donning jet packs and Cloud 9 being revealed as the best marksman of the bunch when she receives a pulse rifle). As the attack escalates, Yellowjacket deploys the secret weapon he developed to infiltrate the carrier's shields, a small metal capsule which he hides inside of. When he breaches the shields, he grows to enormous size and forcibly redirects the carrier to crash, purposely riding it out. He does so to ensure that from now on, he won't be remembered as the hero who beat his wife or created Ultron, but as the hero who saved the President from HYDRA.

At the awards ceremony where he and the rest of the Initiative recruits are being honored for a job well done, the three children who were present can't contain their glee. Meanwhile, Trauma, who had wanted the program to strip him of his powers and become normal again, is instead escorted by Gyrich to a room holding Beast and an unseen mutant who is a "specialist" who can help Trauma learn to control his powers. The "specialist" in question is the former mutant, Danielle Moonstar, who possessed similar powers to Trauma.

Issue three touches on the aftermath of the Terrorcarrier incident, with Hardball speaking to Komodo about Justice apparently having learned of MVP's fate. While he talks, he turns to see not Komodo but a strange girl sleeping next to him. She awakens and promptly transforms into Komodo, prompting her to become angry with him for seeing her in the form she doesn't prefer. Meanwhile Trauma and Danielle Moonstar discuss what training he will receive. As he gets angry at the prospect of having to use his powers rather than just turn them off for good, he lashes out and frightens Beast, only for Danielle to conquer her own fears and subdue him, showing him the advantages of mastering his power instead of running away. We then see a montage of the recruits continue their training, with most of them failing to live up to their recent success.

Komodo, however, has garnered the attention of the Initiative higher-ups, and after the group has a sparring session with The Thing--which ends with them defeated despite him "taking it easy on them"--she is called aside to receive a special assignment. As Cloud 9 goes off for a counseling session with Justice, Hardball is left alone with a free night, which he decides to use by putting on a makeshift costume and heading into town to reap the benefits of his perceived fame. Though the locals give him a decidedly cold reception, a mysterious individual takes him aside and asks for information on S.P.I.N. Tech which Komodo is currently being briefed on. As the most promising of the new recruits, she is being given an official assignment to take down Spider-Man.

S.P.I.N. Tech, as it turns out, is a new type of nanotechnology that, when fired in projectile form, can cause a superhuman to lose access to his or her superpowers instantly. Each S.P.I.N. Tech dart is designed to work only on a specific superhuman's DNA (in this case, Spider-Man's). When one of the Scarlet Spiders spots Spider-Man fighting Hydro-Man, The Shocker, and Boomerang, War Machine and Komodo head to the scene of the battle. Though Peter has everything well in hand, Komodo and War Machine arrive and cause the Sinister Syndicate to flee, and Spider-Man is left to battle the duo. He quickly incapacitates War Machine with a blast of webbing that shuts down his armor--but not before War Machine mysteriously states that even though Peter will be stripped of his powers, the world will not be left without a Spider-Man. While Komodo fares much better, Spidey's wit and a threat that her failure will result in HER losing her powers causes a slip-up, which he uses to defeat her and slip away easily.

However, a mysterious third party, which War Machine calls "Red Team" and which has been cloaked during the fight, is revealed to be a group of people in duplicate versions of Tony Stark's Spider-Man armor. They had followed the Sinister Syndicate and succeed in apprehending them. They are referred to as Scarlet Spiders. The story ends with Komodo's desperate plea not to be stripped of her powers, as she dislikes being normal and considers her other self to be a nobody.

World War Hulk

The crossover World War Hulk finds Hardball involved in a covert operation to steal a piece of the S.P.I.N. technology. Unaware of what the item does or is intended for, Hardball retrieves the item in exchange for a sizeable amount of funds being transferred to his family. Justice takes Cloud 9 to the Van Patrick home as part of her therapy to visit with MVP's family. Upon reaching the home, Cloud 9 discovers a figure appearing to be the deceased MVP answering the door; though Justice and Cloud 9 are dispatched to where the Hulk's battleship appeared before inquiry can be given. With the missing cartridge of S.P.I.N. technology going undiscovered by Tony Stark; Stark's attempt to remove Hulk's powers during their conflict fail and Hardball is directly responsible for the early failure by Iron Man to contain the Hulk and prevent massive amounts of damage and casualties. Initiative members are assigned to protect the crowd and refrain from engaging the Hulk, though after Iron Man's failure; Rage instructs the team to disregard orders and engage Hulk and his Warbound, while Henry Peter Gyrich orders his secret team containing Bengal, Trauma, Constrictor, an unknown female Initiative recruit called Mutant Zero and the Scarlet Spiders to the conflict to save the Initiative trainees.

