Freedom Phalanx

Overview

The Freedom Phalanx is a signature hero group led by Statesman.

History

The Freedom Phalanx was founded on July 4, 1932. The founding members included (in order of their appearances in Paragon City) Statesman, the Dark Watcher, Elementar, the team known as Vambrace and Maiden Justice. The name was suggested by St. John Smith (the tech and wheel-chair bound meber of the two man team Vambrace) and was quickly ratified by the others.

The group faced it first official combat on the date of Monday, July 11, 1932. This date is otherwise known as "Brass Monday".

Description

In the 1930s, the Statesman became one of the first established heroes in Paragon City. Inspired by his example, other heroes soon emerged as well, including the Dark Watcher, the Dream Doctor, and Maiden Justice. Although each individual hero made some headway against Paragon City's criminal element, they also faced increasingly more dangerous and organized villains. The Statesman soon recognized the need to rally the other heroes into a coordinated fighting force.

In the spring of 1931, the Statesman gathered Paragon City's other heroes in his downtown apartment. "There he issued his fellow heroes a challenge: to make a difference, not only on the streets and in the city, but also around the world. Thus was formed the first worldwide hero organization; dedicated to fighting evil, injustice and tyranny wherever they might hide.

The Statesman, inspired by the shoulder-to-shoulder discipline showed by ancient Greek soldiers in the face of Persian tyranny, called his new team of heroes the Freedom Phalanx. Throughout the 1930's the Phalanx fought the good fight and cleaned up Paragon City. The city council and mayoral elections of 1936 swept a platform of pro-hero candidates that resulted in the passage of the Citizen Crime Fighting Act of 1937. This law made it legal for vigilantes to bring criminals to justice as long as they followed the same restrictions police officers use. Thus in the space of just five years the Freedom Phalanx went from an ad hoc band of would-be heroes to a legally recognized, nationally praised crime fighting organization.

From 1931 to 1941, the Freedom Phalanx was active primarily in America. However, this changed dramatically when Paragon City was attacked by Nazi supervillains on December 7th, 1941. The Freedom Phalanx routed the Nazis, but only after the villains had caused incredible devastation. After Congress declared war, the Freedom Phalanx, "its ranks swelling with new volunteers, made a harrowing journey across the Atlantic to help reinforce the Dawn Patrol in England.

The members of the Freedom Phalanx fought bravely throughout the war, often engaging superpowered Axis soldiers around the globe. During the D-Day invasion, the Freedom Phalanx led the charge into France. In fact, many dropped in the night before with the airborne troops, providing protection against [Nazi] Storm Korps jet pack troops. Both sides took horrendous casualties in those first bloody hours, with the super powered soldiers on both sides fighting in the vanguard. Late on the first day the Storm Korps launched a massive counteroffensive in an effort to drive the Allies back into the English Channel. Fought largely in the air above Normandy's beaches, this was one of the most spectacular hero battles of the war. The Statesman himself was in the forefront, powering through hundreds of enemy super soldiers. The Allies repulsed the counterattack and the armies pushed on into France. Victory did not come without a terrible cost. Scores of heroes lost their lives and The Statesman suffered critical wounds that left him crippled for the rest of the war. It's assumed that the Freedom Phalanx was also involved in the Battle of the Black Forest (an attack that the Statesman helped to plan), during which the Allied heroes confronted and defeated the remaining members Nazi Storm Korps.

Shortly after WWII, the Freedom Phalanx returned to America to confront the villain known as Nemesis. Under the Statesman's leadership, the Freedom Phalanx and other heroes managed to defeat Nemesis and foil his evil schemes. The horrors of WWII and the loss of life caused by Nemesis proved "a strong cure for the hero bug," and many members of the Freedom Phalanx retired. But the Statesman and the core membership persevered, again striving to make Paragon City and America safe.

