Counter Force (Marvel Comics)

New Warriors (second team)
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Avengers: The Initiative #12
In-story information
Member(s)	Debrii Gauntlet Justice Komodo Night Thrasher II Rage Scarlet Spider Slapstick Tigra Ultra Girl

This second team of New Warriors is a superhero team in the Marvel Comics continuity composed mostly of former members of the original team of New Warriors.

Fictional history

The purpose of the team is to monitor The Initiative to ensure they stay true to their goal of training new and undeveloped superhumans.

In Avengers: The Initiative #12 after the defeat of KIA, the surviving Scarlet Spiders, along with the MVP clone and the real MVP's father, join with Justice and some former New Warriors that are Initiative trainees as a Counter Force of underground registered heroes.

Secret Invasion

Counter Force appears in New Warriors Secret Invasion tie-in story "Secrets and Skrulls" where they would team up with the current team of New Warriors, on a mission to recover the bodies of the original Night Thrasher, Microbe and Namorita.

Dark Reign

Main article: Dark Reign (comics)

When a cyborg clone of Thor (created during the Civil War in the true Thor's absence) goes on a rampage at Camp Hammond, Counter Force resurfaces to assist in stopping the clone; among the team is a person costumed as Night Thrasher,^[1] later revealed to be Donyell Taylor, the founder of the fourth incarnation of the New Warriors.^[2] In battle the group refer to themselves as "the New Warriors". They help to drive off the clone, but at the cost of one of the Scarlet Spiders. This drives Justice to retrieve MVP's body from under the Initiative, so that he may have a proper burial.^[3]

The team then absorbs Tigra and Gauntlet, who were on the run from Norman Osborn. Tigra suggests the team's name change to the Avengers Resistance, as a symbolic attempt to "take back" the name being corrupted by Osborn's "Dark Avengers". Together, they vow to take down Osborn.^[2]

After Osborn installs known criminals (supposedly reformed, but in reality working for Osborn through a deal with criminal mastermind The Hood) as Initiative-sponsored teams, the team sends a small squad to battle North Carolina's new "protectors" the U-Foes as a distraction while Night Thrasher hacks into a bank in Charlotte to check for illegal activities and establish remote access for future surveillance. Later, as a warning message to Osborn and his new Initiative, Tigra attacks Percy Grimes, one of the Brothers Grimm, while Grimes is on a weekend pass from Initiative training at Camp H.A.M.M.E.R.^[4]

While looking for Donyell Taylor, Tigra encounters a wheelchair-using Melati Kusuma who tells Tigra that she knows the layout of Camp H.A.M.M.E.R. and requests to join up with the Avengers Resistance to rescue Donyell.^[5]

Tigra and Patrick the Scarlet Spider infiltrate Camp HAMMER to rescue Donyell while the others fight Nightmare. After Nightmare is driven out of Trauma, Justice attempts to get Trauma and Penance to join up with them. Trauma and Penance decline Justice's offer and attempt to face the Hood in battle only for him to dismiss the two from the Initiative. It is later revealed that Diamondback is a double agent for the Avengers Resistance.^[6]

While Counter Force moves to a new hideout, Donyell stays behind now that Norman Osborn knows who he is.^[7]

Siege

Counter Force hears about the incident at Soldier Field involving Volstagg and the U-Foes. Justice deduces that Norman Osborn orchestrated this. While Counter Force contacts the Mighty Avengers and the New Avengers, Donyell is advised to send E-Mails containing evidence of the U-Foes' payoffs where Donyell objected stating that Norman Osborn would make up some excuse to cover it. Justice concludes that they will have to attack Camp H.A.M.M.E.R. to expose Norman Osborn for what he is.^[8]

When visiting his brother's grave, Donyell is conflicted if he should go with the deal Norman Osborn and the Hood gave him. Counter Force takes the fight to Camp H.A.M.M.E.R. and ends up fighting the Hood's gang. They are knocked down by Hood's new Asgardian weaponry. When Donyell arrives, Hood demands that Donyell kill Tigra if he wants his brother revived.^[9]

Instead, Donyell attacks the Hood and is joined by Tigra as Hood uses the Norn Stones to empower some of the cadets on his side. Robbie Baldwin evades the guards and manages to get Batwing, Bengal, and Butterball to help the Avengers Resistance as he also reveals his identity. Hood receives a call from Norman Osborn requesting his assistance in Asgard. So Hood leaves in a portal while the other villains continue fighting. As Hood arrives in Asgard, Taskmaster deals with Captain America and is taken down. Constrictor saves Diamondback from an Asgardian soldier damaging his bionic arm. Diamondback then aids Captain America.^[10]

References

1. ^ Avengers: The Initiative #21
2. ^ ^{a b} Avengers: The Initiative #25
3. ^ Avengers: The Initiative #22
4. ^ Avengers: The Initiative #26
5. ^ Avengers: The Initiative #29
6. ^ Avengers: The Initiative #30
7. ^ Avengers: The Initiative #31
8. ^ Avengers: The Initiative #32
9. ^ Avengers: The Initiative #33
10. ^ Avengers: The Initiative #34