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the Invaders / All-Winners Squad
They were the single greatest collection of heroes in their time, bar none. Sure, there was the Liberty Legion, the Kid Commandoes, and of course, the Crusaders, but no single group of costumed heroes are as well-remembered as the mighty Invaders. During the course of World War 2, the ranks of the Invaders swelled to include the following heroes:
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Bucky: Captain America's trusty partner, James 'Bucky' Barnes is something of a con man and swindler, and doesn't seem to have a problem getting his hands dirty to get what he wants - and what he wants is to protect the world from the Nazi scourge! Bucky comes in Classic and Saga styles! |
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Miss America: not the beauty contest, no, this is Madeline Joyce, a young girl who, after being zapped with enough current to 'kill a thousand men', developed staggering super human powers! Though most have faded over time, she's used all her abilities to fight for truth, justice, and the American Way! Miss America comes in Classic and Saga styles! |
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Toro: his parents being exposed to both asbestos and radium as youths, Thomas Raymond wound up being born a mutant. As a teenager, he developed powers quite similar to the Human Torch, and the duo founded a crime-fighting partnership that lasted for years after their inevitable run-in. Toro comes in Classic and Saga styles! |
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The Whizzer: Robert Frank was bitten by a deadly cobra on a jungle expedition, and would have died if not for his father. Knowing that the mongoose was a deadly enemy of the cobra, he injected mongoose blood into his son, which (instead of kiling him faster) caused him to be reborn as... the Whizzer! Comes in Classic and Saga styles! |
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Captain America: the one and only Sentinel of Liberty, Captain America's career as a hero began when weakling Steve Rogers was drummed out of an Army recruitment office for being too weak to fight. Starting a fight over this, Steve attracted the attention of a military man who was conducting an experiment, an experiment to create a batch of Super Soldiers. Once he's passed all of the necessary tests, Steve was given the Super Soldier serum along with special Vita-ray treatments, and was reborn... as Captain America! Comes in Classic and Saga styles! |
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the Human Torch: the greatest creation of inventor Phineas T. Horton, the Human Torch is an android whose only flaw was that he constantly emitted searing flames. Eventually mastering his fiery powers, the Torch (who eventually adopted the human name Jim Hammond) became one of the greatest heroes of his time, joining with Captain America and Namor the Sub-Mariner to form the mighty Invaders! Either with his side-kick Toro or besides these heroes, the Torch constantly battled injustice and evil! Comes in Classic and Saga styles! |
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Namor, the Sub-Mariner: born from the union of the Atlantean Princess Fen and the American sea Captain McKenzie, Namor was raised from childhood to hate humans and what they represent, and his first actions revolving around humanity involved his trying to crush it utterly. However, realizing that the true evil of mankind came in the form of fascism, and not just mere human existence, Namor came around and joined the Invaders in their fight against Nazi evil... and how! Comes in Classic and Saga styles! |
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Spitfire: after she was viciously attacked by her vampiric uncle, Baron Blood, and then given an infusion of the Human Torch's artificial blood, Lady Jacqueline developed powers of super human speed. Adopting the code-name Spitfire, this perky British aristrocrat lended her considerable abilities to the Allied war effort, joining the Invaders in their battles against super-powered Nazi evil. She continued the Good Fight until the end of the war, when she retired her spandex suit, though she recently began fighting crime again in the modern age... Comes in Classic and Saga styles! |
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Union Jack 2: a wealthy British socialite, Brian Falsworth was captured in Germany just before the War broke out. While there, a German scientist who'd developed a variant of the Super Soldier Serum made him drink the formula, lest the Nazis find it and put it to evil use. Doing so, Brian's body underwent a change similar to Captain America's, and he became Union Jack as soon as he escaped. Veritable symbol of his nation during the War, Brian was a natural for membership in the Invaders! Comes in Classic and Saga styles! |
Now, this collection of heroes worked together, either all together or in smaller groups, doing what they could to help battle the Axis powers throughout the War. Once this conflict ended, however, the Invaders changed their focus somewhat, since their primary foes, the Nazis, were now gone. In fact, several members of the team retired from active crime-fighting at this point.
Namely, Spitfire and Union Jack quit the Invaders around this time, occasionally doing heroic deeds in their native England, but mostly retiring from the war against evil. Furthermore, Captain America and Bucky were thought to be killed as the War wound down. However, this collection of heroes felt that they were still needed in the world, and transformed into the All-Winners Squad!
The group was significantly smaller than it used to be, though, so several replacements for the team's lost members were adopted. The Blonde Phantom, a spunky heroine, joined alongside a new Captain America and Bucky, making the team once again complete. Still later, a third Captain America joined the All-Winners, after the second was slain by Adam 2. These All-Winners are presented here:
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the Blonde Phantom: while publicly a secretary for the Mark Mason Detective Agency, Louise Grant was secretly the Blonde Phantom, heroine extraordinare! When Mark stumbled upon any threats of a really serious nature, Louise'd step in as the Phantom and set things straight, one way or the other. the Blonde Phantom comes in Classic and Saga styles! |
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Bucky 2: after the tragic loss of both the original Captain America and Bucky over the Arctic Circle, the U.S. Government replaced them as soon as possible (for the purposes of public morale). As such, they chose a friend of the first Bucky to fill his role, one with the same build and general appearance: Fred Davis! Bucky 2 comes in Classic and Saga styles! |
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Captain America 2 / Spirit of '76: patriotic hero William Nasland fought the Nazi scourge abroad, despite his lack of super human powers. When the original Captain America was lost, it was felt he'd make a good replacement for the man, and William was honored to don his costume. Captain America 2 comes in Classic and Saga styles! |
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Captain America 3 / Patriot: mild mannered journalist and ex-military man Jeffrey Mace, inspired by his hero Captain America, became a costumed adventurer himself. Of course, he wound up donning the mantle of his hero in time, after the second man to bear it was killed in battle. Captain America 3 comes in Classic and Saga styles! |
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As the All-Winners Squad, these heroes battled all manner of weird criminals and dealt with all kinds of oddball situations and such, until the Vintage Age was over. This occurred in the late forties, at which time the Squad went its separate ways. However, this doesn't mean these heroes can't be used in a Vintage Age tale in your campaign - or even travel into the present for a short time!
Return to the Vintage Age Handbook main page!
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