Throughout the 1950s and 60s, the Freedom Phalanx battled a host of colorful villains and thwarted a number of evil schemes. As a result of the efforts of the Freedom Phalanx and other groups, in "1952 the city decided to expand upon the groundbreaking Citizen Crime Fighting Act, expanding it to include officially licensed hero organizations that could in turn deputize their members. In 1953 the Freedom Phalanx became the first group to take advantage of this new law, and the Dawn Patrol and the mysterious Midnight Squad quickly followed suit."

During the Cold War the group found itself at cross-purposes. On the one hand it wanted to do everything it could to preserve the American way of life it had been formed to protect. On the other hand it became obvious that the alarming threat of nuclear warfare fueled by cold war paranoia could, if left unchecked, destroy the entire world." In 1976, the Freedom Phalanx was pulled directly into the cold war when a Soviet superhero shot down an American spy plane.

The Statesman used Freedom Phalanx technology to teleport into the USSR and find the [spy plane] crew before the Soviet heroes could. He ended up in a skirmish with a squad of Russian super-soldiers, wounding several of them before escaping through the air with the Air Force personnel…" Unfortunately, the Soviets launched a tactical nuclear missile at the fleeing hero. The missile detonated on its target, nearly killing the Statesman. In the hours that followed, the crisis escalated, bringing the world to the brink of nuclear war. The Freedom Phalanx and the Dawn Patrol organized a team of international heroes to avert the disaster.

The nuclear crisis had a profound effect on the Freedom Phalanx. Feeling the weight of responsibility, the Statesman decided that the team "would no longer serve just Paragon City or America; it would serve all of humanity. The team committed itself to preserving all life from any threat, be it nuclear war, alien invasion, or mystical apocalypse. Since then, they’ve managed to save the world from all three and much more. The Freedom Phalanx came to think of itself as an institution entirely above-and-beyond any particular government or nation. While they naturally abide by the laws of the United States and most other countries they operate in, the group’s leadership seldom fails to make its feelings known when they disagree with U.S. government policy.

For example, during the late 60’s and early 70’s the Freedom Phalanx members took a strong, public stand in favor of the various burgeoning Civil Rights movements. More recently, the Freedom Phalanx has chosen to involve itself in areas the government prefers to steer clear of -- like the Balkans and central Africa. More than one government official has tried to decry the group as traitorous, but the Freedom Phalanx’s public approval numbers are so high that such defamatory statements invariably backfire.

As the 1970s came to a close, the United States fell victim to a terrible economic recession. The Freedom Phalanx was forced to cope with rising crime rates caused by an increase in poverty and drug abuse. While other heroes transformed into vigilantes, the Freedom Phalanx struggled to stay true to their core ideals, stopping crime without becoming criminals themselves.

By the mid-eighties, many neighborhoods had been overrun by an addictive drug known as "Supes," which imparts a temporary increase in strength and endurance. When the Back Alley Brawler discovered a Supes laboratory, the Freedom Phalanx was called in to investigate. They learned that Supes allowed a very small percentage of addicts to see and travel to other dimensions. "The Statesman decided that humanity should not - could not - profit from suffering of this sort. Should word of the radical research -- and the horrific means through which it was achieved become public knowledge, it would only encourage other madmen to follow suit."

Unfortunately, a Freedom Phalanx technician named Dr. Brian Webb left the organization to continue research into other dimensions. He founded Portal Corp. and within just four years managed to open doorways to other dimensions. "Paragon City's greatest hero [the Statesman] and his comrades could not help but be intrigued by the Portal Corp's new technology. Knowing how important first contact with other worlds can be, the Freedom Phalanx began sending its members along with Dr. Webb and his explorations. They wanted to make sure nothing dangerous followed the good doctor back. Unfortunately, they failed in this duty. While exploring a world where America had lost to Nazi Germany, the team ran afoul of that parallel Earth's greatest hero: The Reichsman."

