The Initiative

The Fifty State Initiative, or 'The Initiative' for short, was one of the key elements of the Superhuman Registration Act. The goal of the program is to prepare individuals, with special powers, abilities or skills, to serve as superhuman law-enforcement officials. Those who work with the program, would operate in cooperation with state and local authorities in times of need.

Goals

The primary purpose of the program is to train those with powers and abilities how to properly and responsibly use them. Once an individual has passed their training they are available to be placed on one of the officially sanctioned teams of The Fifty State Initiative. The Initiative will also be involved with apprehending those that refuse to register as part of the SHRA.

Location

The training headquarters for the program is Camp Hammond (named after Jim Hammond, the original Human Torch and first known superhuman crime fighter) in Stamford, Connecticut. Camp Hammond is built directly on the site of what is known as 'The Stamford Disaster'.

Invaded

Hank Pym, the man behind the Fifty State Initiative was revealed as a Skrull. Every Initiative team (save for the Order) also had a sleeper agent Skrull. During the Secret Invasion, The Skrull Kill Krew along with the 3-D Man, with aid from other Initiative members teleported from state to state in order to kill the Skrull agents. This "kill first" stance unfortunately led to the death of Crusader a Skrull in hiding, who was actively fighting against the invasion.

Dark Reign

After Norman Osborn took over SHIELD in the wake of the Secret Invasion, he dismantled that organization and created H.A.M.M.E.R. He also made several changes to the Initiative program. He closed down Camp Hammond and moved the training program to Camp Hammer, an old Hulkbuster base in southwest. He also transferred members to other teams in order to make them less effective and actively chased out members who would not toe his new line.

In order to further his goals he enlisted his ally The Hood in supplying new recruits from the ranks of the criminal's gang. He also promoted Taskmaster to be in charge of the whole program at Camp Hammer.

Shortly before the Siege of Asgard, the Initiative retook Prison 42 from Blastaar's Negative Zone forces.

Siege of Asgard

During the recent attack by HAMMER on the otherwordly realm of Asgard, Norman Osborn is using members of the Initiative to bolster his forces.

Staff

The programs instructors are Ares, Beast, Black Widow, Gargoyle, Gauntlet (former drill instructor), Hellcat, Justice (quit), Ms. Marvel, Danielle Moonstar, Nighthawk, She-Hulk, Taskmaster (Drill Instructor), Tigra, 3-D Man, Wonder Man, Trauma (counselor).

The administrators are Henry Peter Gyrich (liaison with the C.S.A.), Baron Von Blitzschlag (head scientist), War Machine, and Yellowjacket (Hank Pym).

Trainees

First Class:

3-D Man (graduated), Armory (expelled; depowered), Cloud 9 (graduated), Hardball (graduated), Komodo (graduated), MVP (deceased & cloned), Rage (quit), Slapstick (quit), Thor Girl (graduated), Trauma (graduated early), and Ultra Girl (graduated)

TRAINED ELSEWHERE

Jackpot (graduated)

Scarlet Spider Michael (graduated early)

Scarlet Spider Patrick (graduated early)

Scarlet Spider Van (graduated early

Wiccan (graduated)

Second Class

Ant-Man-Eric O'Grady (held back for a few weeks, graduated)

Crusader (secretly Skrull; killed in action, served US) Dragon Lord (killed in action) Geldoff (graduated) Stature (graduated)

Third Class

Annex (graduated) Batwing (graduated) Butterball/Boulder (expelled) Geiger (graduated) Gorilla Girl (graduated, entered reserves) Melee (graduated) Prodigy (held back, graduated early with much of fourth class)

Red 9 (graduated) Sunstreak (held back, graduated early with much of fourth class)

Fourth Class

The class under Norman Osborn, this was made up of either holdovers from the third class; allegedly-reformed villains; and people tricked into joining who were sent on dangerous missions. Many were still active members in the Hood's Crime Syndicate and thus took several leaves of absences; they never graduated since they were all criminally charged in the aftermath of the Asgard Invasion. Aside from a small few, most of the other trainees graduated early: either to be heroes in new teams while continuing illegal activity or join the new Shadow Initiative as cannon fodder for the violent 42 Mission. This class has had the most and largest percentage of immediate fatalities preceding graduation--it has also had the most fail to graduate.

