Core Identity: The Invaders are Marvel's definitive World War II super-team, a legendary alliance of the era's greatest heroes, formed at the behest of the Allies to serve as the spearhead against the superhuman threats of the Axis Powers.
* Key Takeaways:
* Role in the Universe:
The Invaders were the primary superhuman strike force for the Allied nations during World War II, operating on the front lines in Europe and the Pacific. They represent the heroic foundation of the Marvel Universe's modern age, establishing a legacy of heroism that would later inspire teams like the avengers.
* Primary Impact:
Their greatest impact was twofold: providing a narrative vehicle to retroactively create a shared history for Marvel's “Golden Age” heroes and establishing the deep, often complicated, lifelong bonds between cornerstone characters like captain_america, Namor, and the original Human Torch. Their existence enriches the entire Marvel timeline.
* Key Incarnations:
In the comics, the Invaders are a powerhouse team featuring super-soldiers, androids, and Atlanteans. In the MCU, their narrative role is filled by the more grounded special forces unit, the howling_commandos, who fought alongside Captain America but without the same breadth of superpowers.
===== Part 2: Origin and Evolution =====
==== Publication History and Creation ====
While the individual members of the Invaders were created during the “Golden Age” of comic books in the 1940s by Timely Comics (Marvel's predecessor), the team itself is a product of retroactive continuity, or “retcon”. The team was conceived and introduced decades later during the “Bronze Age” of comics.
Their first canonical appearance as a team was in a flashback sequence in The Avengers #71 (December 1969)
, written by the legendary Roy Thomas and drawn by Sal Buscema. However, this was merely a glimpse. The team's concept was fully fleshed out and given its own title, The Invaders, which launched in August 1975
. This series, primarily written by Roy Thomas with art by Frank Robbins and later Alan Kupperberg and Don Heck, is considered the definitive work on the team.
Thomas's genius was to take the three biggest stars of Timely Comics—Captain America, the Sub-Mariner, and the original Human Torch—who had often been depicted as rivals or operating in separate spheres, and unite them into a cohesive unit. This allowed Marvel to explore the untold stories of World War II within their universe, creating a rich history that bridged the Golden Age with the modern era established by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the 1960s. The series was a masterful blend of historical fiction and superhero action, grounding the fantastic exploits of its heroes in the very real stakes of the Second World War.
==== In-Universe Origin Story ====
The formation of the Invaders is a pivotal moment in Marvel's history, representing the first time the world's most powerful individuals formally united to face a global threat. The specifics of this origin differ significantly between the primary comic universe and the cinematic universe.
=== Earth-616 (Prime Comic Universe) ===
In the Earth-616 timeline, the Invaders were officially formed in late 1941, shortly after the United States entered World War II. The catalyst for their union was a direct threat from the Third Reich's own burgeoning superhuman program. The Nazi scientist Arnim Zola had created Master Man, a super-soldier intended to be the Aryan equivalent of Captain America. After Master Man single-handedly defeated the Allied forces attempting to land at Dunkirk, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill realized that conventional warfare alone could not counter such power.
Churchill reached out to the known “mystery men” of the era. He arranged a meeting in London, airdropping captain_america and his young partner bucky_barnes into the city. Already present were the hot-headed Prince of Atlantis, Namor, and the fiery android, the original Human Torch, along with his teenage sidekick, Toro.
Initially, the meeting was fraught with tension. Namor and the Human Torch were historic rivals, having engaged in destructive battles that ravaged New York City. Captain America, with his innate leadership and diplomatic skill, managed to broker a truce, appealing to their shared sense of duty and the overwhelming threat posed by the Axis. Churchill christened the newly-formed alliance “The Invaders,” and their first mission was a resounding success: they worked together to defeat Master Man.
From that point on, the Invaders became the Allies' most potent weapon. Based primarily in London, they undertook missions across the European and Pacific theaters, directly confronting Nazi super-villains like Baron Heinrich Zemo, the vampiric Baron Blood, and the formidable warrior_woman. Their adventures solidified the “Big Three” (Cap, Namor, and the Torch) as legends and set the stage for the heroic age to come.
=== Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) ===
The Invaders, as a named entity with its comic book roster, do not exist
in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Earth-199999). However, their narrative function—a specialized military unit led by Captain America to combat a technologically advanced Nazi deep-science division—is performed by the Howling Commandos
.
As depicted in Captain America: The First Avenger, Steve Rogers, after being used as a propaganda tool, goes against orders to rescue a captured unit of the 107th Infantry Regiment from a hydra facility. Among the soldiers he liberates are Sergeant James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes, Timothy “Dum Dum” Dugan, Gabriel Jones, Jim Morita, James Montgomery Falsworth, and Jacques Dernier.
Impressed by Rogers's success, Colonel Chester Phillips and Howard Stark officially sanction this unit as an elite special forces team. Dubbed the “Howling Commandos,” this squad becomes Captain America's handpicked team for surgical strikes against Hydra's key installations across Europe. Their missions are instrumental in dismantling the red_skull's operations and weakening Hydra's grip on the war.
The key difference lies in the power levels and composition. The Howling Commandos are (mostly) non-superpowered elite soldiers, relying on their training, courage, and advanced Stark-tech weaponry. This approach grounds the MCU's World War II narrative in a more believable, quasi-historical context, eschewing the androids and Atlantean kings of the comics. James Montgomery Falsworth is a nod to the comic character who becomes union_jack, but in the MCU, he is simply a brave British soldier, not a costumed hero. The team serves the same purpose as the Invaders—to showcase Captain America's leadership and provide a “band of brothers” dynamic—but does so in a way that aligns with the MCU's established tone.
===== Part 3: Mandate, Structure & Key Members =====
The purpose and composition of the premier WWII hero team vary dramatically between the comics' high-fantasy version and the MCU's military-focused analogue.
=== Earth-616 (Prime Comic Universe) ===
Mandate:
The Invaders' primary mandate was to serve as a superhuman counter-force to the Axis Powers' own metahuman and occult assets. Their missions included:
* Direct Combat:
Engaging in front-line battles that were too dangerous for conventional soldiers.
* Counter-Espionage:
Thwarting Axis intelligence operations and assassinating key figures.
* Asset Destruction:
Destroying super-weapons, scientific facilities, and occult artifacts developed by groups like Hydra and the Thule Society.
* Morale:
Serving as powerful symbols of Allied strength and resolve, inspiring both soldiers and civilians.
Structure:
The team had a relatively informal structure, operating with significant autonomy under the sanction of the Allied High Command, including President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill. captain_america was the undisputed field leader, his tactical genius and moral compass guiding the team's actions. While they had official military liaisons, their decisions in the field were largely their own.
Core & Expanded Roster:
^ Member Name
^ Real Name
^ Primary Abilities & Role
^
| Captain America | Steven Rogers | Field Leader & Strategist. Peak human physiology via the Super-Soldier Serum; master combatant; wielder of an indestructible vibranium-alloy shield. |
| Sub-Mariner | Namor McKenzie | Amphibious Assault & Heavy Hitter. Hybrid Human/Atlantean physiology; superhuman strength, speed, and durability; flight via ankle wings; hydrokinesis. |
| Human Torch | Jim Hammond | Aerial Assault & Elemental Powerhouse. Android with the ability to wreath his body in plasma-like fire, enabling flight, pyrokinesis, and energy absorption. |
| Bucky | James Buchanan Barnes | Reconnaissance & Support. Expert marksman, acrobat, and covert operative; Captain America's highly-trained protégé. |
| Toro | Thomas Raymond | Aerial Support & Junior Member. Inhuman with powers identical to the Human Torch, whom he viewed as a mentor. |
| Union Jack | James Montgomery Falsworth | British Liaison & Non-Powered Combatant. British aristocrat and highly skilled hand-to-hand combatant and spy. |
| Spitfire | Jacqueline Falsworth-Crichton | High-Speed Recon & Striker. Gained superhuman speed after a vampire bite from Baron Blood and a subsequent blood transfusion from the Human Torch. |
| Miss America | Madeline Joyce | Aerial Superiority. Gained superhuman strength and flight after being struck by lightning during a lab experiment. |
| The Whizzer | Robert L. Frank | Ground-Based Speedster. Gained superhuman speed after a blood transfusion from a mongoose.1) |
=== Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) ===
Mandate:
As the SSR's premier strategic assault team, the Howling Commandos' mandate was exclusively focused on the complete dismantlement of hydra. Their missions were highly specific:
* Surgical Strikes:
Infiltrating and destroying Hydra weapon facilities.
