Most Recent Roster

• Challenger
• Cloud 9
• Equinox
• Think Tank

• Spinner

Origin

After the New Warriors took on villains that they were ill-equipped to handle, Standford, CT was destroyed in a nuclear-like explosion. To get the superheroes a semblance of checks and balances, Tony Star sponsored the Super-Hero Registration Act, which would require all superheroes to work for the government. Part of the act was the establishment of the 50-State Initiative, where each of the U.S. states would receive their own version of the Avengers, with heroes trained by former and active Avengers. Freedom Force was assigned to Montana.

Creation

Freedom Force debuted in Avengers: The Initiative #12 by Dan Slott, Christopher Gage, and Steve Uy

Major Story Arcs

Secret Invasion

One of the Initiative's biggest challenges was the secret invasion of Skrulls. Many of them took the form of superheroes so they were planted across all the teams. Freedom Force member, Equinox, was one. He was found out by 3-D Man, who has a special pair of goggles, the only gadget that can see the Skrulls' true nature.

Members of the team would join the largest assembly of Initiative cadets and veteran heroes in Central Park to fight the last wave of Skrull troops. After the victory, the replaced heroes, including Equinox, were found on a Skrull spaceship.

Dark Reign

In the aftermath of the Secret Invasion, Norman Osborn was put in charge of SHIELD and The Initiative. He would place criminals on a number of the teams, including Boomerang on the Heavy Hitters under the new name, Outback. When Prodigy, leader of the Heavy Hitter, announced they would secede from the Initiative over it, Osborn sent a number of teams after them, including Freedom Force. Equinox and Challenger were already former criminals that could be controlled, but Osborn misunderstood Cloud 9's abilities as a sniper. Ultimately, she refused to take any shots.

Fear Itself

Commander Steve Rogers informs Prodigy of the unknown meteors that have fallen from the heavens and mass panic is on the horizon. Rogers asks Prodigy to gather heroes on a volunteer basis to help keep the peace and lead a new Initiative where there is no forced conscription or registration. Prodigy agrees to become the leader of the new Initiative and most of the former Initiative teams gather in Washington DC, including Freedom Force.