Major Victory
Encyclopedia
The Major Victory name has been used by three fictional character
s in the DC Comics
universe. The name was first used by a character in Batman
and The Outsiders
Annual #1 (1984). He was affiliated with groups like Force of July
, and Suicide Squad
.
The next character to use the Major Victory name first appeared in Adventures of Superman #612 (March 2003). He appeared as a background character in a few Superman
stories of the time. To date, the other identity of this character has not been revealed.
The current Major Victory active in the DC Universe
, first appears in the miniseries Infinite Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Blüdhaven (2006), also as a government operative. This Major Victory may or may not be identical with the second Major Victory from the Superman stories.
was founded. There was an organization called the American Security Agency who found five willing Americans to undergo tests and transformations to become a force for America — the Force of July — and made no efforts to keep this a secret. With apt codenames and a lot of pomp and circumstance, these patriots held America's flag high as they took on missions that B. Eric Blairman assigned to them in the name of the President. Major Victory becomes the leader.
special, which continues in a similar Infinity Inc.
one-shot. The two teams investigate the Force's ties to the corrupt Prime Minister of the country of Markovia. The Outsiders member Geo-Force
is the prince of that country. Major Victory leads the assault when a combined Infinity/Outsiders team infiltrates their California base. All the heroes are subdued. Major Victory personally defeats the Outsider members Looker
and Katana
. In reference to Katana's Asian heritage, Major Victory says "Never could figure it out. I can understand the Jap turning against us, but Looker--she's an American!"
that includes the Suicide Squad, Checkmate
and Firestorm
titles called the Janus Directive
, the Force of July is drawn into a battle with the Suicide Squad
. Each side believes the other is acting against the interests of America. This is the result of plans by Kobra
, an international terrorist. The Squad kills the Force's Mayflower
, Sparkler
. Blairman dies of a heart attack.
Major Victory wants revenge against the Squad. Despite this, he serves with them reluctantly, battling Kobra's plans which would result in the deaths of many more innocent people. He learns Waller had ochrestrated the original fight to give the impression to outside hostile forces that an attempt to replace Waller with a double had succeeded. Major Victory loses his remaining teammates Silent Majority
and Lady Liberty
who sacrifice themselves in attempts to stop Kobra.
He comes to have a grudging respect for Amanda Waller
and her tough ways. Afterwards, the United States government asks Major Victory to maintain his post with the Squad and report on Waller's activities.
Eventually Major Victory returns to public duty. He reunites with the Suicide Squad, under Black Adam
's command, to help stop Circe
from her holy war against the Earth and all humanity. It was during this mission that he met and was recruited by the Captains of Industry
. He served with that team until its dissolution.
, a villain that can take over minds. This group of heroes is called the Shadow Fighters.
In issue #13 of the Eclipso series, several of the Shadow Fighters make their move. Eclipso easily moves among them, killing them one by one. Bill, side by side with the older hero Steel, is beaten to death by multiple Eclipso bodies.
His body, and the bodies of the other dead heroes, are retrieved in a risky mission by several surviving Shadow Fighters.
#1, a new Major Victory was created by S.H.A.D.E. at some point before the Infinite Crisis
for the American government, leading into a remake of the Force of July
named Freedom's Ring, which included new versions of Lady Liberty
and Silent Majority
. This Major Victory may or may not be identical with the above mentioned Major from the Superman stories.
Freedom's Ring was called in on orders from the government to take control of the situation in Blüdhaven, serving as a meta police group to keep other metas out of the city. Freedom's Ring eventually ran into a group calling themselves the Nuclear Legion, themselves on orders from the Secret Society of Super Villains
to investigate a radiation spike in Blüdhaven. In the aftermath of the fight, Silent Majority II and Lady Liberty II were killed, and Major Victory's superior Father Time denied him backup, leaving him alone against the Nuclear Legion and the Atomic Knight
.
