| The Union | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | (King in Black[lower-alpha 1]) The Union #1 (December 2020) (The Marvels [lower-alpha 2]) The Marvels #5 (September 2021) |
| Created by | (The Union)[lower-alpha 3] (The Marvels)[lower-alpha 4] |
| In-story information | |
| Type of organisation | Superheroes |
| Base(s) | United Kingdom |
| Leader(s) |
|
| Agent(s) |
|
The Union is a fictional UK superhero team that appear in comic books published by Marvel.[1]
The Union has both old and new superheroes within it, including British hero Union Jack and a major new character, Britannia, who leads the new team in its fight against the enemies they encounter.
The Union appeared in the crossover event called King in Black alongside other well known comic book heroes and teams, and faced off against known foes and new foes not yet fought by any Marvel superhero or team.[2]
Comic publication history
The Union (comic) was first released in December 2020 with the first issue of the comic The Union #1. The Union was originally due to be release as part of the Empyre event, but was moved and rewritten to fit into King in Black event due to issues caused by the ongoing pandemic.[3][lower-alpha 7]
Team publication history
The Union (team) first appeared in The Union #1 as part of the King in Black crossover event.[4]
On 29 September 2021 The Union (team) featured in The Marvels #5 alongside other marvel superheroes .[lower-alpha 8]
The Union (comics)
| King in Black | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Issue No | Release | Publisher | Created by |
| 1 | December 02, 2020 | Marvel | Paul Grist
(writer) Andrea Di Vito |
| 2 | January 13, 2021 | ||
| 3 | February 24, 2021 | ||
| 4 | March 31, 2021 | ||
| 5 | May 05, 2021 | ||
| Special releases | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Release | ISBN | Publisher | Created by | Type | Citation |
| The Union: The Britannia Project | Jul 7, 2021 | ISBN 9781302938680 | Marvel | Paul Grist
(writer) Andrea Di Vito (illustrator) |
Trade Paper Back(TPB) | [6] |
Other series (team featured)
| The Marvels | ||
|---|---|---|
| Issue No | Release | Created by |
| The Marvels #5 | 29 September 2021 | Kurt Busiek (writing) Yildiray Cinar (inker) |
Britannia Project (organisation)
| Britannia Project | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Union #1 |
| Created by | Paul Grist |
| In-story information | |
| Type of organisation | Superhero Organisation |
| Base(s) | United Kingdom |
| Leader(s) | Steven Darwin |
| Agent(s) | The Union |
Main & Supporting characters
The Union
The Union was formed by the British Government as a publicity attempt to restore faith in Britain. The superhero team consists of five members; four of them representing the individual nations of the United Kingdom, and the fifth representing the UK as a whole.[7]
Britannia
Britannia is the leader of the Union and represents the United Kingdom as a whole. She is a powerful warrior, wearing a dark and light contrasting blue outfit with a red cloak. She is seen wielding a sword and shield, as well as a trident. After being killed by a symbiote dragon, her spirit resides within Union Jack, protecting him from harm and enhancing his strength.
Kelpie
Representative of Scotland in the team. She is referred to as "an ancient water demon found living in a Scottish lake". She has the power to control water, as well as being able to transform her hands into sharp claws.
The Choir
Representative of Wales in the team. She has black hair with a bright green strip across the top, and she is dressed in a glowing green and black contrasting outfit with a blue cloak and she wields a dagger. She is described as having "a voice that can shatter stone". During the attack on Earth by Knull, the Choir is infected by a symbiote. She is freed of Knull's control through the efforts of the Union, but later defects to work alongside Doc Croc and his team.
Snakes
Representative of Northern Ireland in the team. Snakes is a sentient collection of snakes formed together in the shape of a human. Described as having "the strength of ten men".
Representative of England in the team. He is the only pre-existing character in the Union, and the latest man to bear the name of a character who first appeared in The Invaders.
