Arms of Salvation (Firestar/Freedom Force foes)

ARMS OF SALVATION

Membership: Cross, Fitch, Malcolm, unnamed mercenaries

Purpose: Trade in organs on the black market

Affiliations: Firestar (Angelica Jones)

Enemies: Firestar, Freedom Force (Avalanche, Blob, Mystique, Pyro, Spiral), Howard Fallon (father), Meg Fallon (daughter), Mrs. Fallon (mother), unnamed Fallon son, probably many other victims over the years

Base of Operations: secret underground Headquarters in Weston, Massachusetts

First Appearance: Marvel Comics Presents I#82/2 (1991)

History:
(Marvel Comics Presents I#87/2 (fb) - BTS) - The organization known as the Arms of Salvation was built up by Cross and his lackeys over years and it became a well known illegal trading place for organs. Organs were taken from living beings because a life meant nothing to them if the price was right.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#82/2) - Cross and a mercenary tried to snag Meg Fallon on her school way. They grabbed Meg, and Angelica was thrown into the bushes were she turned into Firestar. Firestar saved Meg from the Arms of Salvation, who had to retreat.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#83/2) - Fitch found information on Mystique and told Cross that she was great material because of her shape-shifting powers. The problem was that she worked for the government as a member of Freedom Force. They searched for a way to catch her without leaving a trace to them. They needed a super-powered being to do the dirty work. Shortly later Fitch got a call from an informant in the Weston Hospital. Firestar brought a friend to them who was in need of a new lung. Fitch wanted her to get in touch with the Arms of Salvation personally because in his thinking Firestar was the solution to get Mystique without exposing the Arms of Salvation.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#84/2) - Firestar was tested against a bunch of mercenaries who duplicated the firepower of Freedom Force. Cross and Fitch watched her winning against their mercenaries. They were happy that Firestar didn't ask too many questions. After the test, Fitch told Firestar that they will begin to search for a lung immediately. They only wanted her to bring Mystique to them.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#85/2) - Mercenaries of the Arms of Salvation broke into the house of the Fallon family. They knocked out Mrs. Fallon and her son and took Mr. Fallon and his daughter Meg with them. The lung of Mr. Fallon was destined for Bartholomew Jones, the father of Firestar. They were brought into the headquarter and strapped to operating tables. A mercenary informed Cross and Fitch that Firestar had caught Mystique. Fitch wasn't too sure about the loyalty of Firestar, but Cross told him that she would be a bloody memory before she tried to trouble them.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#86/2) - Firestar brought Mystique to the headquarters of the Arms of Salvation and asked for the safety of Mystique. Cross assured Firestar that Mystique wouldn't be hurt and then asked Firestar if she wanted to join the Arms of Salvation. Firestar refused and was immediately hit by a hidden ray. The headquarters was then attacked by Freedom Force. Firestar took advantage of the distraction to free herself from the clutches of Cross and the mercenaries. Firestar found the operating room where her friend Meg, her father Howard, and Mystique were lying on operating tables surrounded by doctors. Firestar finished the doctors and freed everyone. Seconds later Cross walked through the wall in a powerful armor with a lot of weapons on it, and he threatened to kill Firestar for destroying his project.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#87/2) - Cross attacked, and Firestar got some helping hands from Spiral. Fitch stopped Mystique and only wanted to get out. Cross buried Spiral under debris and planned to use her as a shield to get out. Firestar attacked him, but her powers were not enough against the cooling system of his armor. Firestar changed her plan and cracked a pipe to use the liquid oxygen against Cross to slow him down. After being struck, Cross wasn't able to move anymore. The headquarter of the Arms of Salvation was destroyed and the organization was history.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#86/2 (flash-forward) - BTS) - Mystique wrote a report about the incident with the Arms of Salvation and sent it to the NSC.

COMMENTS: Created by Marie Javins, Marcus McLaurin and Dwayne Turner

by Markus Raymond

CLARIFICATIONS: Arms of Salvation should not be confused with:

Cross should not be confused with:

Fitch should not be confused with:

Malcolm should not be confused with:

The Fallon family should not be confused with:

Cross

Cross was the man who started it all. Even though he was the leader and founder of the Arms of Salvation he joined his mercenaries in the missions to capture the unwilling organ donators. When he tried to catch Meg Fallon he got into trouble with Firestar, but he got away. Later he planned with his mastermind Fitch to capture Mystique. He watched Firestar as she took his mercenaries apart and listened to the half truths Fitch told her. Cross had plans to kill Firestar if she began to trouble the Arms of Salvation. When she didn't want to join his organization, he tried to kill her, but Firestar got away. Cross returned with a more powerful armor to kill her, but this time Spiral was in his way. The armor was damaged, but Spiral was defeated. Cross continued his assault and after Firestar couldn't beat him with her heat, she cooled him down with liquid oxygen. Cross was defeated and his organization destroyed.