Aqueduct (graduated early)

Asylum (graduated early)

Badd Axe (graduated early)

Barracuda (graduated early)

Black Mamba (graduated early)

Blackwing (graduated early)

Brother Barton Grimm (leave of absence; expelled; prison time)

Brother Percy Grimm (injured; leave of absence; expelled; prison time)

Butterball/Boulder (readmitted, graduated early)

Coronary (graduated early)

Cutthroat (leave of absence, expelled; prison time)

Doc Sax (graduated early)

Firearms (graduated early)

Impulse (graduated early)

Ironclad (graduated early)

Johnny Guitar (graduated early)

Living Laser (leave of absence, expelled; criminally charged)

Mandrill (leave of absence; expelled; criminally charged)

Melee (further training, graduated)

Outback/Boomerang (graduated early)

Penance (held back but allowed in action)

Pretty Persuasions (graduated early)

Princess Python (graduated early)

Prodigy (held back, graduated early with much of fourth class)

Quicksand (graduated early)

Razorfist (leave of absence, expelled; criminally charged)

Ringer (graduated early)

Riot (graduated early)

Scorcher (leave of absence, expelled; prison time)

Skein (graduated early)

Skyhawk (graduated early)

Slaughter-boy (graduated early)

Stronghold (graduated early)

Sunstreak (held back, graduated early with much of fourth class)

Terraformer (graduated early)

Vampiro (deceased)

Vapor (graduated early)

Vector (graduated early)

Warbow (graduated early)

X-Ray (graduated early)

Trained Elsewhere

Razorback (graduated)

Teams Remaining After Siege

In the aftermath of Siege, the Initiative was disbanded. However Captain America was pleased to see that many good teams had been created through the program and, as the new chief of the US super-humans, he encouraged most of the teams not created by Norman Osborn to stay. They are:

Arizona: Desert Stars

Members: Johnny Cool, Supermax, Two-Gun Kid (leader)

California: The Order

Members: Anthem, Aralune, Calamity, Supernaut, and Veda

Florida: The Command

Members: Aquarian, Jennifer Kale

Georgia: The Cavalry

Members: Crime-Buster, Red 9, Stunt-Master

Hawaii: Point Men

Members: Devil-Slayer, Paydirt, Star Sign, Stingray (leader)

Iowa: Force Works

Member: Cybermancer

Kentucky: Action Pack

Members: Vox (leader), Prima Donna

Montana: Freedom Force

Members: Challenger (leader), Cloud 9, Think Tank

Nebraska: (Name Unknown)

Member: Captain Ultra

New Mexico: The Mavericks

Members: Annex, Geiger

Pennsylvania: The Liberteens

Members: 2-D, Blue Eagle, Miss America, Hope, Iceberg, Whiz Kid

North Carolina: (Name Unknown)

Members: Batwing, Boulder

Texas: Rangers

Members: Firebird, Living Lightning, Phantom Rider, Red Wolf, Shooting Star, Texas Twister

Vermont: The Garrison

Members: Fin, Man-Eater

Wisconsin: The Great Lakes Initiative

Members: Big Birtha, Doorman, Flatman, Gravity, Mister Immortal, Squirrel Girl

Shadow Initiative

There is also a secret Black Ops team for important missions called the Shadow Initiative. Organized by Henry Gryrich, it originally consisted of Mutant Zero, the Scarlet Spiders, Trauma, Bengal, and Constrictor.

