6 Libertarian Themed Comic Book Stories You MUST Read

By R. Brownell

6. Marvel’s Ultimate Comics: New Ultimates vs. Avengers

Theme: the military industrial complex

Showcasing the perils of the military industrial complex, this limited series (taking place in an alternate universe separate from the mainstream Marvel titles) shows the Ultimates (a government sponsored superhuman strike force run by the counterterrorism organization SHIELD) chasing down experimental super soldiers created by SHIELD, who go missing due to a double agent in the agency selling them to hostile nations.

During the worldwide chase for the missing super soldiers, the Ultimates discover that Gregory Stark (Tony Stark’s half-brother), SHIELD’s primary weapons development contractor, was not only facilitating the black market sale of the super soldiers to hostile (nation’s like North Korea), but was also framing SHIELD director Nick Fury and his covert ops team, the Avengers, of committing terrorist acts across the globe in order to convince the president to arrest Fury and put Stark in his place as director of SHIELD.

As a result of the fight for SHIELD between the Avengers and the Ultimates, and the global search for the missing super soldiers, thousands not only died in the process, but the competition for super powered armies nearly caused WWIII. One example of the disregard for due process came about when instead of arresting Gregory Stark for his crimes against humanity, Thor instead decided to hit Stark with a bolt of lightning, which ended up killing him instantly….

Additionally, during a fight between the Ultimates (sent to find Fury) and the Avengers (trying to find the real culprit) Fury decides to also start locating the scientists responsible for the creation of the new super soldier serums, including Tyrone Cash aka the Black Hulk.

When Fury’s team locates Cash, Fury interrogates him, and after getting the information he needs, manages to power down the Black Hulk and  shoot him in the face instead of arresting him.

In terms of collateral damage, not only do the Ultimates and Avengers manage to destroy half of Manhattan looking for the missing super soldiers, but the Punisher (who was released from jail by Nick Fury), accidentally shoots Spider-Man (witnessing the fight, he came to protect civilians from the violence and destruction), who took the assassin’s bullet meant for Captain America, thus killing the teenage hero.

What this tale shows is a classic case of cold war tensions between ideologically opposed nations, and the additional fuel to the fire the military industrial complex adds to the mix.  If not for the constant need for super soldiers, new dangers would not have been brought into the world, and young, impressionable superheroes like Spider-Man would not have been killed in the crossfire simply for protecting his city from the battling super humans, who don’t care about the destruction they bring with them.

Lastly, the lack of regard for due process and the law also creates a web of scandal and conspiracy which causes the American public to lose trust in not only SHIELD, but also heroes like Captain America and Iron Man.