Freedom Force Non-Villain Antagonist Team
CRUCIBLE (Byron Calley) |
METEORITE (Ned Lathrop) |
 ORACLE (Peter Quinn) |
PARALYZER (Randall Darby) |
SLITHER (Aaron Salomon) |
VAL COOPER Team Supervisor |
Freedom Force is the name given to a team of superhumans who were recruited by the Department of Homeland Security to act as a counterpart to SHIELD's proposed Sentinel program. All of the founding members of the team are mutants, but the government may add non-mutant superhumans to the team later.
The team that ultimately became Freedom Force was originally founded as a criminal team. Their first documented operation together was robbing an armored car in Washington, DC. This plot was thwarted by Capatain America and his partner and trainee, Bucky, who were in town to testify in front of Congress.
At this point, enter Valerie Cooper, a political scientist and administrative agent for the DHS who was growing concerned over the image that SHIELD's Sentinel program could send to the superhuman population of the US (and worldwide). To this end, she proposed that the DHS recruit a team of superhumans to act as America's official super-team.
Cooper approached Byron Calley, the ringleader of the team who went by the alias Crucible, with a proposal for he and his team to have the charges dropped in return for their service in the Department. Most of the team agreed, though Slither only did so reluctantly. It was Cooper who named the team "Freedom Force".
Freedom Force has been seen investigating the outlaw hero team known as the Renegades and the snake-themed mercenary team called the Serpent Squad. During this second case, they came into conflict once again with Captain America.
Following the Serpent Squad case, Slither quit the team after a fierce argument with Cooper over his methodology. Cooper has since been reviewing other superhumans to expand the team.
First Post-Reboot Appearance: (as a team) CAPTAIN AMERICA #; (as Freedom Force) RENEGADES #.
Membership Roster
Crucible – Founding member; Crucible recruited the original members the team prior to their recruitment by Homeland Security. He currently acts as field leader for the team.
Meteorite – Founding member.
Oracle – Founding member; Oracle serves as the team's surveillance expert.
Paralyzer – Founding member.
Slither – Founding member; Slither recently left the team after a dispute with Crucible and Val Cooper over his methodology on a case.
Valerie Cooper – Freedom Force's immediate superior in the Department of Homeland Security, Val Cooper is the one that selects their missions and may later expand the team.