| Union Jack | |
|---|---|
.png) Joseph "Joe" Chapman as Union Jack, as appeared on the cover ofUnion Jack #2 (October 2006). Art byMike Perkins. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Captain America #253 (January 1981) The Union #1 (December 2021) |
| Created by | Roger Stern John Byrne |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Joseph "Joe" Chapman |
| Species | Human mutate |
| Team affiliations | Knights of Pendragon New Invaders MI5 Invaders MI-13 The Union[a] |
| Abilities | Skilled athlete Peak physical condition Use of handguns and a steel dagger As a Pendragon: Mystically enhanced strength, speed and endurance Superhuman acuity sense Superhuman strength via magical/cybernetic exoskeleton armor Carries a 6' striking staff Rides a computerized motorcycle-like vehicle Ability to sense the presence of agents of the Bane |
Union Jack (Joseph "Joey"Chapman) is a fictional character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. He is the third person to take on the role ofUnion Jack. He first appeared inCaptain America #253 (January, 1981).
Roger Stern andJohn Byrne introduced Chapman inCaptain America #253 (January 1981); in the story he visits his friend Kenneth Crichton, grandson of original Union Jack Lord Falsworth, at Falsworth Manor and ends up putting on the costume to helpCaptain America in his final battle againstBaron Blood.
Fabian Nicieza andKieron Dwyer featured him in the storyThe Establishment forMarvel Comics Presents #42 (February 1990); in the story, set one year after his previous appearance, Chapman finds his allegiance to a group of thugs opposed to the Thatcher Government tested when they decide to terrorize Falsworth Manor; a flashback also reveals that the original Union Jack's daughter Lady Jacqueline had initially been opposed to his permanently adopting the Union Jack identity.
Dan Abnett and Gary Erskine featured Chapman inKnights of Pendragon #7-8 (January-February 1991); in the story he is shown seeking help after receiving the mystical power of the Pendragon. While John Byrne featured him again in a fiftieth anniversary celebration inNamor the Sub-Mariner #12 (March 1991); the story is about the reunion of the Invaders for a mission to rescue Namor.
Skip Dietz and Hoang Nguyen featured him in aKnights of Pendragon story forMarvel Comics Presents #122 (February 1993); the story is about an investigation into the cause ofcrop circles.
John Freeman pitched a follow-up toKnights of Pendragon calledArmageddon Knights in late 1993, but never received a response; the story, which featured Chapman, would have wrapped up loose-ends from the preceding series.[2]
Ben Raab andJohn Cassaday featured him in the three-issueUnion Jack (December 1998-February 1999) mini-series; in the story he loses his friend Kenneth to the vampiricBaroness Blood.
Chapman appears as a supporting character inBen Raab andCharlie Adlard'sX-Men: Hellfire Club #3 (March 2000); in the story he rescues a reporter from assassins.
Chapman also appears as a supporting character inChuck Austen andScott Kolins'Avengers #82-84 (July–August 2004); the story sees the re-formation of theInvaders. Austen along with Allan Jacobsen and C. P. Smith concluded this story inNew Invaders #0 (August 2004), which launched a new ongoing series featuring Chapman as a regular character. During this run Jacobson and Smith featured him in a number of volumes, including, #1-3 (October–December 2004), which sees him in conflict with U.S. Agent over doubts about his membership and reveals him to be romantically involved with Lady Jacqueline, #4-5 (January–February 2005), which sees him once again battle the vampiric Baroness Blood and overcome initial animosity from his predecessor's lover, Roger Aubrey; and #7-9 (April–June 2005), which sees the dissolution of the team following the death of the original Human Torch.
Ed Brubaker andSteve Epting featured Chapman and Lady Jacqueline inCaptain America (vol. 5) #18-21 (July–October 2006); in the story Captain America recruits the two heroes, who are no longer dating, to battle old enemy the Red Skull in London.
Chapman stars in yet another self-titled mini-series in late 2006, spun off from his appearance inEd Brubaker's run onCaptain America, written byChristos Gage[3] with pencils and inks byMike Perkins[4] and Andrew Hennesy, respectively.
