Squadron Maximum (name: Squadron Supreme + Maximums):
Squadron Maximum is a superhero team from Amalgam-2, another universe in the New Amalgam Multiverse. The Squadron Maximum first battled the Justice Avengers (Avengers + Justice League) when both teams were tracking down the supervillain team known as Institute Extreme (Institute of Evil + Extremists) [Secret Society of Evil (Masters of Evil + Secret Society of Super Villains)] and both teams thought the other team was working for the Institute. The JA and the SM eventually came to their senses and teamed up to defeat the Institute. While each member of the Squadron is analogous to a member of the mainstream universe’s Justice Avengers and other heroes, the Squadron Maximum also has alternate-universe counterparts of their own; “The Champion Squad” exists on a post-apocalyptic Earth, while the “Militia Supreme” rules their Earth with an iron fist in order to end all super-crime.
Members, Left to Right:
Glowtesque, Sonic Boom, Silver Moon, Planeteer, American Frag, Satellite, Yardstick (behind Satellite), Lady Windshear, Hornet Lady, Golden Bow, Coastwise, and Chernobyrd.
Amalgamation of: Hyperion + Americommando
Counterpart of: Super-Soldier (Captain America + Superman)
Real Name: Mark Thompson
Biography: In Amalgam-2; the New Eternals (Eternals + New Gods) were completely wiped out in a civil war between their planets New Uranus and Apoktan (Uranus & Titan + New Genesis & Apokolips); the last surviving New Eternal was rocketed from New Uranus and landed on Earth. The child was adopted by a Texan couple and given the name “Mark Thompson.” Young Mark kept his powers a secret until America joined World War II. That’s when Mark designed his own patriotic costume and became “American Frag.” The U.S. Government employed him for several missions across the theaters of war, and even gave him an unbreakable shield for him to use. After the war, American Frag was faced with an unholy alliance of super villains called the Institute Extreme; in order to defeat them, American Frag formed the Squadron Maximum, initially consisting of himself, the armor-wearing Satellite, warrior woman Lady Windshear, the ultra-nimble Sonic Boom, and the mighty Glowtesque.
Powers: Superhuman strength/speed/agility/stamina/reflexes/senses; advanced regeneration; the ability to see the entire electromagnetic spectrum; laser projection from eyes; flight; use of an unbreakable shield.
Amalgamation of: Nighthawk + Tin Man
Counterpart of: Iron-Bat (Iron Man + Batman)
Real Name: Timothy ‘Tim’ Richmond
Biography: Timothy Richmond is a wealthy politically-minded businessman who inherited his father’s fortune after he died of a heart attack. Ready and willing to fight crime and supervillains, Tim built himself a robotic suit of armor, powered by his own bio-kinetic energy, and became the Satellite. He soon joined American Frag’s superhero team, the Squadron Maximum.
Powers: Wears a robotic suit of armor that grants him super strength/durability/reflexes, flight, various weapons and tools, and remote computer interfacing. Tim has a high intelligence, and extensive combat training.
Amalgamation of: Power Princess + Wandjina
Counterpart of: Thunder Woman (Thor + Wonder Woman)
Real Name: Zardjina
Biography: Zardjina is the princess of the Utopians, a race of technologically- and physiologically-advanced humanoids living secretly in the deserts of Australia for thousands of years. When the Utopians discovered that the humans of the outside world have harnessed nuclear energy as a weapon, they left the Earth for a new home in massive starships. Zardjina remained behind as Earth’s ambassador for the Utopians, hoping to convince them to abandon atomic warfare. Before their departure, Utopian scientists gave her an unbreakable shield and weather-controlling axe in order to defend herself. As Lady Windshear, Zardjina joined the Squadron Maximum, believing her noble actions can convince Earth to discard their nuclear weapons for good; Zardjina also developed a romance with the leader of the Squad, American Frag.
Powers: Superhuman strength/speed/stamina/agility/reflexes; longevity; combat experience; her translucent shield is unbreakable and allows her to fly, and her battle axe allows her to manipulate the weather.