Official Teams

It will take some time to have all the teams in The Fifty State Initiative in place, some have been announced. The following are those states and their teams:

ALASKA - (No team)

Member: Hellcat

ARIZONA - Desert Stars

Members: Two-Gun Kid (leader), Komodo, Johnny Cool, Supermax

Former members: Blacksmith (Skrull).

ARKANSAS - The Battalion

Members: Tigra, Razorback

Former members: Razorback (Skrull)

CALIFORNIA - The Order (after a copyright dispute Marvel had to change the name from Champions)

Members: Anthem, Aralune, Calamity, Supernaut & Veda

COLORADO - Thunderbolts

Members: Currently none

Former members: Norman Osborn, Moonstone, Songbird, Radioactive Man, Swordsman, Penance, Bullseye, Venom

CONNECTICUT - The Initiative

Members: See above.

DELAWARE - Women Warriors

Members: Diamondback, Asp, Black Mamba, Skein, Quicksand

FLORIDA - The Command

Members: Jennifer Kale, Aquarian

Former members: Siege, Conquistador, Conquistador (Skrull)

GEORGIA - The Cavalry

Members: Thor Girl, Ultragirl, Crime-Buster, Stunt-Master, Red 9

Former members:Thor Girl (Skrull)

HAWAII - Point Men

Members: Stingray (leader), Devil-Slayer, Star Sign, Paydirt

Former members: 3-D Man (formerly Triathlon), Magnitude (Skrull)

ILLINOIS - The Spaceknights

Members: Unknown, probably Skrulls

IOWA - Force Works

Members: Cybermancer

KANSAS: The Harvesters

Members: Topeka, Grain Belt, Meadowlark, Pioneer, Sunflower

KENTUCKY - Action Pack

Members: Vox (leader), Frog-Man, Prima Donna

Former members: Frog-Man (Skrull)

MARYLAND - Psionex

Members: Asylum, Coronary, Impulse, Pretty Persuasions, Mathemanic

MONTANA - Freedom Force

Members: Challenger (leader), Cloud 9, Think Tank

Former members: Equinox (Skrull), Spinner (KIA)

NEBRASKA - (Team Name Unknown)

Members: Captain Ultra (leader)

Former members: Gadget (deceased), Paragon

NEVADA - Heavy Hitters

Members: Prodigy, Non-Stop, Telemetry

Former members: Hardball, Gravity

NEW JERSEY - Defenders

Members: Disbanded

Former members: Nighthawk (leader), She-Hulk, Colossus, Blazing Skull, Paladin, Junta, Atlas, Daimon Hellstrom, Krang

NEW MEXICO - The Mavericks

Members: Geiger, Annex

Former members: Sharon Ventura (Skrull), Jocasta

NEW YORK - Dark Avengers

Members: Iron Patriot, Venom, Daken, Bullseye, Moonstone, Ares, Sentry, Noh-varr

Former members:

Mighty Avengers - Ms. Marvel, Iron Man, Wasp, Ares, Sentry, Wonder Man

NORTH CAROLINA - U-Foes

Members: Vector, Vapor, Ironclad, X-Ray

OREGON - Force of Nature

Members: Aqueduct, Skybreaker, Terraformer, Sunstreak

PENNSYLVANIA - The Liberteens

Members: Miss America, Whiz Kid, Hope, Iceberg, 2-D, Blue Eagle

Former members: Revolutionary (Skrull)

TEXAS - The Rangers

Members: Firebird, Living Lightning, Phantom Rider, Red Wolf, Texas Twister, Shooting Star

Former members: Armadillo, Lobo (Skrull)

UTAH - The Called

Members: "those Mormon heroes"

VERMONT - The Garrison

Members: Fin, Man-Eater

WASHINGTON - Earth Force

Members: Skyhawk

WISCONSIN - Great Lakes Initiative (formerly Great Lakes Avengers)

Members: Big Bertha, Doorman, Flatman, Mr. Immortal, Squirrel Girl, Tippy-Toe, Gravity

Former members: Grasshopper (Skrull)