This Major Victory shares a number of traits with his original namesake; blond hair, athletic physique, the original's arrogance and allegiance to the American government. This version's power suit also exhibits the same blue-white energy blasts and enhanced strength as the previous version. According to him he has a history in "kicking butt in seven different countries", and like Vickers this Major Victory seems to have developed a form of conscience, displayed in his wondering about the government's experimentation on refugees.
In an attempt to control Major Force
's battle lust, Major Victory instead wound up having his arm ripped off and being beaten with it by Major Force. Major Victory reappears with his arm in issue #7.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
s in the DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
universe. The name was first used by a character in Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
and The Outsiders
Outsiders (comics)
The Outsiders are a fictional DC Comics superhero team. As its name suggests, the team consists of superheroes who allegedly do not fit the norms of the mainstream superhero community, namely the Justice League....
Annual #1 (1984). He was affiliated with groups like Force of July
Force of July
The Force of July is a fictional DC Comics antagonistic superhero team introduced in 1984's Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1. They were created by Mike Barr and Jim Aparo.-Fictional history:...
, and Suicide Squad
Suicide Squad
The Suicide Squad, also known as Task Force X , is a name for two fictional organizations in the DC Comics Universe. The first version debuted in The Brave and the Bold #25 , and the second in Legends #3...
.
The next character to use the Major Victory name first appeared in Adventures of Superman #612 (March 2003). He appeared as a background character in a few Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
stories of the time. To date, the other identity of this character has not been revealed.
The current Major Victory active in the DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
, first appears in the miniseries Infinite Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Blüdhaven (2006), also as a government operative. This Major Victory may or may not be identical with the second Major Victory from the Superman stories.
William Vickers
The man born William Vickers started out as Major Victory, when the group known as the Force of JulyForce of July
The Force of July is a fictional DC Comics antagonistic superhero team introduced in 1984's Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1. They were created by Mike Barr and Jim Aparo.-Fictional history:...
was founded. There was an organization called the American Security Agency who found five willing Americans to undergo tests and transformations to become a force for America — the Force of July — and made no efforts to keep this a secret. With apt codenames and a lot of pomp and circumstance, these patriots held America's flag high as they took on missions that B. Eric Blairman assigned to them in the name of the President. Major Victory becomes the leader.
Infinity and the Outsiders
The Force had many successes believing that what they were doing was absolutely right, no questions asked. Major Victory and his team are featured in the 1987 OutsidersOutsiders (comics)
The Outsiders are a fictional DC Comics superhero team. As its name suggests, the team consists of superheroes who allegedly do not fit the norms of the mainstream superhero community, namely the Justice League....
special, which continues in a similar Infinity Inc.
Infinity Inc.
Infinity, Inc. is a team of superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The team is mostly composed of the children and heirs of the Justice Society of America, making them the Society's analogue to the Teen Titans, which is composed of sidekicks of Justice League members...
one-shot. The two teams investigate the Force's ties to the corrupt Prime Minister of the country of Markovia. The Outsiders member Geo-Force
Geo-Force
Geo-Force is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Markov is Prince of Markovia and the half-brother of Terra. Geo-Force is one of the founding members of the superhero group the Outsiders. He first appeared in a special insert in The Brave and the...
is the prince of that country. Major Victory leads the assault when a combined Infinity/Outsiders team infiltrates their California base. All the heroes are subdued. Major Victory personally defeats the Outsider members Looker
Looker (comics)
Looker is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Universe of comic books. The character's first appearance was in Batman & the Outsiders #25.-Emily Briggs:...
and Katana
Katana (comics)
Katana is a fictional character, a superheroine that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. She first appeared in a special insert in The Brave and the Bold #200 , and was created to be a member of the first Outsiders team by writer Mike W...
. In reference to Katana's Asian heritage, Major Victory says "Never could figure it out. I can understand the Jap turning against us, but Looker--she's an American!"
