Jack Flag

Jack Flag (Jack Harrison) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A minor patriotic hero, Flag has occasionally appeared alongside Captain America and has been a member of the science fiction group Guardians of the Galaxy.

Publication history

He first appeared in Captain America (1st series) #434 (December 1994), and was created by Mark Gruenwald and Dave Hoover.

Fictional character biography

Jack and his brother, Drake, were members of Captain America's computer hotline network and they created a citizen's patrol group in their hometown, Sandhaven, Arizona. Drake was attacked by a couple of criminals and the attack left him unable to use his legs. After the attack, Jack and Drake discovered that the Serpent Society had infiltrated their hometown and they had attempted to contact the local authorities, but the Serpent Society had paid them all off. Jack was unhappy with this information so he began training in martial arts and weight lifting so that he could fight the Serpent Society himself. He took on a disguise that he thought would make Captain America proud and began to fight crime as Jack Flag.^[1]

During a bank robbery, Jack intervened and stopped Rock Python and Fer-de-Lance (both of whom were members of the Serpent Society). Shortly after this, Jack attempted to infiltrate the Society, but King Cobra did not fully trust Flag. King Cobra sent him to steal a painting from Mr. Hyde, who severely beat Jack. While fighting, Flag was drenched in Hyde's chemicals and developed superhuman physical powers. After receiving his new powers, Flag easily defeated Mr. Hyde and retrieved the painting that he was supposed to steal for the Serpent Society. Before returning the painting to the King Cobra, Flag contacted Captain America's hotline and informed them that the Serpent Society was in Sandhaven.^[2] Impressed that he was able to defeat Mr. Hyde, Cobra tried out Jack as a new King Cobra. While Flag was undercover with the Serpent Society, Captain America, and his protégé, Free Spirit, showed up to aid Jack and defeat the Society. Jack followed Captain America and Free Spirit east, aiding them against ULTIMATUM, AIM, and Madcap. When Captain America believed he was dying, he charged Jack Flag, Free Spirit, Fabian Stankowicz and Zach Moonhunter with maintaining his hotline.^[3]

Against the Thunderbolts

Jack Flag helps a girl escape a group of gangbangers and is targeted by the new Thunderbolts for violating the Superhuman Registration Act.^[4] He is able to subdue almost all of the Thunderbolts team, but is then stabbed in the spine by Bullseye while escaping, puncturing his cauda equina and apparently leaving him paralyzed, with Bullseye stating that Flag would "Never walk again".^[5] He is then taken into custody, where he is severely beaten by an enraged Swordsman.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Flag is shown leading the prisoners of the Negative Zone prison against Blaastar's army, despite the fact that he now uses a wheelchair.^[6] After escaping with the Guardians of the Galaxy,^[7] Jack's spine is repaired, in two minutes, by Knowhere's medical staff and he opts to remain on the station rather than return to Earth (where he would be considered a fugitive).^[8] He later joins the Guardians as part of 'The Kree Team' during the crossover event War of Kings,^[9] and is still an active member of the team in The Thanos Imperative.^[10] NOT: During the WAR OF KINGS Saga, one of many alternate future itinerations of the 31st Century Guardian, STARHAWK, kidnaps Jack Flag, Starlord, Bug, Mantis, and Cosmo. There, they discover that the future tense is in perilous flux due to "The Fault;" A multi-parsec wide tear in the fabric of spacetime, created as a result of Black Bolt of the Inhuman-lead Kree Empire having detonating a bomb so powerful it ruptured the Dark Matter holding the universe together. Unless stopped, the fault, as revealed to the Guardians by Kang the Conquorer(All who is left, along with Starhawks from every parallel universe). As the Guardians make their way through this oddessy, and attempting to deliver a message to Adam Warlock, who is in the 21st Century just prior to the T-Bomb's Detonation, the Guardians are suffering symptoms of the broken time-stream. While Peter Quill, via use of a Bodoon enslaved Celestial and the Telepathic dog COSMO, Warlock manages to stop the growth of the Fault, but the tear remains, opening a door for greater perils, whilst Warlock has become his evil self, The Magus as a result of his saving the universe from total obliteration via the Faults expansion. As StarLord Becomes geriatric, Mantis an infant, Bug an adolescent, and Cosmo a puppy, Jack Flag seems to appear intangible. A Starhawk reveals to him that this is due to Jack Flags "Unique Nature," and informs that it is Jack Flags Destiny to Reshape the Universe. This dangling Plot line has yet to be explored by any writers.

Captain America: Steve Rogers

Jack Flag later returned to Earth, where he was recruited by a rejuvenated Steve Rogers as part of S.H.I.E.L.D. to combat the growing threat of Hydra. He and Free Spirit went to Bagalia to deal with Baron Zemo and his "New Masters". However, Jack ignored Cap's orders to remain with Free Spirit and went after Zemo himself, confronting him on his getaway plane and defeating him. Angry at him, Rogers throws Flag from the airplane without a parachute, before saying "Hail Hydra" at the end of the issue.^[11] Free Spirit manages to find him on the street, unconscious but alive, until all the villains of Bagalia attempt to kill them. They're eventually rescued by Steve Rogers and the S.H.I.E.L.D. squad in time to get Jack Flag medical attention, who fell into a coma as a result of the injury.^[12] He's later seen at the medical bay in a comatose state, while Free Spirit and Rick Jones visit him.^[13]

Powers and abilities

After being drenched with Mr. Hyde's chemicals, Jack Flag received superhuman strength, stamina and durability. He's also a superb athlete and a skilled martial artist.

References

External links

• Marvel.com - Marvel Universe: Jack Flag