Howling Commandos

• Core Identity: The Howling Commandos are Marvel's elite, multi-generational special operations unit, originally forged in the crucible of World War II and later evolving to confront both conventional and supernatural threats.
• Key Takeaways:
• Role in the Universe: The Howling Commandos represent the very genesis of the “superhero” era's special forces within the Marvel Universe. They began as the U.S. Army's premier First Attack Squad in World War II, setting the standard for daring and effective covert operations long before the formation of S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Primary Impact: Their most significant legacy is their personnel. The leadership and experience of core members, most notably Colonel Nicholas Joseph Fury and Timothy "Dum Dum" Dugan, were instrumental in the creation and operational doctrine of S.H.I.E.L.D., making the Commandos the direct spiritual and tactical predecessor to the world's most advanced espionage agency.
• Key Incarnations: While both the comic and MCU versions are elite WWII units, their leadership and formation differ significantly. In the prime comic universe (earth_616), they are unequivocally Nick Fury's squad. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they are formed by and serve as the handpicked strike team for Captain America. The comics also feature a prominent modern incarnation composed entirely of supernatural beings.

The Howling Commandos blasted their way into comic book history in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1, published in May 1963. The series was a creative powerhouse collaboration between writer-editor Stan Lee and artist-plotter Jack Kirby, the same legendary duo responsible for co-creating the fantastic_four, the avengers, and the x-men. The creation of the series was a direct response to the immense popularity of war comics in the early 1960s, a genre that publisher Martin Goodman was eager to capitalize on. Lee and Kirby conceptualized a high-action, character-driven series akin to a cinematic “men on a mission” film like The Dirty Dozen. Their masterstroke was creating a racially and ethnically diverse squad, a remarkably progressive move for a mainstream comic book in 1963. The team included an Italian-American, a Jewish-American, an Irish-American, and, most notably, an African-American, Gabe Jones, who was portrayed as an intelligent and capable soldier without resorting to the stereotypes prevalent at the time. The central figure, Sergeant Nick Fury, was envisioned by Lee as a gritty, cigar-chomping, working-class anti-hero—a stark contrast to the more polished officer-class heroes common in other war comics. This grounded, tough-as-nails approach resonated with readers, and Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos became one of Marvel's most popular titles of the Silver Age, running for 167 issues until its conclusion in 1981. The series' success directly led to Nick Fury's reintroduction in the modern day as a superspy in Strange Tales #135 (1965), where he became the iconic director of S.H.I.E.L.D., cementing the Commandos' legacy as a cornerstone of the Marvel Universe's history.

The story of the Howling Commandos' formation is a tale of courage and desperation, though the specific details diverge significantly between the primary comic continuity and the cinematic universe.

In the Earth-616 timeline, the unit officially designated as the First Attack Squad was the brainchild of Captain Samuel “Happy Sam” Sawyer. A U.S. Army officer stationed in Great Britain, Sawyer was tasked with creating an elite special missions unit capable of undertaking high-risk operations deep behind enemy lines. For his commanding officer, he handpicked Sergeant Nick Fury, a battle-hardened veteran of the U.S. Army Rangers known for his unconventional tactics and fierce determination. Fury was given broad authority to recruit the members of his squad. He didn't look for polished soldiers; he looked for fighters with unique skills and the grit to survive impossible odds. His recruits were a motley crew of specialists and roughnecks:

• Corporal Timothy “Dum Dum” Dugan: A former circus strongman from Boston, instantly recognizable by his signature bowler hat and impressive physique. He became Fury's loyal second-in-command.
• Private Gabriel “Gabe” Jones: A gifted jazz trumpeter from New York, whose musical talents were often used for coded signals.
• Private Robert “Reb” Ralston: A Kentucky native and expert horseman, often associated with the U.S. Air Force.
• Private Dino Manelli: A charismatic and famous Hollywood actor who enlisted to prove his patriotism, using his acting skills for infiltration missions.
• Private Isadore “Izzy” Cohen: A skilled mechanic from Brooklyn, representing the first explicitly Jewish-American superhero in the Marvel lineup.
• Private Jonathan “Junior” Juniper: A young, idealistic, and book-smart Ivy League student, the first of the Commandos to be killed in action, a shocking and sobering moment in the series' early run.

The unit was nicknamed the “Howling Commandos” for their fierce battle cry, which they would unleash when charging into battle to intimidate their enemies. Under Fury's command, they operated across the European and Pacific theaters, undertaking missions that ranged from sabotaging Nazi super-weapon projects to rescuing Allied prisoners and assassinating high-ranking Axis officials. They frequently crossed paths with other Allied heroes like Captain America and Bucky, but they were distinctly Fury's unit, operating under the command of Captain Sawyer and the U.S. Army, not the Super-Soldier program.