* Intelligence Gathering:
Capturing key Hydra personnel, such as Arnim Zola, and retrieving intel.
* Targeted Sabotage:
Disrupting Hydra's supply lines and command structure.
Structure:
The Howling Commandos were a formal military unit operating under the authority of the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR). Captain America was the commanding officer in the field, but they ultimately answered to Colonel Chester Phillips and worked in tandem with Agent peggy_carter and inventor howard_stark. Their structure was that of an elite special forces squad, with each member having a specialized role.
Roster:
^ Member Name
^ Real Name
^ Role & Expertise
^
| Captain America | Steven Rogers | Commanding Officer. Super-soldier who led every assault. |
| Sergeant Bucky Barnes | James Buchanan Barnes | Sniper & Second-in-Command. Captain America's most trusted friend and an expert marksman. |
| Dum Dum Dugan | Timothy Aloysius Cadwallader Dugan | Demolitions Expert & Heavy Weapons. The muscle of the team, known for his bowler hat and immense strength. |
| Gabe Jones | Gabriel “Gabe” Jones | Communications & Technical Specialist. A gifted mechanic and polyglot. |
| Jim Morita | Jim Morita | Logistics & Point Man. A Japanese-American soldier from Fresno who specialized in battlefield intel. |
| James Montgomery Falsworth | James Montgomery Falsworth | British Liaison & Infiltrator. A stoic British paratrooper representing the Allied coalition. |
| Jacques Dernier | Jacques Dernier | Sabotage & Explosives. A member of the French Resistance who specialized in covert operations. |
===== Part 4: Key Relationships & Network =====
==== Core Allies ====
* liberty_legion: While the Invaders fought on the front lines in Europe, the Liberty Legion was a stateside team formed to protect the American home front from Axis saboteurs and spies. The teams occasionally worked together, most notably when the Invaders were brainwashed by the Red Skull and the Legion had to fight to free them. The Bucky Barnes of this era was a member of both teams.
* The All-Winners Squad
: The post-war successor to the Invaders. After WWII ended, the core members (minus the deceased Bucky and lost Captain America) formed the All-Winners Squad to continue their crime-fighting efforts. This team represents the transition from wartime heroes to peacetime vigilantes.
* Winston Churchill & Franklin D. Roosevelt
: The political architects of the Invaders. Both leaders were instrumental in the team's formation and provided them with the sanction and resources necessary to operate on a global scale. They were the team's most powerful non-superhuman allies.
==== Arch-Enemies ====
* The Red Skull (Johann Shmidt): Captain America's ultimate nemesis and the embodiment of Nazi ideology. As the head of HYDRA, the Red Skull was the strategic mastermind behind many of the Axis's most nefarious superhuman and technological plots. His brilliant, twisted intellect and personal hatred for Captain America made him the Invaders' primary antagonist.
* Baron Heinrich Zemo: A brilliant and sadistic Nazi scientist who was one of the Third Reich's top weapons designers. He was responsible for creating numerous threats the Invaders faced and, most tragically, for the booby-trapped drone plane that was believed to have killed Bucky Barnes and sent Captain America into suspended animation in the North Atlantic.
* Baron Blood (John Falsworth): A vampiric English aristocrat and Nazi sympathizer who was the brother of Invader Union Jack. Baron Blood represented the personal stakes of the war, forcing the team to confront a supernatural evil that had infiltrated the heart of the British establishment. His defeat was a major victory for the team and a personal one for the Falsworth family.
* Master Man & Warrior Woman
: A Nazi super-couple designed to be the Aryan ideal and a direct counter to the Invaders. Their immense strength and fanaticism made them formidable physical opponents who frequently clashed with the team in brutal, head-on confrontations.