The Janus Directive
In a comic crossoverFictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
that includes the Suicide Squad, Checkmate
Checkmate (comics)
Checkmate, a division of Task Force X, is a fictional covert operations agency within the DC Comics universe. It first appeared in Action Comics #598 and proceeded to have its own ongoing title in Checkmate!...
and Firestorm
Firestorm (comics)
Firestorm is the name of several comic book superheroes published by DC Comics. Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein, the first Firestorm, debuted in Firestorm, the Nuclear Man #1 , and was created by Gerry Conway and Al Milgrom. Martin Stein, by himself as Firestorm, debuted in Firestorm the Nuclear...
titles called the Janus Directive
Janus Directive
"The Janus Directive" was an eleven-part comic book crossover first published by DC Comics between May and June of 1989. Among the creators who contributed to the storyline were writers John Ostrander, Kim Yale, Paul Kupperberg, Cary Bates and Greg Weisman and artists John K...
, the Force of July is drawn into a battle with the Suicide Squad
Suicide Squad
The Suicide Squad, also known as Task Force X , is a name for two fictional organizations in the DC Comics Universe. The first version debuted in The Brave and the Bold #25 , and the second in Legends #3...
. Each side believes the other is acting against the interests of America. This is the result of plans by Kobra
Kobra (comics)
Kobra is the name used by two fictional supervillains published by DC Comics. The Jeffrey Burr Kobra first appeared in Kobra #1 , and was created by Martin Pasko, Steve Sherman, Jack Kirby, and Pablo Marcos...
, an international terrorist. The Squad kills the Force's Mayflower
Mayflower (comics)
Mayflower is a fictional superhero in the DC Universe. She first appeared in Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1 .-Fictional character biography:...
, Sparkler
Sparkler (comics)
Sparkler is a fictional character in the DC Universe. He debuted in Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1 .-Fictional character biography:...
. Blairman dies of a heart attack.
Silent Majority (comics)
Silent Majority is a fictional character in the DC Universe. He first appeared in Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1 , as a member of the government-sponsored superhero team the Force of July.-Fictional character biography:...
and Lady Liberty
Lady Liberty (comics)
Lady Liberty is the name of several fictional characters in the DC Comics Universe.-Fictional character biographies:Lady Liberty is a member of the Force of July, a government sponsored superhero team. She first appeared in Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1 . Her costume consists of robes and a...
who sacrifice themselves in attempts to stop Kobra.
He comes to have a grudging respect for Amanda Waller
Amanda Waller
Dr. Amanda Blake Waller is a character published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Legends #1 in 1986, and was created by John Ostrander, Len Wein, and John Byrne...
and her tough ways. Afterwards, the United States government asks Major Victory to maintain his post with the Squad and report on Waller's activities.
On The Run
The Major refuses, reminding the government that he was a civilian and the man who provided him with the uniform and purposes in life, Blairman, was dead. The Major was going to follow his own conscience, and the government could not control that. Major Victory went underground for some time, keeping his activities covert, especially since at that time the Squad was disgraced and Waller was in jail, serving a one-year prison term.Eventually Major Victory returns to public duty. He reunites with the Suicide Squad, under Black Adam
Black Adam
Black Adam is a fictional comic book character, created in 1945 by Otto Binder & C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. Originally created as a one-shot villain for Fawcett Comics' Marvel Family team of superheroes, Black Adam was revived as a recurring supervillain after DC Comics began publishing Captain...
's command, to help stop Circe
Circe (comics)
Circe is a fictional character, a villainous sorceress and a major adversary of Wonder Woman appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. Based upon the Greek mythological character of the same name who imprisoned Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey, the comic book incarnation of Circe first...
from her holy war against the Earth and all humanity. It was during this mission that he met and was recruited by the Captains of Industry
Captains of Industry (comics)
The Captains of Industry were a fictional DC Comics superteam introduced in 1988's Firestorm the Nuclear Man issue #88.-History:The Captains of Industry were originally formed as a small investigative task force for the IMHS funded by a consortium of corporate interests...
. He served with that team until its dissolution.