Amalgamation of: Dr. Spectrum + Monster
Counterpart of: Green Giant (The Hulk + Green Lantern [Hal Jordan])
Real Name: Rebecca “Becky” Ledger/Krister
Biography: Astronaut Rebecca Ledger was on a routine spacewalk when her ship was struck by a small piece of crystal careening through the void; the ship crashed back to Earth, in the desert, killing all of the crew members but Becky. Becky, in her death throes, seized the crystal, which revived her, but changed her into a beast with great strength and energy powers. The creature rampaged through a nearby city until he was subdued and transformed back into Becky by American Frag, Satellite, and Lady Windshear. While recovering, she learned that the crystal had not only bonded with her, it was alive! The crystal telepathically communicated with her, explaining that it was once Krister, a skrultian (Skrull + Martian) who had tried to overthrow the Skrultian Emperor and was sentenced to exist forever in a crystal form. Becky accepted her new entwinement with the being, agreeing to help Krister regain his original form. Becky and Krister joined the Squadron Maximum under the collective name “Glowtesque.”
Powers: Superhuman strength/stamina/durability/senses; advanced regeneration; energy generation and manipulation (flight, energy blasts, energy shields, intangibility).
Amalgamation of: Whizzer + Captain Speed
Counterpart of: Silverflash (Quicksilver + The Flash [Barry Allen])
Real Name: Stanley B. Christos
Biography: Stanley Christos gained his speedster abilities when he inhaled a chemical mist of alien origins. Fighting crime in Athens, Georgia, he was originally known as “Jack Blur”, but later changed it to “Sonic Boom” when he joined the Squadron Maximum.
Powers: Superhuman speed/agility/reflexes, can glide over short distances.
Amalgamation of: Moonglow/Arcanna Jones + Silver Sorceress
Counterpart of: Scarlet Magician (Scarlet Witch + Zatanna)
Real Name: Laura Jones
Biography: Laura Jones is the apprentice of Melissa Nielsen, the Squadron’s first Silver Moon. When Melissa sacrificed herself to destroy a magical threat, Laura took on the mantel “Silver Moon” for herself. It is later revealed that Laura’s father is none other than The Doctor (Dr. Decibel + Dr. Diehard), a member of the Institute Extreme.
Powers: Magical abilities for flight, illusion projection, matter manipulation, energy bolts, extra-sensory perception, and trans-dimensional travel. Received hand-to-hand combat training from Lady Windshear.
Amalgamation of: Skymax + Robot
Counterpart of: Martian Vision (Vision + Martian Manhunter)
Biography: When the Skrultian Empire discovered that the crystal that had once been a traitor had given a lowly human extraordinary powers, they sent an agent of their cyborg “Techno-Corps” to retrieve the crystal, wanting to use its power to destroy their enemies. When this unnamed skrultian cyborg crash-landed on Earth, its primary objective had been disabled in the crash. The living machine was taken in by the Squadron. Taking the name “Planeteer,” he defied his rebooted programming and defended Glowtesque from the Skrultian invaders seeking the crystal.
Powers: Super strength/durability/stamina, organic-metal flesh, flight, energy projection, shapeshifting, telepathy.
Amalgamation of: Tom Thumb + Skyscraper
Counterpart of: Smasher Man (Giant Man [Bill Foster] + Atom-Smasher)
Real Name: Harvey Thomason
Biography: Harvey Thomason is a dwarf with a high scientific acumen making up for his diminutive stature. His brilliant inventions caught the eye of Satellite, who enlisted him in the Squadron Maximum. Harvey fell in love with his teammate Jaime Lewis, aka Hornet Lady, and invented the size-shifting ‘powersuit’ to give himself the dimensions of a normal man to impress her. He later discovered that he could become much larger or smaller with the powersuit, officially fighting evil alongside the other Squadron members as “Yardstick.”
When Harvey was slain in battle with a supervillain, American Frag and other Squadron members decided to use one of Harvey’s inventions, the “Behavior Modification Machine”, to force criminals they capture to end their criminal ways. Satellite was disgusted by this blatant misuse of their power and left the Squadron. As Squadron Maximum slowly lost their moral compasses, Satellite formed the Absolvers (Redeemers + Justifiers) [Outer-Warriors (New Warriors + Outsiders)], a team of young heroes, to combat the oppressive uprising of the Squadron. Satellite and American Frag eventually came to blows, but the Absolver Chernobyrd poisoned Frag with radion, a radioactive alien ore that’s deadly to New Eternals. While Mark was incapacitated, Tim explained to him that Harvey told him that he was diagnosed with cancer, and that his dying wish was to die fighting for justice. Mark, wishing to not further taint his friend’s memory, had the Squadron reverse the effects of the BMM on the villains and destroy the machine.
Powers: Super intelligence. Powersuit allows Harvey to change his size, from less than an inch to 30 stories in height. Super strength and durability when grown. “Absorption panels” on chest plate constantly absorb ambient energy (electrical, kinetic, solar, ect.) to maintain his stamina when heightened; when small, the panels become laser cannons for Harvey to use offensively.
