Project Spitfire

Project Spitfire is a fictional comic-book intelligence agency appearing in the newuniversal comics published by Marvel Comics. Created by Warren Ellis and Salvador Larroca in "newuniversal" #1, it is tasked with monitoring and, if necessary, killing superhumans.

Publication history

Fictional history

On April 26 1953, at 9:00 EST, an unknown astronomical incident - later referred to as The Fireworks - illuminated the night sky. This event was localised to North America and destroyed American computers, leaving the NSA (which had been in existence for less than six months) with "the world's most expensive collection of burnt-out valves".

Although the cause of the event was unclear, one possibility was that it was a Soviet weapon, and so the NSA's mandate was expanded to include any and all intelligence connected to the Fireworks. When this intelligence indicated that the Fireworks also had a less obvious effect, transforming three people into superhumans, Project Spitfire was founded to observe them.

In 1956, two of the superhumans - Lester Robbins and Veronica Kelly - met for the first time. Over the next year, Project Spitfire monitored them as they repeatedly clashed, causing large amounts of damage to their surroundings. By June 1957, the two superhumans had ceased fighting and had entered into a relationship. Project Spitfire continued to monitor them.

On March 31 1959, the project became aware that Veronica Kelly had given birth to a child. On the same day, they were also notified that the third superhuman, Tony Stark, had built an exoskeleton from 'spare parts' and escaped from North Vietnam, destroying a number of Vietnamese tanks on his way out of the country.

Spitfire agent Philip Voight successfully persuaded his superiors that these events were not coincidental, that the conflict between Robbins and Kelly was some sort of mating ritual, and that Stark's return to America might lead to further battles if the two men were to clash over Kelly's affections. The consequence was a decision to kill all three superhumans.

Stark was taken to San Diego's naval base for debriefing, then shot dead by Voight. A Spitfire agent seduced Robbins, damaging his relationship with Kelly and causing him to flee. Kelly was then poisoned by Spitfire agents, although she then detected their presence and killed several of them before her death. A week later Robbins returned to Kelly's house, lured by a fake letter, and was killed by a bomb.

Kelly's child was initially taken into the custody of Project Spitfire, but Voight then killed him after persuading his superiors that the boy was too dangerous to live. Stark's exoskeleton was also seized by Project Spitfire, which then started work on reverse-engineering the technology that Stark had used to construct itComic book reference | Writer = Kieron Gillen | Artist = Greg Scott, Kody Chamberlain | Title = newuniversal: 1959 | Issue = 1 | Date = September 2008| Publisher = Marvel Comics | ] .

Organization structure and procedure

The presiding officer of Project Spitfire reports to the Director of the National Security Agency.

Project Spitfire's mandate does not normally allow action until three living superhumans are detected:
* When the existence of a live superhuman is detected, Project Spitfire begins surveillance and makes defensive preparations.
* If two live superhumans are detected, the project will put troubleshooters into the field.
* If three or more live superhumans are detected, the project will kill them.

The Spitfire protocols were designed on the assumption that superhumans are an evolutionary step and will be driven by a Darwinian imperative, competing with humanity. If superhumans "band together for protection and then reproduce", Project Spitfire believes that the entire human race could be threatened.

Prominent members

* Philip Voight
* "'Doctor Jennifer Swann
*Luke Randolph
*Doctor Joe Swann

Notes