The character would then make brief appearances alongside Spitfire inCaptain Britain & MI:13 #5 and 13, before becoming a member of a re-formed Invaders inInvaders Now.
Union Jack is a member of the British super teamThe Union created byPaul Grist andAndrea Di Vito.[5]
Joey Chapman is an art student and the working class son of a shipbuilder, born inManchester, England. Chapman was visiting his friend Kenneth Crichton, grandson of originalUnion Jack, Lord James Montgomery Falsworth, when he learned ofBaron Blood, who was conducting a revenge campaign against his old family at that time, and donned the costume to helpCaptain America fight the vampire.[6] Chapman was allowed to keep the costume and carry on the tradition despite initial resistance from Falsworth family matriarchJacqueline Crichton; he would repay the family by defending Falsworth Manor against a group of his anti-establishment friends one year later.[7]
He would also assist Lady Jacqueline andNamorita in rescuingNamor from neo-Nazis, defeatingMaster Man andWarrior Woman in the process.[8]
Chapman would later become possessed by the Pendragon spirit and healed of his injuries. He appeared atKate McClellan's London apartment.[9] As Union Jack, he adopted a new costume, and alongsideKate McClellan andCaptain Britain, failed to prevent the kidnapping of Kate's son, Cam byBane.[10] Alongside Captain Britain and Kate, he battled the minions of the Bane. He conferred with Kate, Ben Gallagher, andPeter Hunter; with them, he was attacked by the Bane in Kent. He also joins the other Pendragons in the search for the Holy Grail at Kitsford tumnus,[11] and fight fellow Pendragon,Iron Man. With Iron Man, Captain Britain, and the Knights of Pendragon, he battles the Bane, and freed Cam McClellan. After the battle, the Pendragons are formed, establishing the Pendragon base at Camelaird Farm.[12] Chapman then encountersMister Fantastic,Invisible Woman andBlack Panther; with them, Kate McClellan, and Ben Gallagher, he battled the Bane in Africa. Alongside the Black Panther, he battled Bane ninjas and traveled to Hong Kong where he transforms Dolph and is then killed by Dolph.[13] Chapman would later wake atAvalon, resurrected with the other Pendragons, where the Pendragons battle and finally stopped the Bane.[14]
Later, while making a public appearance atStark's Questworld, Chapman had no choice but to battle malfunctioning robots[15] where he received a new armor[16] which would later evolve into a new stronger mystical armour.[17] Life as a Pendragon didn't get any easier as he foughtMagpie,[18] tried to stop the Cape Wrath Breeder Reactor from overloading[19] and traveled to Arakne where he met and fought withSpider-Man and theWarheads.[20]
When the villainous companyMys-Tech revived his enemy Baron Blood, Chapman infiltrated the company and once again destroyed his foe,[21] inadvertently starting the Mys-Tech wars.[22][23]
Shortly after the defeat of Mys-Tech, Chapman, alongside the Pendragons foughtDeath's Head/Minion, Magpie and theLemurians ofEarth-313.[24] Upon the villains defeat, the Pendragons disbanded and Chapman would revert to his classic costume.[25]
After the Pendragons disbanded, Chapman carries on protecting Britain. However, he failed to prevent Baroness Blood from using the Holy Grail to become immune to sunlight,[26] and lost his friend Kenneth Falsworth (the true heir to the Union Jack mantle) from vampirism and death.[27] He was also seen protecting civilians from unnatural winds.[28]
Chapman also protectedIrene Merryweather from mercenaries of theHellfire Club.[29]Chapman was seen when the entire Earth was threatened including during the Maximum Security storyline,[30] and when he was being held prisoner, alongside many of Earth's heroes, byGraviton, until they were all saved by the Thunderbolts.[31]
Joey shares a relationship withRomany Wisdom, the sister of X-Men allyPete Wisdom.[volume & issue needed] Although the relationship ends, Chapman stays in contact with Wisdom as she provides him with vital research on the occult.[volume & issue needed]