Bulldog
Joining the team as a replacement for Britannia after her death, Bulldog is a short man who displays super-strength and enhanced agility. He wears a red and grey jumpsuit and black boots.[8]
Supporting characters
Allies
- Selwlyn James (Government Minister with special responsibility for super heroes), the head of the Britannia Project, and the Union's government liaison. Later revealed to be ex-supervillain The Sponge
- Steve Darwin (Leader of the Britannia Project)
Enemies
- Knull
- Doc Croc (Croker Dyle)
- The Sponge (Selwlyn James)
- Skreem (The Choir) (supervillain / superhero) (introduced in The Union #1) (first full appearance in The Union #4)
- Volcana (introduced in The Union #4)
- Lady Shimmering Lights (introduced in The Union #4)
- Craig the cybernetically enhanced corgi (introduced in The Union #4)
Races and species (featured)
Reactions
The Union received mixed reviews from people across the United Kingdom, with some of the Scottish and Welsh people disagreeing with the name of the group and the way that their characters Kelpie (Scotland) & The Choir (Wales) portray the two countries.[9][10]
Roster
The Union (marvel team) roster has gone through a number of changes, this includes members leaving and joining the team and being present in a spirit form.[11][12]
(Current member are indicated in bold) (Leaders are highlighted in gold)
Current Roster
| The Union & The Marvels (comics) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Member | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Britannia | [lower-alpha 9] | ||||
| Union Jack | |||||
| Kelpie | |||||
| The Choir | [lower-alpha 10] | ||||
| Snakes | |||||
| Bulldog | |||||
| No of Members | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 |
See also
Marvel Lists
The Union (Members) Comics
References
- ↑ "'The Union' Introduces New Superteam to Marvel's Comic Book Universe This May". The Hollywood Reporter. 19 February 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
- ↑ Lealos, Shawn. S (December 7, 2020). "King in Black: Knull's Attack Kills One of Marvel's Newest Heroes". Comic Book Resources.
- ↑ Lovett, Jamie (October 30, 2020). "Marvel's The Union: Paul Grist Talks Introducing New Superhero Team During King in Black". Comic Book.
- ↑ MacNamee, Olly (December 2, 2020). "Review: 'The Union' #1 Introduces Readers To A United Team For A Disunited Britain". Comicon.
- ↑ Dodge, John (September 30, 2021). "The Marvels Puts a Controversial King in Black Team Back in Action". Comic Book Resources.
- ↑ Grist, Paul (July 7, 2021). The Union: The Britannia Project. Marvel Entertainment. ISBN 9781302938680 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Adams, Tim (February 14, 2020). "Marvel Introduces The Union, The UK's Brand-New Superhero Team". Comic Book Resources.
- ↑ Markstein’s, Don (2 April 2020). "Union Jack". Toonpedia.
- ↑ Jones, Branwen (February 24, 2020). "Marvel unveils its Welsh superhero - and some fans think it's 'humiliating". Daily Post.
- ↑ Hay, Katherine (February 20, 2020). "This is a big mistake': Scots react as Marvel launch new UK superhero team called The Union". Edinburgh News.
- ↑ Isaak, Joshua (May 16, 2021). "Marvel Reveals a Horrifying to Alternative To Infinity Stones". Screen Rant.
- ↑ Corley, Shaun (May 14, 2021). "Marvel's British Wolverine Just Endured a Humiliating Fastball Special". Screen Rant.
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ King in Black is the first crossover event that The Union features in and includes the first of The Union series of comics
- ↑ The Marvels is the first comic that The Union (team) feature in that is outside of The Union (comic) series (cameo appearance).
- ↑ see publication history section
- ↑ see the other series (team featured) section
- ↑ Leader in The Union #1)
- ↑ Leader in The Union #2 - #5 and current holder of the position.
- ↑ This was part of a 5 issue mini series
- ↑ This is a cameo role and not a full feature [5]
- ↑ but in The Union #5 he is eventually stopped through the combined efforts of Union Jack and the spirit of Britannia.
- ↑ see supporting characters section