==== Affiliations ====
The Invaders were officially sanctioned by the Allied Powers
, primarily the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom. Their members, however, held dual loyalties. Captain America and Bucky were members of the U.S. Army
. Union Jack and Spitfire were agents of the British government
. Namor, ever the monarch, always considered his primary allegiance to be to the kingdom of Atlantis
, a fact that often created friction and dramatic tension within the team's ranks. This complex web of affiliations highlighted the delicate political balance the team had to maintain while fighting a common enemy.
===== Part 5: Iconic Events & Storylines =====
=== The Invaders (1975-1979) ===
This is the foundational series that established the team's history. Written by Roy Thomas, it retroactively chronicled their adventures during World War II. Key storylines from this run include the team's official formation at the behest of Churchill, the introduction of British heroes Union Jack and Spitfire to the team, and their prolonged and brutal conflict with the vampiric Baron Blood. This series also established the existence of the home-front team, the Liberty Legion, and detailed the creation of the post-war All-Winners Squad. It is the single most important source for understanding the team's classic history, motivations, and internal dynamics.
=== Avengers/Invaders (2008) ===
A 12-issue crossover event written by Alex Ross and Jim Krueger that brought the original WWII-era Invaders into the modern Marvel Universe. A Cosmic Cube-related incident plucks the team from a battle in 1943 and drops them in the present day, a world reeling from the superhero Civil War and the death of Captain America. The story is a powerful examination of legacy and disillusionment. The Invaders are horrified by the dark, cynical world they find, where heroes fight each other and their own government hunts them. Their clash and eventual team-up with both the Mighty Avengers and New Avengers forces both sides to confront what it truly means to be a hero, with the Invaders' unwavering Golden Age morality serving as a stark contrast to the modern era's shades of gray.
=== All-New Invaders (2014) ===
This series by writer James Robinson brings the surviving Invaders—Captain America (Steve Rogers), Namor, the original Human Torch, and Bucky Barnes (now the Winter Soldier)—back together in the present day. The plot is kickstarted by the Kree, who have used a device to gain control of the Torch and seek an artifact with ties to the team's past. The series dives deep into the complex, often-strained friendship between the members, particularly the turbulent relationship between Captain America and Namor. It explores the idea that these men are “living history” and grapples with the weight of their long lives, their past mistakes, and their enduring responsibility to the world.
===== Part 6: Variants and Alternative Versions =====
* New Invaders (Earth-616)
: Formed in the modern era in the pages of The Avengers Vol. 3. This team was brought together by the U.S. government, specifically by Dell Rusk (who was secretly the Red Skull in disguise), to serve American interests. The roster included modern heroes like U.S. Agent and The Falcon alongside a new Union Jack (Joey Chapman). After the Red Skull's plot was revealed, the team briefly continued under the leadership of the original Human Torch before disbanding.
* Axis Mundi's Invaders (Earth-TRN014)
: During the Avengers/Invaders crossover, the villainous group Axis Mundi, a neo-Nazi organization, used a Cosmic Cube to create their own twisted version of the Invaders from an alternate timeline where the Axis won WWII. This team consisted of a Captain America who embraced fascism, a ruthless Namor, a Human Torch who burned his enemies alive, and a brainwashed Bucky. They served as dark reflections of the true heroes.
* Ultimate Universe (Earth-1610)
: In the Ultimate Universe, there was no formal “Invaders” team. The World War II era focused almost exclusively on Captain America's origin and his missions as a solo operative against the Nazis and the Chitauri. He worked with soldiers like Bucky Barnes and Dum Dum Dugan, but the concept of a super-powered team of “mystery men” was not part of this continuity, reflecting the universe's more grounded and modern approach to superhero origins.
* Captain America: Super Soldier (Video Game)**: While not a direct adaptation, this video game set within the MCU's continuity (taking place during the events of
The First Avenger) heavily features the Howling Commandos. The gameplay and story reinforce their role as Captain America's support team in his fight against Hydra, showing them providing intel and backup during his infiltration of Baron Strucker's castle.