The formation of the Howling Commandos in the MCU (Earth-199999) is intrinsically linked to the heroic rise of Steve Rogers. As depicted in Captain America: The First Avenger, the team was not a pre-planned military initiative but rather an ad-hoc unit born from an act of defiance. After Rogers, as Captain America, single-handedly infiltrated a hydra facility in Austria to rescue captured soldiers from the 107th Infantry Regiment, he returned to the Allied camp not just with his childhood friend, Sergeant James “Bucky” Barnes, but with over four hundred other liberated POWs. Among these rescued men were several highly skilled soldiers from various Allied nations. Recognizing the effectiveness of his one-man assault and needing a dedicated team to support his targeted strikes against Hydra's remaining facilities, Rogers, along with Colonel Chester Phillips and Agent Peggy Carter of the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR), handpicked a small group of the best soldiers he had rescued. This team, which proudly followed Captain America into the heart of Hydra's operations, became known as the Howling Commandos. The MCU roster included:

• Sergeant James “Bucky” Barnes: A U.S. Army sniper and Captain America's closest friend.
• Timothy “Dum Dum” Dugan: A formidable American soldier, easily identified by his bowler hat.
• Gabriel Jones: A fluent German speaker and communications expert.
• Jim Morita: A Japanese-American soldier from Fresno, California, who endured prejudice to serve his country.
• James Montgomery Falsworth: A British paratrooper and nobleman.
• Jacques Dernier: A French Resistance fighter specializing in demolitions.

This key difference—being Captain America's team versus Nick Fury's—fundamentally changes the group's dynamic and place in the hierarchy. They were the scalpel to the larger army's hammer, led directly by the world's first and only Super-Soldier on missions specifically targeting Hydra's advanced scientific operations. Their success was instrumental in turning the tide of the war against the Red Skull.

The purpose and roster of the Howling Commandos have evolved dramatically over the decades, particularly in the comic book universe, which has seen multiple teams bear the iconic name.

In the comics, “Howling Commandos” has become a legacy title for elite, often unconventional, S.H.I.E.L.D.-affiliated squads.

• Mandate: To execute high-stakes covert operations that conventional military forces could not. Their missions included sabotage of enemy infrastructure, targeted assassinations of high-value Nazi and Imperial Japanese officers, intelligence gathering, and the destruction of experimental “wonder weapons” developed by organizations like Hydra.
• Structure: A small, autonomous infantry squad operating with a high degree of flexibility. Sergeant Nick Fury was the unquestioned field commander, reporting to Captain “Happy Sam” Sawyer, who provided their mission objectives and logistical support. The team's strength lay in its tight-knit camaraderie and the unique skill set of each member.
• Key Members:

^ Codename / Name ^ Specialty ^ Notes ^

• Mandate: Decades later, S.H.I.E.L.D. repurposed the “Howling Commandos” designation for a new unit operating under the subdivision S.T.A.K.E. (Special Threat Assessment for Known Extranormalities). This team's mandate was to confront and contain monstrous, mystical, and supernatural threats that were beyond the scope of traditional agents.
• Structure: This unit was initially led by a resurrected Life-Model Decoy of Dum Dum Dugan and operated out of Area 13. The team was a bizarre but effective collection of monstrous beings serving the interests of humanity.
• Key Members:

^ Codename / Name ^ Nature ^ Notes ^

In the MCU, the Howling Commandos moniker is exclusively associated with the elite WWII squad, whose legacy, rather than the name itself, continued into the modern era.

• Mandate: To serve as the primary strike force for Captain America in his campaign against Hydra. Their missions were focused and singular: locate and destroy all Hydra weapon facilities under the command of the Red Skull and Arnim Zola. They were a special forces unit attached to the SSR, operating with unparalleled autonomy.
• Structure: A small, six-man squad led in the field by Captain America. While not having a formal military hierarchy within the squad, Bucky Barnes and Dum Dum Dugan acted as informal senior members. They were a band of brothers, defined by their shared experience of being liberated by Rogers and their unwavering belief in his leadership.
• Key Members:

^ Name ^ Nationality ^ Notes ^

• Captain America (Steve Rogers): In the MCU, he is their creator, leader, and inspiration. Their loyalty to him is absolute. In the Earth-616 comics, he is a frequent and trusted ally, a fellow soldier in the war against tyranny. They fought alongside each other on numerous missions, developing a deep mutual respect.
• Peggy Carter: A pivotal figure in the MCU version of the Commandos' story. As an agent of the SSR, she was a key strategic planner for their missions and their primary point of contact with Allied command. After the war, she worked closely with the surviving members to combat emerging threats, laying the groundwork for S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Captain “Happy Sam” Sawyer (Earth-616): The commanding officer who brought the original comic book team together. Sawyer was a tough but fair leader who trusted Fury's judgment implicitly, often defending the Commandos' unconventional methods to his superiors.