Wearing an updated, militaristic version of his old costume Chapman joins the New Invaders,[32][33] led byJim Hammond. Chapman becomes romantically involved with his New Invaders teammate,Spitfire. However, the relationship does not last and they part because of the vast age difference. They still remain good friends and partners. With the Invaders they battle Axis Mundi for theInterceptor, a ship built by theThin Man,[34] fight Baroness Blood and her minions after they kidnap Spitfire[35] and fightMeranno and his rogue Atlanteans to prevent world flooding.[36] After this battle and his breakup with Spitfire, the Invaders would go their separate ways.[volume & issue needed]
At the request ofS.H.I.E.L.D., Chapman would help his good friendCaptain America in searching theLondon Underground for theRed Skull's agents.[37] Chapman, Rogers, Spitfire, andSharon Carter worked together to prevent neo-Nazis and the Red Skull from devastating London.[38]
Moving on from his vampire hunting days, he leads a makeshift team of heroes - including ContessaValentina Allegra de Fontaine,Sabra and the thirdArabian Knight - to defeat a group of super-powered terrorists intent on blowing up London[26]
When Captain America was shot and apparently killed, a notably upset Union Jack spoke a eulogy at his memorial.[39]
Chapman appeared inCaptain Britain and MI: 13, as explained by writerPaul Cornell, "One of the great things about this title is that, because all British superheroes are de facto part ofMI-13, we can visit disparate parts of the Marvel UK scene without it being a big deal. Joe (not 'Joey', who's called Joey? Okay, kangaroos in Aussie, but apart from that...) is going to want to check in with [his former girlfriend Spitfire] soon. Because they parted amicably, and that's still fine with him. Right?".[40] However, Chapman did not leave MI5 to become part of the permanent team, although he is seen working along Spitfire (who is in MI:13) to clear out a nest of "Sons of the Serpent".[41][42]
Union Jack is a member of the Invaders team brought together by a mysterious force. He is the only member of the team who didn't serve inWorld War II (Brian Falsworth served as Union Jack at that time).[43]
During theEnds of the Earth storyline, Joseph is among the heroes thatSpider-Man enlists to attack on the facilities thatDoctor Octopus had constructed.[44] Joseph enters one of the facilities and fights a bunch of Octobots.[45]
Joseph later appears inScotland helping Captain America defeat the Cult of the Darkhold, who were summoned by a monstrous creature that was accidentally freed by a Scottish fracking operation.[46]
During the "Blood Hunt" storyline, Union Jack saves several people from vampires who have nicknamed him "The Ripper". After being wounded, he directs them to a specific building with weapons that are effective against vampires. In addition, he is shown to have a vampiric bulldog chained up in a lower level. Vampires attack the building with a message for "The Ripper" telling him to join them or die.[47]
Like those who held the title of Union Jack before him, Joseph Chapman is an athlete in peak physical condition. He carries on the Union Jack tradition by using aWebley .455 revolver (though often uses other pistols depending on the mission he is completing) and a silver dagger which he uses for supernatural foes. His costume is also bullet-resistant.
For a time, Chapman was possessed by the spirit of thePendragon (in this case, Sir Lancelot), enhancing his strength, speed, and endurance, and providing him with superhuman sensory acuity, as well as giving him the ability to sense the presence of agents of the Bane and to recognize them as such despite disguises, and access to knowledge of past incarnations of the Pendragon.[volume & issue needed] He also wore a suit of magical/cybernetic exoskeleton armor composed of unknown materials that increased his strength to superhuman levels. He carried a 6' striking staff of unknown materials. Chapman could also ride Beryl, a computerized motorcycle-like vehicle equipped with extensive information databanks, recording memory files, radiation detectors, tracking sensors, automated navigation system, medical analysis instruments, remote guidance system, and the capacity for inter-dimensional travel. All of this equipment was provided by the Green Chapel, of the dimension of Avalon.
Since being possessed by the Pendragon, he has retained a portion of the powers it endowed him, to low superhuman levels.
Joseph Chapman's major appearances have been collected in a number oftrade paperbacks:
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