DC Needs to Bring Back its Most Patriotic Superhero Team (Because Now Is the Perfect Time)

James Gunn’s Peacemaker Season 2 has been a worthy continuation of the critically acclaimed series, which follows the disgraced titular anti-hero, Peacemaker, played by John Cena. In the second season, Peacemaker travels to an ideal world where he and his family are beloved superheroes. However, episode 6 reveals the truth that many fans had anticipated about the nature of this seemingly perfect world. It is in fact the infamous Earth-10, aka Earth-X, where the Nazi’s won World War II and took over the world. Earth-X has at its core one of the most underrated DC superhero teams of all time: the Freedom Fighters. DC Comics has unfairly forgotten this team of patriotic liberators dedicated to fighting fascism. With the current state of the world, the Freedom Fighters need to return.

The heroes that make up the Freedom Fighters began as independent superheroes published by Quality Comics during the early 1940s. It wasn’t until DC Comics acquired the rights to the characters that the official Freedom Fighters team emerged during the 1970s. The main team includes Uncle Sam, the Ray, Human Bomb, Phantom Lady, Black Condor, Doll Man, and Doll Woman. The Ray can fly and fire energy bolts; Human Bomb is a walking nuclear fallout; Phantom Lady can teleport and manipulate shadows; Condor can fly with metallic wings; and Doll Man and Doll Woman can shrink. The Freedom Fighters were initially introduced as the last hope for Earth-X after the Nazi’s took over the world.

While a version of the team does exist in the main DC Universe timeline, they are primarily relegated to either World War II heroes or background characters. Even the Earth-X Freedom Fighters have not had a major appearance since their underrated mini-series in 2019. The sidelining of this superhero team has been an egregious misstep on the part of DC Comics. Not only do the members possess incredible powers, but their fight for liberty and freedom against an entrenched tyrannical political order also offers a limitless potential for commentary concerning resistance to injustice that is extremely pertinent to the current situation and trajectory of the United States and the world.

The Freedom Fighters are a Symbol of America’s Core Values

From Superman to Captain America, there are plenty of superheroes who represent the best of what America has to offer. The Freedom Fighters share a similar ideal but have been unfairly overshadowed by DC’s more popular heroes. The truth is that the Freedom Fighters are some of the best representatives of American values in all of DC Comics.

The Freedom Fighters are more than just a team of star-spangled heroes; they represent the living ideals of equality and autonomy for all. In 2014, DC Comics’ Multiversity series revamped the Earth-X version of the Freedom Fighters, making their battle for liberty far more meaningful. The latest iteration of the Freedom Fighters consists of representatives of different minority groups that the Nazis targeted. Ray is gay, Black Condor is African American, Doll Man and Doll Woman are Jehovah’s Witnesses, Phantom Lady is of Romani descent, and the Human Bomb is Jewish. These heroes are fighting in the name of survival, and as emissaries of groups that have been unjustly persecuted for centuries, and even more ruthlessly by the Earth-X fascist government. They stand as defenders of their communities and of America’s heterogeneous population.

Perhaps the member of the Freedom Fighters who most embodies America’s ideals is none other than their leader, Uncle Sam. This hero isn’t just someone dressing up as the iconic symbol of America. In DC Comics, Uncle Sam is literally the American Spirit given a physical form. The more people believe in America’s ideals of truth, justice, and liberty for all, the stronger he becomes. His powers include super-strength, immortality, and size alteration. Uncle Sam has been fighting for independence since the Revolutionary War and has founded nearly every incarnation of the Freedom Fighters. Uncle Sam represents the power of the American Dream and how we must never stop fighting the forces of fascism and bigotry. He will appear whenever America needs him most, and that time is now.

Read Next

Superman Has Always Been an Immigrant Story Whether You Like It or Not

The World Needs the Freedom Fighters Now More Than Ever

Given the current state of the world and American politics, DC Comics has a perfect opportunity for the Freedom Fighters to tackle complex and nuanced modern debates surrounding patriotism and fascism. The world is witnessing an unsettling resurgence of authoritarianism, both abroad and locally. Fascist and bigoted ideologies have wormed their way into the highest seats of American politics, threatening to destroy democracy. The frequency of hate crimes against minorities is escalating, and the American people are more divided than they have been in a very long time. Many patriotic heroes, such as Superman and Captain America, address contemporary issues like these in their stories. They present the best and worst of America, and the Freedom Fighters should follow suit.

DC limited the Freedom Fighters to only fighting stereotypical German Nazis. This ignores the potential for commentary that these heroes can offer regarding fighting local sources of fascism. The Freedom Fighters should be servants of the people who protect minority groups and advocate for the preservation of fundamental American rights. The diverse backgrounds of these heroes can represent the struggles of all Americans, while also inspiring hope for their communities.

Further, Uncle Sam as a representation of the American Spirit can offer a unique exploration of the spectrum of patriotism and how it can be warped into authoritarianism. Uncle Sam could be heartbroken with how parts of America and its government have embraced the ideologies he spent centuries fighting against. The Freedom Fighters also can serve as a symbol of how people must try to make America a better place for everyone and ensure that democracy does not falter.

It’s unlikely that the Peacemaker series will introduce the Freedom Fighters, given that there are only two more episodes in the season and it is primarily focused on the issues facing the main cast. Still, that doesn’t mean that DC Comics shouldn’t seize the opportunity to revitalize the Freedom Fighters and give them their own stories. There are two obvious ways that DC can reintroduce the Freedom Fighters. One way is that they create a modern-day incarnation of the team that operates within the main DC continuity. The second is that they reintroduce the Earth-X Freedom Fighters. Either way or any way, given the divisive nature of America, the Freedom Fighters are the ideal team to serve as a force that unites the country in fighting for democracy.

What do you think? Leave a Comment below and join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!