The Union is a fictional
UK superhero team that appear in
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
s published by Marvel.
The Union has both old and new superheroes within it, including British hero
Union Jack
The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...
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
''King in Black'' is a comic book event written by Donny Cates with art by Ryan Stegman, and was published from 2020 to 2021 by Marvel Comics. It is a continuation to 2019's '' Absolute Carnage'', also containing fallout from 2020's ''Empyre''. I ...
'' 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.
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
"Empyre" is a 2020 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. This storyline follows the events of ''Incoming!''. It was published in July of 2020.
Premise
The Avengers, the Fantastic Four and various other heroes of the Marvel univers ...
event, but was moved and rewritten to fit into
King in Black
''King in Black'' is a comic book event written by Donny Cates with art by Ryan Stegman, and was published from 2020 to 2021 by Marvel Comics. It is a continuation to 2019's '' Absolute Carnage'', also containing fallout from 2020's ''Empyre''. I ...
event due to issues caused by the ongoing pandemic.
Team publication history
The Union (team) first appeared in The Union #1 as part of the King in Black crossover event.
On 29 September 2021 The Union (team) featured in The Marvels #5 alongside other marvel superheroes .
Other series (team featured)
Britannia Project (organisation)
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.
Britannia
Britannia is the leader of the Union and represents the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
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
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
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
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
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
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
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".
Union Jack
The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...
Representative of
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
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
''The Invaders'' is an American science-fiction television series created by Larry Cohen that aired on ABC for two seasons, from 1967 to 1968. Roy Thinnes stars as David Vincent, who after stumbling across evidence of an in-progress invas ...
''.
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.
Main article: The Union (Marvel Team)
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)
*
Humans
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
*
Symbiotes/Klyntar
* Dogs (Robot)
Reactions
The Union received mixed reviews from people across the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, 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.
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.
(Current member are indicated in bold)
Current Roster
See also
Marvel Lists
*
List of Marvel superhero teams
*
List of Marvel Comics characters
This is a list of Marvel Universe fictional characters which were created for and are owned by Marvel Comics. Licensed or creator-owned characters ( G.I. Joe, Godzilla, Groo the Wanderer, Men in Black, Conan the Barbarian, Mighty Morphin Power R ...
The Union (Members) Comics
*
Union Jack (Marvel Comics)
Union Jack is the name of three fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Roy Thomas and Frank Robbins, the first Union Jack first appeared in ''Invaders'' #7 (July 1976). A second incarnati ...
References
External links
MarvelThe Union (Marvel Comic Series)The Union (Marvel Comic Series) (
trade paperback)
The Marvels #5 (Marvel Comic)
Footnotes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Union (Marvel Superhero Team), The
Marvel Comics superhero teams
Marvel Comics superheroes
United Kingdom-themed superheroes
British superheroes