Amalgamation of: Lady Lark/Skylark + Hornet
Counterpart of: Wasp Girl (The Wasp [Janet Van Dyne] + Hawkgirl [Kendra Saunders])
Real Name: Jamie Lewis
Biography: Jamie Lewis was a singer until she was captured by The Doctor, among others, and was subjected to a number of painful surgeries that gave her powers. The Doctor intended to create an army of cyborg “Xen-Men” to conquer the United States, but he was defeated by the newly-formed Squadron Maximum. The Doctor escaped after he set his hideout to self-destruct, and Jamie was the only Xen-Man to survive the explosion. She joined the Squadron under the name “Hornet Lady” in order to get revenge against The Doctor (this has caused some tension between her and her teammate Silver Moon, who is the daughter of The Doctor). Jamie started a relationship with Golden Bow, another Squadron member, but when he started cheating on her, she left him and started going out with Yardstick.
Powers: Cybernetic implants grant Hornet Lady wings for flight, sonic energy blasts from hands, the ability to shrink to 1-inch tall, and organic-metal armor.
Amalgamation of: Golden Archer + Bow-Man
Counterpart of: Hawk Arrow (Hawkeye + Green Arrow)
Real Name: Wyatt Manson
Biography: A womanizing hero from the United Kingdom, Golden Bow was originally the “beau” (pun intended) of his Squadron Maximum teammate Hornet Lady. He took advantage of her trust, however, and she ended up dumping him for fellow Squadron member Yardstick. Wyatt tried to beg Jamie for her forgiveness, but she couldn’t reconcile with him. Distraught, he took a walk while still in his costume, and was captured by the Institute Extreme. The villains tortured him into revealing the Squadron’s secret headquarters, and they captured the heroes and used Yardstick’s Behavior Modification Machine to enslave their minds. Golden Bow managed to escape captivity and fight off the mind-controlled heroes by himself, but in the end they shook off the effects of the machine and turned against the Institute. Squadron Maximum, soon after, voted on expelling Wyatt from their ranks.
When the Squadron started taking control of Earth, Golden Bow joined Satellite’s Absolvers in order to redeem himself.
Powers: Expert archer with superhuman accuracy and a variety of “trick arrows”, each armed with a different effect, such as “exploding,” “electrified,” “tear gas,” and “grappling.”
Amalgamation of: Amphibian + Barracuda
Counterpart of: Aquariner (Namor the Sub-Mariner + Aquaman)
Real Name: Barton Kingsley
Biography: A metamutant (mutant + metahuman) with fish-like abilities, Barton Kingsley was recruited by American Frag to go undercover and infiltrate the Institute Extreme. During a battle between the Squadron and the Institute, Kingsley appeared as the maritime meanace “Coastwise”, helping the Institute drive off the Squadron (only Frag knew that Coastwise was really a mole). After months of undercover work, Kingsley discovered and reported the Institute’s master plan: holding the United States for ransom with weapons of mass destruction called “Nth Bombs.” But before Kingsley could relay the coordinates of the Institute’s new HQ, the villains had an unexpected guest: the reality-hopping supervillain known as Scarlet Monarch (Scarlet Centurion + Monarch) had come to Amalgam-2 to recruit the Institute into his army. Master Havok (Master Menace + Lord Havok) [Vandal Doom (Dr. Doom + Vandal Savage)] politely refused (with laser cannons) and Scarlet Monarch sent his minions after them. The Squadron took advantage of the ensuing chaos and disabled the Nth bombs, but Coastwise was killed.
Powers: Underwater survival; superfast swimming; superhuman strength/stamina/durability/senses; minor shapeshifting abilities; wields a trident.
Amalgamation of: Nuke + Blue Jay
Counterpart of: Torchstorm (Human Torch + Firestorm)
Real Name: Albert Abrams
Biography: Albert Abrams gained his powers from exposure to nuclear radiation. He was recruited by Satellite into the Absolvers for his ability to control radion energy, which can harm American Frag. During the battle the Absolvers and the Squadron Maximum, Chernobyrd damaged Glowtesque’s energy crystal, which sent him two years into the future for two seconds, where he caught a glimpse of American Frag as the evil ruler of Earth. Even though the Squadron was defeated and they relinquished control of Earth, Chernobyrd joined the team in order to keep this future from coming to pass, willing to kill Frag if necessary.
Powers: Generation of energy wings for flight, energy blasts, super strength/durability/stamina. The ability to manipulate the radiation of different elements. Wears a radiation-suit, designed by Satellite, to keep his powers in check.