Continuing the crossover with World War Hulk, Gyrich, in a flashback, tires to gain Trauma into his team, think he could be a powerful member. While Trauma's trainer, the former mutant known as Moonstar, objects to Gyrich claims.

Sooner though the Shadow Initiative sneaks on into Madison Square Garden, where the Hulk has built an area to deliver captured heroes for their punishment. It is there where they are confronted by some of the Hulk's Deathhead guards, which Mutant Zero defeats them all. It was reveal then that Mutant Zero can only be used once a mission because she needs to recharge her powers.

Elsewhere across Manhattan, Hank Pym, along with Justice and O.N.E Sentials, who left the X-men in the first issue of World War Hulk: X-men, were setting up the devices that is a part of Iron Man's plan to fully send all of Manhattan and those who live in it into the Negative Zone. It was there where they encounter the New Warriors sign, and it was describe as a sign for rebellion.

Back in the Arena, the Shadow Initiative found the lost trainees and were able to get their control disk off of them. However they are soon confronted by two of the Hulk's Warbound compainions, Elloe and Korg. Trauma then transforms himself into Thor, this was due to Korg's fear of the Thunder god. While Cloud 9 nearly kills Elloe by filling her lungs with smoke, however she is stopped by Trauma who sees this.

Soon the team is confronted by the Hulk, himself, in which he defeats almost all of the Shadow team member. Trauma tries to defeat the Hulk in various forms of the Hulk's enemies, but when the Hulk wouldn't flinch at the sight of his old foes this left Trauma as a weak human. Trauma is then thrown off to the side, but lives because the Hulk wanted him to live to spread the message that he isn't afraid of anything.

Later on in the hospital where Tramua is recovering, he makes amends to his former team mates, especially Hardball and Cloud 9. While Danielle Moonstar shows Gyrich of Trauma's failure. In that move Gyrich then demotes Trauma from an Omega threat, which Gyrich first saw him as, to a Class 50.

Shadow Initiative

It has recently been revealed that there is a special "black ops" team within the Initiative, answerable only to Gyrich and known as the Shadow Initiative. This team consists of Bengal, Trauma, Constrictor, an unknown female Initiative recruit called Mutant Zero and the Scarlet Spiders.

The Initiative program denies all knowledge of a special Black Ops Team. There is no pardon on file for the super-villain known as the Constrictor. No record of any dealings with the Vietnamese national codenamed Bengal. Tony Stark cannot recall what became of his designs for the Iron Spider armor. And, the Superhuman Armed Forces wishes to dispell all rumors of a 199th mutant.

This Shadow Initiative was sent out by Henri Gyrich to free the Initiative members catured by the Hulk's Warbound; Rage, Cloud 9, Ultra Girl, Thorgirl, Slapstick and Hardball. On this assignment Bengal showed to be a perfect field leader of this Shadow Initiative.

The black ops group successfully rescues these captured trainees, while Trauma, their "secret weapon" tries to use his powers to scare the Hulk (becoming, in turn, the Abomination, Juggernaut, Brian Banner, and Bruce Banner) he fails to beat the Hulk, the Hulk beats him into unconsciousness, leaving Terrance alive to pass the message on to the others. Trauma is later seen recuperating in the Initiative's medical bay.

Details

• Trainees are taken through combat, power control, and superhuman ethics.
• This whole operation is treated like boot camp.
• They are all issued uniforms consisting of palm gloves, traction boots, military fatigue cargos, a T-shirt with a superhuman logo on it, and if the recipent has a secret identity and does not have another coverup method, a bandito mask. If the trainee already has a costume, this does not apply.

See also

• Omega Flight

External links

• The full list of Avengers: The Initiative
• Avengers: The Initiative #1 at Marvel.com
• Avengers: The Initiative #2 at Marvel.com
• Avengers: The Initiative #3 at Marvel.com