The Reichsman and his Amerika Korps captured, tortured and killed Dr. Webb and the other explorers, then crossed through the dimensional portal and entered Paragon City. "It didn't take long for the super-powered fascists to earn the attention of the Freedom Phalanx. Queen Comet, a prominent member of the Phalanx and friend of Dr. Webb, saw the alternate Statesman come through and, having been briefed by Portal Corp about the world Webb and his escorts were exploring, she quickly called for back-up and bravely fought off the invaders… Although seriously wounded, she managed to hold on until the Statesman and the rest of the Phalanx arrived.

The ensuing battle raged through the Portal Corp laboratories and spilled out into the city streets. The Reichsman was every bit the equal of his all-American counterpart, and the two nearly beat each other into the ground. Fortunately, the rest of the Amerika Korps did not measure up to the Freedom Phalanx (apparently in his world the Reichsman did not take kindly to potential rivals, and thus their training had been somewhat lax.) With his henchmen defeated, it was only a matter of time before the evil Statesman fell. To this day he remains frozen in suspended animation within the Freedom Phalanx's main headquarters.

Over a decade after defeating the first cross-dimensional invader, the Freedom Phalanx again rallied to vanquish the Rikti. They were among the first heroes to investigate the sudden appearance of Rikti teleportation portals and even sent Star Strider into the alien dimension; to date, the hero has not returned. Soon after, the Rikti assault began in earnest and the Freedom Phalanx rushed to humanity's defense.

Like many other groups, the Freedom Phalanx suffered heavy casualties during the Rikti war. Not only did the Rikti kill countless heroes in the initial onslaught, they also targeted superhero headquarters, destroying buildings that belonged to the Freedom Phalanx and other organizations. After the coordinated Rikti attacks, the Freedom Phalanx was reduced to just the Statesman and a handful of other resilient heroes. Still, the Freedom Phalanx continued to fight. The Statesman even went before the United Nations Security Council, offering "the Freedom Phalanx as an organizing body for the world's super-powered response." Although the Security Council felt that the Freedom Phalanx was too Americentric, the Statesman's offer did encourage the United Nations to form the Vanguard.

Eventually, the heroes rallied for a counteroffensive. Again, the Statesman and the Freedom Phalanx took a central role in the daring attacks, which included a massive frontal assault on Rikti forward positions. Eight hundred heroes died during this mission, but it provided the diversion necessary for a smaller strike-team to enter the Rikti's home dimension and destroy a the energy source powering the alien technology.

Since the war ended, the organization has spear-headed an effort to help the world, and Paragon City in particular, return to a normal life. This has proved a difficult task. In the wake of such overwhelming tragedy, the government has cracked down on a number of freedoms and rights. Even the deputation of anonymous super-powered heroes has received serious criticisms from civil rights groups. The Freedom Phalanx is walking a tightrope between fighting to preserve the people’s safety and ensuring - their continued freedom.

Despite any public or political pressure, the Freedom Phalanx continues to battle any threat to humankind and remains "the world’s premiere independent hero organization. They still make it a firm policy to have no official ties to any government or law enforcement institution. They are one of the most open organizations in existence, allowing any would-be hero to volunteer for service with the esteemed group. Unlike other groups, the Freedom Phalanx is entirely open about everything, from its membership to its funding and current activities. This openness carries through on down to the lowest levels, where even beginning heroes must reveal their true identities and pasts to the organization and the world. The Statesman takes great pride in these 'sunshine' policies, saying they go a long way towards inspiring confidence in the Freedom Phalanx’s personnel and motives."

Members

• Statesman (co-founder, leader)
• Maiden Justice (co-founder)
• The Dark Watcher (co-founder)
• Elementar (co-founder)
• Team Vambrace (co-founders)
• Comet Queen
• Wavelength
• Back Alley Brawler
• Manticore
• Sister Psyche
• Positron
• Synapse
• Numina
• Citadel
• Foreshadow
• Spark Blade
• Luminary I (Retired)

Associated Badges

• Freedom Phalanx Reserve Member Badge
• Phalanxer Badge

Notes

• The Back Alley Brawler joined the Freedom Phalanx after most of the Regulators were killed in the Rikti War. His sidekick, Blue Steel now works full time for the Pragon City Police Department.