Crimson Commando is the name used by three
fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life perso ...
s, which are either a
mutant
In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...
or a cyborg appearing in
American comic books published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
.
Publication history
Frank Bohannan first appears in ''The
Uncanny X-Men
''Uncanny X-Men'', originally published as ''The X-Men'', is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics since 1963, and is the longest-running series in the X-Men comics franchise. It features a team of superheroes called the X- ...
'' #215 (March 1987) and was created by
Chris Claremont and
Alan Davis.
The second version only appeared briefly in ''
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to lo ...
'' vol. 2 #106 (Nov. 2000) and was created by
Chris Claremont and
Leinil Francis Yu
Leinil Francis Yu (born 1977) is a People of the Philippines, Filipino comic book artist, who began working for the United States, American market through Wildstorm Productions.
Career
Leinil Francis Yu was first recognized after winning the ''W ...
.
The third version appears in ''X-Men'' vol. 3 #40 (March 2013), and was created by
Seth Peck
Seth,; el, Σήθ ''Sḗth''; ; "placed", "appointed") in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Mandaeism, and Sethianism, was the third son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel, their only other child mentioned by name in the Hebrew Bible. Ac ...
,
Jefte Palo
Jephthah (pronounced ; he, יִפְתָּח, ''Yīftāḥ''), appears in the Book of Judges as a judge who presided over Israel for a period of six years (). According to Judges, he lived in Gilead. His father's name is also given as Gilead, ...
and
Guillermo Mogorron
Guillermo () is the Spanish form of the male given name William. The name is also commonly shortened to 'Guille' or, in Latin America, to nickname 'Memo'. People
*Guillermo Amor (born 1967), Spanish football manager and former player
*Guillermo Ar ...
.
Fictional character biography
Frank Bohannan
Frank Bohannan was born somewhere in
. As the Crimson Commando, he was one of a trio of World War II veteran super-heroes recruited to be a member of
Freedom Force, the original government-sponsored mutant team. Earlier, along with his partners,
Stonewall and
Super Sabre, Bohannan had become a vigilante who captured criminals, released them and hunted them in
Adirondack State Park
The Adirondack Park is a part of New York's Forest Preserve in northeastern New York, United States. The park was established in 1892 for “the free use of all the people for their health and pleasure”, and for watershed protection. The park ...
in upstate New York. The trio killed the criminals, both to reduce the criminal element in society and for the enjoyment of hunting them.
The trio captured Pamela Morrison, a drug dealer, and mistaking
Storm
A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere
An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmos ...
(the leader of the
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
) for a criminal, the trio hunted and captured her as well. The women were set out for the vigilantes to hunt both to their deaths. The Crimson Commando killed Morrison, but
Wolverine
The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for "gluttony, glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is ...
arrived to help Storm. When Storm and Wolverine eventually defeated the trio, Stonewall and Crimson Commando agreed to turn themselves in to law enforcement authorities and confess their vigilantism. Stonewall, Crimson Commando, and Super Sabre (who had been presumed dead) agreed to join
Freedom Force, a U.S. government sponsored team of superhumans, in exchange for a commutation of their sentences.
On his first mission with Freedom Force, he fought the X-Men in Dallas, and battled cavemen transported to Dallas by time-waves created by the
Adversary
An adversary is generally considered to be a person, group, or force that opposes and/or attacks.
Adversary may also refer to:
* Satan ("adversary" in Hebrew), in Judeo-Christian religion
Entertainment Fiction
* Adversary (comics), villain fro ...
. He watched a telecast of the X-Men's deaths in order to defeat the Adversary, and then witnessed the return of
Forge
A forge is a type of hearth used for heating metals, or the workplace (smithy) where such a hearth is located. The forge is used by the smith to heat a piece of metal to a temperature at which it becomes easier to shape by forging, or to th ...
to Dallas without the X-Men. While still in Dallas, Freedom Force also contended against the
New Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of fictional mutant superheroes
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically us ...
.
Crimson Commando was also a part of the Freedom Force mission to attempt capture
Cyclops
In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; el, Κύκλωπες, ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguish ...
and
Marvel Girl, who defeated Freedom Force. He also assisted the team's attempt to capture
Rusty Collins
Russell "Rusty" Collins, formerly known as Firefist, is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Firefist was portrayed in the 2018 film ''Deadpool 2'', by Julian Dennison.
Publication history
Created ...
, which was thwarted by the New Mutants. He again fights Rusty Collins and his girlfriend Skids, alongside Freedom Force; this time, they captured Rusty and Skids. With Freedom Force, he also pursued
Cable
Cable may refer to:
Mechanical
* Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof
* Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
, who had escaped federal custody.
Crimson Commando would be gravely wounded during a bungled mission in the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
. Freedom Force was sent to Kuwait City to rescue or kill physicist Reinhold Kurtzmann, but they encountered the Arabic super-team called
Desert Sword
A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one ...
. Teammate Super Sabre was killed, while the Crimson Commando's right hand was severed by the "cutting wind" of
Aminedi
The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several fictional teams and organizations and this page lists them.
0–9 198
A A-Force
A-Next
A.I. Army
Because of his revelation that he is now a simulated A ...
. Bohannan was seriously wounded, and
Avalanche
An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain.
Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and earth ...
was forced to abandon
Blob
Blob may refer to:
Science Computing
* Binary blob, in open source software, a non-free object file loaded into the kernel
* Binary large object (BLOB), in computer database systems
* A storage mechanism in the cloud computing platform M ...
and
Pyro in the desert to save his life. Bohannan was evacuated from Kuwait for hospitalization.
The Crimson Commando next appeared having been turned into a cyborg going by the name of Cyborg X. He had been rebuilt by CARE LABS but a testing accident had caused him to malfunction bringing him into a confrontation with
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...
and
Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider.
The first s ...
. Cyborg X would later assist Spider-Man in battling the
Sinister Six
Sinister commonly refers to:
* Evil
* Ominous
Sinister may also refer to:
Left side
* Sinister, Latin for the direction "left"
* Sinister, in heraldry, is the bearer's true left side (viewers' right side) of an escutcheon or coat of arms; see de ...
but was believed to have been killed in an explosion at CARE LABS.
Now going by only the name Commando, Bohannan next appeared on a mission for
Project Wideawake
The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. There follows a list of those features.
Places
Certain places fe ...
. He was teamed-up with his former Freedom Force teammate
Avalanche
An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain.
Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and earth ...
to infiltrate the reclusive
Empyrean
In ancient cosmologies, the Empyrean Heaven, or simply the Empyrean, was the place in the highest heaven, which was supposed to be occupied by the element of fire (or aether in Aristotle's natural philosophy). The word derives from the Mediev ...
's headquarters and put his operation out of commission.
[''X-Men'' Annual #2] They were also ordered by a rogue government official to assassinate
Polaris
Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude that ...
of
X-Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003) ...
.
Commando appears in the reality-altered
House of M
"House of M" is a 2005 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of a core eight-issue comic book limited series written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel and a number of crossover tie-in books. Its fir ...
storyline serving as one of Magneto's royal guards. After this and
M-Day he lost his mutant powers.
[''The Uncanny X-Men'' #539] Without his powers, Commando begins to die. He kidnaps
Hope Summers
Sarah Hope Summers (June 7, 1902 – June 22, 1979) was an American character actress known for her work on CBS's ''The Andy Griffith Show'' and ''Mayberry RFD'', portraying Clara Edwards.
Early life
Hope Summers was born in Mattoon, Illinois ...
in an attempt to have her save him.
Wolverine
The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for "gluttony, glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is ...
rescues her and decapitates Crimson Commando.
Second version
A young, female, African-American version of Crimson Commando appeared very briefly as a member of
Mystique's new
Brotherhood of Mutants
The Brotherhood of Mutants (originally called the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, sometimes referred to as BoEM or B.O.E.M) is a fictional team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters are depicted as being devot ...
. Her name was never stated and her powers never exhibited, but
Chris Claremont previously stated there would be a new
Super Sabre,
Mastermind
Mastermind, Master Mind or The Mastermind may refer to:
Fictional characters
* Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde), a fictional supervillain in Marvel Comics, a title also held by his daughters:
** Martinique Jason, the first daughter and successor of th ...
and Crimson Commando.
Third version
A human/cyborg version of Crimson Commando is a member of the
Freedom Force.
[''X-Men'' vol. 2 #40] His power armor is equipped with two automatic machine guns as hands, and a machine/rail gun mounted on left shoulder.
Powers and abilities
Frank Bohannan is a
mutant
In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...
who has the ability to achieve the peak of human physical perfection, although just right beneath superhuman levels (similar to the physical enhancements granted by
Captain America
Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...
's super-soldier treatments). More specifically, his mutation has kept his body at the very peak of physical perfection a baseline human can achieve without becoming a superhuman, and thus apparently ages at a much slower rate than normal human beings. This also seems to include enhanced resistance to injury, managing to survive having his right hand severed and bleeding continuously for an hour, before being maimed by a
land mine
A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...
. Although he was on the brink of death, he managed to hang on long enough to receive medical attention and survive.
Frank can carry out actions while submerging his conscious thought processes so deeply within his mind that his mind is shielded from telepathic detection. He also exhibited some degree of super-vision, able to see his super-fast teammate
Super Sabre when the speedster was moving at superhuman velocities. Bohannan wore a computer and modem device on his wrist, and carried knives, daggers, and conventional handguns as weapons. He is an extraordinary hand-to-hand combatant and commando fighter, and is also a highly skilled hunter and tracker. As a cyborg, the extent of his abilities is largely unknown. One arm was replaced by a large gun, his legs are now metal and he can walk up the side of buildings, and at least one eye was replaced with an optical sensor able to see beyond the range of normal human vision.
In other media
* The Frank Bohannan version of Crimson Commando appeared in ''
X-Men II: The Fall of the Mutants''.
References
External links
*
* {{Marvunapp, http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix6/crimsoncommando_brotherhoodtrainee.htm, Crimson Commando (Brotherhood)
A rebuilt Commando in an X-Factor Proposal*http://marvel.com/universe/Commando_%28Frank_Bohannan%29
Characters created by Alan Davis
Characters created by Chris Claremont
Comics characters introduced in 1987
Comics characters introduced in 2000
Fictional aviators
Fictional characters from Massachusetts
Fictional World War II veterans
Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength
Marvel Comics cyborgs
Marvel Comics female supervillains
Marvel Comics martial artists
Marvel Comics mutants