History
The Crusaders first appeared in wartime London and routed the crew of a crashed German bomber, convincing the British that they finally have a superteam to rival the Invaders. An eccentric cab driver named Alfie seems to be their boss. It is later revealed that he gave most of them the devices that grant them their powers and can turn their powers off with a switch on his belt.
But Dyna-Mite, who has no memory of where he came from, becomes suspicious. He spies on Alfie and discovers that he is a tool of the Nazis and is using them in a plot to assassinate the king. Alfie, meanwhile, has convinced the Crusaders that the Invaders (Captain America, Bucky, Human Torch, Toro, Namor) have traitorous inclinations. [citation needed]
So when Dyna-Mite finally warns the Invaders, and they rush to the scene to stop the king's murder, the Crusaders naturally assume they are under attack and a slugfest ensues. Tommy shocks Cap, Cap slugs the Spirit of 76, Thunderfist punches Namor, etc. [citation needed]
Eventually, the truth (and a bomb in the champagne bottle) is revealed. Alfie flees but is killed when the Torch's fireball causes his taxi to go off a bridge. Most of the Crusaders give up their heroic careers, now that their powers are gone. Two of the Crusaders however remained active: Spirit of 76 took over as the new Captain America when Steve Rogers got frozen. But after the war, Nasland was killed in a fight with some robots of the evil android called Adam 1.
Dyna-Mite turned out to be a friend of Brian Falsworth, the Mighty Destroyer, and later Union Jack. Aubrey was restored to his normal size and succeeded Falsworth as the Mighty Destroyer.[citation needed]
Members[]
The Spirit of '76: The team's field leader, William Nasland was an American dressed like a revolutionary war figure and equipped himself with a bullet-proof cloak.
Dyna-Mite: Roger Aubrey, a six-inch tall man with the strength of a normal sized person.
Captain Wings: Roger Dicken was an Upper-class gent who couldn't get into the RAF because of a heart murmur. He was able to fly and had a pair of golden wings on his back.
Ghost Girl: Wendy Hunt, a Scottish girl who had a mechanism in her gloves that could cast her image several feet away. This could create illusory doubles of herself that were very lifelike in appearance.
Tommy Lightning: Thomas Lovejoy, a Cockney who had the ability to absorb electricity and cast powerful lightning bolts.
Thunderfist: Patrick Mason was very strong and had the ability to throw explosive punches.Notes
- The Crusaders is the name used by two teams of superheroes, one group appearing in DC Comics and the other in Marvel Comics, at around the same time as part of an informal crossover. The DC Comics team was created by Bob Rozakis and Dick Ayers in the pages of Freedom Fighters #7 (March 1977), and was composed of homages to the members of the Invaders. The Marvel Comics version of the Crusaders first appeared in Invaders #14, written by Roy Thomas and drawn by Frank Robbins, and likewise had members based on the Freedom Fighters:
- The Spirit of '76 -- Uncle Sam
- Captain Wings -- Black Condor
- Dyna-Mite -- Doll-Man
- Ghost Girl -- Phantom Lady
- Thunderfist -- The Human Bomb
- Tommy Lightning -- The Ray
See Also
- 3 appearance(s) of Crusaders (Earth-616)
- 3 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Crusaders (Earth-616)
- 2 mention(s) of Crusaders (Earth-616)
- 1 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Crusaders (Earth-616)
- 1 image(s) of Crusaders (Earth-616)
- 6 member(s) of Crusaders (Earth-616)
Links and References
- Comic Coverage Article, Part 1
- Comic Coverage Article, Part 2
- Crusaders at Wikipedia
- Crusaders at the DC Database Wikia