Eclipso
Bill is later seen amongst a group of heroes assembled by Amanda Waller to invade the island stronghold of EclipsoEclipso
Eclipso is a fictional supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. The character is the incarnation of the Wrath of God and the Angel of Vengeance that turned evil and was replaced by the Spectre...
, a villain that can take over minds. This group of heroes is called the Shadow Fighters.
In issue #13 of the Eclipso series, several of the Shadow Fighters make their move. Eclipso easily moves among them, killing them one by one. Bill, side by side with the older hero Steel, is beaten to death by multiple Eclipso bodies.
His body, and the bodies of the other dead heroes, are retrieved in a risky mission by several surviving Shadow Fighters.
Replacement in Metropolis
A new Major Victory who, like his predecessor, has links to the United States government, appeared in the city of Metropolis a few years later. He was one of the first victims of the Hollow Men, drained by them of all colour and energy, but he was later restored. He had but a few appearances in the Superman stories of the time.S.H.A.D.E. agent
Revealed in Infinite Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for BlüdhavenBlüdhaven
Blüdhaven is a fictional city in the . Created by Chuck Dixon and Scott McDaniel in 1996, it was originally intended to serve as a backdrop for the Nightwing comics series.-Fictional geography:...
#1, a new Major Victory was created by S.H.A.D.E. at some point before the Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
for the American government, leading into a remake of the Force of July
Force of July
The Force of July is a fictional DC Comics antagonistic superhero team introduced in 1984's Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1. They were created by Mike Barr and Jim Aparo.-Fictional history:...
named Freedom's Ring, which included new versions of Lady Liberty
Lady Liberty (comics)
Lady Liberty is the name of several fictional characters in the DC Comics Universe.-Fictional character biographies:Lady Liberty is a member of the Force of July, a government sponsored superhero team. She first appeared in Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1 . Her costume consists of robes and a...
and Silent Majority
Silent Majority (comics)
Silent Majority is a fictional character in the DC Universe. He first appeared in Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1 , as a member of the government-sponsored superhero team the Force of July.-Fictional character biography:...
. This Major Victory may or may not be identical with the above mentioned Major from the Superman stories.
Freedom's Ring was called in on orders from the government to take control of the situation in Blüdhaven, serving as a meta police group to keep other metas out of the city. Freedom's Ring eventually ran into a group calling themselves the Nuclear Legion, themselves on orders from the Secret Society of Super Villains
Secret Society of Super Villains
The Secret Society of Super Villains is a group of comic book supervillains that exist in the DC Universe...
to investigate a radiation spike in Blüdhaven. In the aftermath of the fight, Silent Majority II and Lady Liberty II were killed, and Major Victory's superior Father Time denied him backup, leaving him alone against the Nuclear Legion and the Atomic Knight
Atomic Knight
Atomic Knight is a DC Comics superhero and was briefly a member of the Outsiders team. He is sometimes depicted as one of a group of Atomic Knights, which first appeared in Strange Adventures #117 .-Original Atomic Knights:...
.
This Major Victory shares a number of traits with his original namesake; blond hair, athletic physique, the original's arrogance and allegiance to the American government. This version's power suit also exhibits the same blue-white energy blasts and enhanced strength as the previous version. According to him he has a history in "kicking butt in seven different countries", and like Vickers this Major Victory seems to have developed a form of conscience, displayed in his wondering about the government's experimentation on refugees.
In an attempt to control Major Force
Major Force
Major Force is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. He is a supervillain that first appeared in Captain Atom vol. 3, #12 .-Early life:...
's battle lust, Major Victory instead wound up having his arm ripped off and being beaten with it by Major Force. Major Victory reappears with his arm in issue #7.
Powers and abilities
- None of the Majors Victory are naturally in possession of meta-human powers; their superhuman abilities come from the special suits they wear. They are also trained to the peak of human perfection.
- The original Major Victory also had a charismatic personality that made it easy for him to lead others. In contrast however, he was also arrogant and did not handle the authority of others very well.