• Red Skull (Johann Shmidt): As the head of Hydra, the Red Skull was the ultimate antagonist for the Commandos during WWII in both universes. He represented the scientific terror and ideological fanaticism they fought to destroy. The Commandos were often the only force capable of stopping his schemes for world domination.
• Baron Wolfgang von Strucker: A recurring nemesis in the comics. Strucker was a brilliant and ruthless Nazi officer and a founder of Hydra. He and Nick Fury developed a bitter personal rivalry that spanned the entire war, with each trying to outmaneuver and destroy the other. His Blitzkrieg Squad was created as a direct counterpart to the Howling Commandos.
• hydra: More than any single individual, the organization of Hydra was the Commandos' true arch-enemy. Whether led by the Red Skull in the MCU or Baron Strucker in the comics, Hydra's pursuit of power through advanced and often mystical weaponry made them the primary target of nearly every Commando mission.

• United States Army: The Commandos were officially a unit of the U.S. Army, specifically the First Attack Squad, Able Company. They were soldiers first and foremost, fighting under the American flag.
• Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR): In the MCU, the SSR was the Allied agency that oversaw Captain America and the Commandos. It was the direct precursor to S.H.I.E.L.D., and members like Dugan and Morita continued to work with the SSR after the war.
• S.H.I.E.L.D.: The ultimate legacy of the Howling Commandos. In both continuities, surviving members like Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, and Gabe Jones became the founding agents and backbone of S.H.I.E.L.D. Their combat experience and espionage skills, honed in the fires of WWII, defined the agency's operational doctrine for decades. The very existence of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a testament to the Commandos' success.

The original 1963 series is the bedrock of the Commandos' legend. This comic was not about grand, interconnected continuity but about thrilling, issue-by-issue “men on a mission” stories. A key storyline within the first year was “The Death of a Commando!” (Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #4). In this arc, the team is tasked with destroying a Nazi atomic research facility. During the mission, the youngest member, “Junior” Juniper, is tragically killed. This was a groundbreaking moment for Silver Age comics, as it was rare for a recurring heroic character to be killed off permanently. It established the series' high stakes and cemented the bond between the surviving members, who were forever changed by the loss of their friend.

While not a direct Commandos story, the storylines in Strange Tales and later the Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. series are essential to understanding their legacy. These stories revealed how Fury, Dugan, and others transitioned from the battlefields of Europe to the shadowy world of Cold War espionage. They showed the veterans applying their hard-won skills to building a global security network. The storyline “The Man for the Job!” (Strange Tales #135) reintroduced Fury as a suave, eye-patch-wearing agent, recruited to lead S.H.I.E.L.D. It retroactively framed the Commandos' entire wartime experience as the perfect training ground for the future Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

This modern series completely redefined the team's concept. The main storyline involved S.T.A.K.E.'s new Howling Commandos being led by a Life-Model Decoy of Dum Dum Dugan to counter the threat of an ancient, powerful sorcerer named Googam. The team's primary arc was learning to trust each other and work as a cohesive unit despite their monstrous natures. A key turning point was when the team had to confront S.H.I.E.L.D.'s own dark magic-wielding division, which sought to control their new leader, Warwolf. The event permanently altered the team's trajectory by forcing them to operate with more autonomy, proving that even monsters could be heroes on their own terms.

• Ultimate Marvel (Earth-1610): In this reality, the legacy of the Howling Commandos is carried on by Nick Fury's son, Sergeant Nick Fury Jr. As seen in Ultimate Comics: Hawkeye, this younger Fury leads a modern team of Commandos, an elite special forces unit tasked by S.H.I.E.L.D. with missions in unstable regions, such as the Southeast Asian Republic. The original WWII Dum Dum Dugan also plays a significant role in this universe as the burly, high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. administrator of the Triskelion.
• MAX (Sgt. Fury: My War Gone By): Written by Garth Ennis, this mature-readers series offers a brutally realistic and deconstructionist take on Nick Fury's career. It portrays the Howling Commandos not as cheerful adventurers but as hardened, morally compromised soldiers navigating the true horrors of war. The series follows Fury from WWII through the Cold War, showing how the experiences with his Commandos shaped him into a ruthless and cynical intelligence operative.
• The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (Animated Series): The Howling Commandos appear in the Season 2 episode “Meet Captain America.” In this version, they are Nick Fury's squad, but they team up with Captain America and a time-displaced Wolverine to stop a Hydra operation led by the Red Skull and Baron Strucker. This adaptation cleverly blends the comic and MCU origins, having them be Fury's team who then work extensively with Captain America.

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