- The Watchdogs
Infobox comics organization
imagesize=
caption=John Walker battles the Watchdogs in their first appearance.
publisher=Marvel Comics
debut=Captain America #335 (Nov 1987)
creators=Mark Gruenwald
Tom Morgan
type=Terrorist
business=
organisation=
organization=y
base=
owners=
employees=
fullroster=
cat=terrorist organizations
subcat=Marvel Comics
sortkey=Watchdogs|The Watchdogs were a
fiction al right-wing terrorist group in theMarvel Universe . They were almost exclusively enemies ofCaptain America , and first appeared in "Captain America" vol. 1, #335.Philosophy, goals, and activities
The Watchdogs claimed to be an organization dedicated to restoring and preserving traditional American culture and values, and fighting against indecency, immorality, and sexual perversion. The Watchdogs believed in strict enforcement of
family values , and were violently opposed topornography ,sex education ,abortion , and the teaching of evolutionary theory. Their terrorist activities, which includedvandalism ,arson ,assault ,kidnapping ,brainwashing , andmurder , were targeted primarily at people who produced material which the Watchdogs considered pornography, including nude art and sexually explicit music.The Watchdogs imprisoned their kidnapping victims at a large compound in Vermont, where they forced them to wear "dog collars" which the Watchdogs could use to administer a painful
electric shock as punishment for undesirable behavior. The prisoners were forced to participate in group activities such as sing-alongs, and exposed to constant televisedAmericana imagery such as baseball games, American flags, fields of flowers, and happy children.Organization
The Watchdogs were headed by a leader referred to as Watchdog Prime (real name unknown). Individual cells of Watchdogs, called "dogpounds," were organized by city and led by "pack leaders." Unbeknownst to nearly all of its membership, the Watchdogs were funded by the
Red Skull . Watchdog Prime held the position of one of the Red Skull's "division chiefs," and the Red Skull saw in them an opportunity to harm America by creating chaos. Whether Watchdog Prime was deceived by the Skull or was secretly working against that which he claimed to uphold is unknown.The Watchdogs wore identical costumes resembling riot gear, consisting of tight-fighting purple shirts and pants with gold-colored gloves, boots, armored vests, and helmets with built-in visors. They were trained in the use of firearms, and usually armed themselves with simple handguns, shotguns, and rifles. The Red Skull denied Watchdog Prime's request for funding to purchase exotic weaponry, because use of such weapons would undermine the group's image as a
grassroots organization.As enemies of Captain America
The Watchdogs were introduced as the first group fought by John Walker and Lemar Hoskins after officially becoming the new Captain America and Bucky. Although Walker was initially conflicted in his opposition to the Watchdogs because he shared their political views, he became a bitter enemy of the organization when they kidnapped and murdered his parents.
When Steve Rogers was reinstated as Captain America, he continued to oppose the Watchdogs, especially once they kidnapped his then-girlfriend
Bernie Rosenthal . Although he and Walker, nowU.S. Agent , arrested all the Watchdogs at the Vermont compound, the organization was apparently still active by "Captain America" vol. 1, #394, when Watchdog Prime joined his fellow division chiefs in a meeting with the Red Skull. At the time, they were expanding their operations and membership westward across the United States. Their current status is unknown.External links
* [http://www.geocities.com/marvel_terror/watchdogs/watchdogs.html The Watchdogs at Bring on the Bad Guys]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
