Relocating the Marvel Universe — Part 27 — Massachusets

Here we are in Massachusetts …

BOSTON/GLOUCESTER/STATEWIDE (Black Knight)

Like much of New England, Boston seems to be a strange attractor for the occult. This gives the Black Knight plenty of opportunity to use his Ebony Blade with impunity as he slices and dices ghosts, specters and everything that goes bump in the night. Though he’s primarily focused in protecting Boston from regular superhuman threats, his more mystical missions take him throughout the state. He also makes frequent appearances in Gloucester, his hometown.
Notes: OK, so Boston is pretty much like any other city. It’s got the mob, crime, druggies and thugs just like any other city. But it also has a deeper history than most of America. It’s got all that old architecture, Revolutionary War history and was significant to the country way back before the Revolution too. That’s pretty much the best America can do when you’re looking for a supernatural threat. This let’s B.K. slice and dice until his heart’s content. You know what, we’ll be sure to throw some giant robot mechas at him once and a while too.

BOSTON (Elsa Bloodstone)

Elsa Bloodstone is also one of Boston’s heroes. She lives in her father’s mansion, which also serves as the basis for her monster-hunting business. Her business takes her across the world as she chases stories of Bigfoot, Nessie, vampires and Godzilla. Her expertise at tackling a wide variety of threats also suits Boston well, since she or her staff is usually able to respond to any threats to the city. Sure, the Bloodstone team’s response tends to be a little more violent than a regular squad of superheroes, but when Boston’s in need, it doesn’t complain. Aside from her activities as a monster-hunter, Bloodstone is also a bone fide celebrity in New England, and she’s often hounded by paparazzi and fans everywhere she goes. While this celebrity status has its detractions, it also helps Bloodstone move among the elite of New England, and it’s just as common for her to be hob-nobbing with the rich as it is for her to be blasting a hobgoblin in Haverhill.

Notes: Just in case Black Knight can’t clean up all the creepies, we’ll put Elsa there too. She’s a great character, and you see occasional glimpses from Marvel that they realize she’s cool too. Now we’ve just got to get them to hit overdrive.

SPRINGFIELD (Crimson Commando, Stonewall, Super Sabre)

Super soldier veterans of the Great War, Crimson Commando, Stonewall and Super Sabre operated secretly for years in New England region, where they tracked down malcontents and eliminated them. Years ago, the government finally took notice and hired them on as members of the Freedom Force. From there, the Freedom Force went from a nationally operating team to international. During a mission in the Middle East, Super Sabre was killed, and Crimson Commando and Stonewall left the agency. They moved back to Springfield, Mass., and adopted the entire rural section of New England as their stomping grounds. Now they circulate as far West as Albany and East to Boston. North and South, they work Connecticut to Vermont. Once again, they buck law and deliver their own justice to those who deserve it, and once again, they operate in secrecy when ever possible.
Notes: When these guys were first introduced in the pages of Uncanny X-Men, I took an instant liking to them. Finally the Marvel folks made an effort to fill the backstory of the M.U. It was ret-conning to add them in, but at least you got an idea that yes, there were some supers that came in under the radar after Captain America, the Human Torch and Sub-Mariner stopped bashing Nazi’s and the Fantastic Four arrived. Anyway, they’re originally from the Hudson area of New York. I just shoved them a bit east. (In current continuity, Stonewall and Super Sabre die in combat. Crimson Commando loses an arm and becomes plain old “Commando.”)

SALEM (Nosferata)

Taking residence in Salem, the woman known as Nosferata the She-Bat, is a dark vigilante who keeps the hard streets of Salem free of crime. Sure, there isn’t a whole lot of crime in Salem, but she’s there to help. Using her utility belt, vast riches, gritty attitude and athletic skill, she’s certainly a force to be reckoned with, as Ethan Edwards (aka Virtue) of Maine knows all too well. You see, Nosferata has gotten it in her head that while Edwards is currently a force for good, he could easily be tipped in the other direction. As such, she has made numerous plans to stop his upcoming rampage, and she continues to make more and more plans. In fact, she actually seems a little obsessed about him, but it’s probably better that she has something to occupy her time.

Notes: A joke character introduced in She-Hulk, Nosferata is still kind of cool. That’s why she can hang out (get it? Bats hang!) in Salem and keep the witches in check.

Have I tackled your state yet? Take a look at my Relocating the Marvel Universe index!
Need a good explanation of just what I’m doing? Then visit the first entry, which offers a look behind for my initial idea for this series.