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The Order is the name of two fictional superhero teams appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first team was a brief offshoot of the team Defenders, and the second is part of an initiative to place a superhero team in each state of the United States.
The original incarnation of The Order starred in the six-issue limited series The Order (April-Sept. 2002) intending to conquer the world in order to protect it. [1] The team consisted of the original Defenders: Doctor Strange, The Incredible Hulk, Namor the Sub-Mariner and Silver Surfer.
A second Marvel Comics superhero team called The Order debuted in The Order vol. 2, #1 (Sept. 2007), created by writer Matt Fraction and penciler Barry Kitson. Following the fallout of Marvel Comics' "Civil War" crossover event, The Order was dubbed the First Super Hero Team of Tomorrow, [2] being the official superhero team for California as part of the Fifty States Initiative. (The group was originally intended to be named The Champions [3] before it was revealed that the "Champions" trademark was then owned by Heroic Publishing.) [4] [5] The group was first seen during the end of the "Civil War," with many of its members going unnamed during their first appearances. Most of them, however, would be a part of the new series, though the designs of the characters were slightly altered.
As the cast of The Order is composed almost entirely of new characters, Fraction looked to a popular television drama for ideas on how to acquaint readers with his protagonists: "I kind of went with the same kind of format they use on Lost . Each issue, I wanted readers to spend a little time with one character more than any other." [6]
Fraction framed each issue around a flashback sequence depicting an interview with each character explaining their past and why they joined the Order to give each character a detailed introduction. [6]
In late January 2008, Fraction revealed on Newsarama's podcast "Word Balloon" that The Order would end at issue 10. [7] Though at first it was believed that Marvel had canceled the series, Fraction later stated on a later Newsarama interview that:
...the book wasn't canceled: I chose to end it. Marvel allowed me to choose to leave the stage, rather than to continue on in a state in which I felt was compromised and decidedly unawesome. I don't think I was too clear about that on Word Balloon: it wasn't canceled. I killed it. And if you're looking for the man that killed The Order, it was me. [8]
Though the series was ended several of the book's characters and storylines would continue on in Matt Fraction's next project, The Invincible Iron Man . [9] The group also appeared in the 2008 Eternals series and Avengers: The Initiative #18.
The original incarnation of The Order starred in the six-issue limited series The Order (April-Sept. 2002) intending to conquer the world in order to protect it. The team consisted of the original Defenders: Doctor Strange, The Incredible Hulk, Namor the Sub-Mariner and Silver Surfer.
Their fellow Defenders Hellcat, Nighthawk, Valkyrie and Clea team up with other heroes (including Ardina, a cosmic-powered woman they mystically create from a portion of the Silver Surfer's energy) to oppose the Order and return them to their senses, just in time to prevent the curse from rendering Yandroth omnipotent.
The Order | |
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![]() Cover art for The Order vol. 2, #1 (Sept. 2007) with, clockwise from top left, Aralune, Supernaut, Anthem, Mulholland, Veda and Calamity. Art by Barry Kitson. | |
Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
Schedule | Concluded |
Format | Monthly |
Main character(s) | Anthem Aralune Calamity Heavy Mulholland Supernaut Veda See Members section |
Creative team | |
Created by | Matt Fraction Barry Kitson |
Written by | Matt Fraction |
Penciller(s) | Barry Kitson |
The team was largely made up of celebrities known for making a difference through charitable work, and through a process involving a viral genomech payload developed by Hank Pym each one is given superpowers modeled on the pantheon of Greek gods and trained at a S.H.I.E.L.D. base in Arizona. [3] However, this process causes great strain on human bodies allowing the users limited time as superhuman (roughly a year). [10]
The group, then known as the Champions, were first put to use in the final battle of the superhuman Civil War. [11] Though unnamed, the group that went into the fight consisted of people that closely resembled Hercules, Pierce, Maul, an African-American Avona, Bannerman Brown & Green, Corona along with several others displaying a variety of different powers.
As the Californian Initiative team, slightly changed versions of many the first seen team face and defeat Infernal Man. After the battle, some members failed to follow the morals clause in their contract by going out drinking, and were subsequently fired and had their powers removed. [12] Their replacements, Milo Fields, Mulholland Black, Magdalena Marie, and Becky Ryan were given different powers. [13]
The team would come into conflict with various villains, most with a connection to General Softly [14] and the mysterious "M.A.N. from S.H.A.D.O.W." military group, including hordes of Zobos (mechanized zombie hobos), Cold War supervillains, Gamma monsters, Namor, and an all girl gang called the Black Dahlias who have been given superpowers via the same process as The Order by M.A.N. from S.H.A.D.O.W. as well as deal with a murder case involving a former Order member.
The team is later evicted from its Bradbury, California headquarters [6] and the M.A.N. from S.H.A.D.O.W. is revealed to be a collection of General Softly androids first devised by the Super Human Development and Operation (S.H.D.O.), an early attempt at a Fifty State Initiative from fifty years before; around the time of the real General Samuel Softly's death, and now part of a collection of villains (including Black Dahlias and Maul) led by Ezekiel Stane, the son of Iron Man enemy Obadiah Stane, who have set out to destroy The Order. [15] After Stane reactivates Mulholland Black's powers to the point of them going out of control and depowering the rest of The Order, Henry Hellrung was forced to kill Mulholland.
The villains defeated, Tony Stark offers to repower the surviving members of The Order permanently and turn the team into a military operation rather than a public relations showcase. The Order will continue on as the Initiative superhero team of California. [16] During the Secret Invasion , The Order was one of the two Initiative teams that the invading Skrulls were unable to place a sleeper agent on as the team was chosen by Tony Stark personally rather than Criti Noll, the Skrull impostor of Hank Pym. [17] However, suspicions arose also between the members of the Order and almost culminated into a fight.
During the Fear Itself storyline, representatives of the Order are called by Prodigy when the Initiative is restarted and briefed on the hammers that the Serpent summoned to Earth. [18]
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NRAMA: Do you have anything you'd like to say about the book's cancellation or future plans for the characters?
MF: That the book wasn't canceled: I chose to end it. Marvel allowed me to choose to leave the stage, rather than to continue on in a state in which I felt was compromised and decidedly unawesome. I don't think I was too clear about that on Word Balloon: it wasn't canceled. I killed it. And if you're looking for the man that killed The Order, it was me. Now watch, nobody's gonna read that and nobody's gonna care, because it's way more fun the other way. Oh well.
There are a few themes and story threads from 'The Order' that will be addressed in 'Invincible Iron Man'
Tony Stark will remain in an oversight capacity of the team he founded under the moniker of 'ZEUS'