Cross wore the same type of armor all mercenaries of Arms of Salvation wore. On the picture Cross was wearing his second and more powerful armor. This armor was equipped with a powerful cooling system, a bone saw and some other features which were deactivated when the armor was damaged. Additionally Cross wore some kind of gun while wearing this armor and he seemed stronger than with the average armor.

--Marvel Comics Presents I#82/2 (83/2-87/2

 

 

Fitch

It was never made clear what Fitch really was. His skin was red and his eyes were white and empty (reminds me of Vision). He wore some pants in his skin color and nothing more (or he didn't wear anything and had no male anatomic features). Fitch was the guy giving Cross all the needed information about fitting subjects. He was also responsible was the attempted catching of Meg.
    Later he told Cross about Mystique and, with a little help from informant Malcolm, he found Firestar so that she could be recruited for the abduction of Mystique. He told Firestar half truths about the Arms of Salvation and assured her the help of the organization after she passed her test. He was not sure about the loyalty of Firestar, but Cross eased his fear with his backup plan. When the headquarters was attacked by Freedom Force he tried to get out of there and asked Mystique for help, but she knocked him out. That was the last thing heard from Fitch.

--Marvel Comics Presents I#83/2 (84/2-85/2, 87/2

 

 

Malcolm

He worked for the Arms of Salvation as an informant in the Weston Hospital. Normally he called Fitch because of needy buyers, but this time it was something special. He told Fitch that Firestar brought in a friend of her and he needed a lung. Malcolm told Firestar who could help her friend and sent her to the Arms of Salvation.

--Marvel Comics Presents I#83/2

 

 

unnamed mercenaries

Mostly the mercenaries looked all the same. Among the ones who didn't was one with six arms as part of doppelgangers for Freedom Force to test Firestar. They caught subjects for organ extraction. The mercenaries did all the dirty work. They were defeated when Freedom Force attacked the headquarter of the Arms of Salvation.

The armors of the mercenaries heightened their strength and were armed with Uzis on their wrists. Some carried around special weapons like fire-throwers. The doppelgangers for Freedom Force duplicated their powers with weapons and other equipment (one of them even had six arms like Spiral). Some of the mercenaries were probably mutants or mutated.

--Marvel Comics Presents I#82/2 (84/2-86/2

 

 

 

 

Howard Fallon

Howard was the patriarch of the Fallon family. Howard tried to protect his family from the mercenaries of the Arms of Salvation, but he wasn't strong enough to do so. They abducted him, and he learned that he was going to lose his lung. Firestar rescued him from the evil doctors and freed him from the operating table. Mystique brought him to safety.

--Marvel Comics Presents I#85/2 (86/2-87/2

 

 

Meg Fallon

Meg was befriended by Angelica Jones and didn't know that she was a mutant. When Cross and a mercenary tried to abduct her, Angelica turned into Firestar and ran them off. Meg was out cold while this happened. Some time later, the Arms of Salvation got another chance and abducted her together with her father. Meg was rescued again by Firestar, but this time it was closer because she was already on the operation table and the doctors were standing around her. Mystique brought her to safety.

--Marvel Comics Presents I#82/2 (85/2-87/2

 

 

Mrs. Fallon and son

When Howard and Meg were abducted by the Arms of Salvation the other members of the family were just knocked out and left behind on their couch.

--Marvel Comics Presents I#85/2

 

 

images
Marvel Comics Presents I#86, p15, pan1 (Arms of Salvation Headquarter)
Marvel Comics Presents I#86, p16, pan4 (Cross)
Marvel Comics Presents I#84, p28, pan5 (Fitch)
Marvel Comics Presents I#83, p16, pan3 (Malcolm)
Marvel Comics Presents I#85, p14, pan3 (a mercenary)
Marvel Comics Presents I#85, p14, pan4 (Howard Fallon)
Marvel Comics Presents I#82, p10, pan5 (Meg Fallon)
Marvel Comics Presents I#85, p15, pan6 (Mrs. Fallon and son)

Appearances:
Marvel Comics Presents I#82-87 (1991) - Marie Javins & Marcus McLaurin (writers), Dwayne Turner (pencils), Jose Marzan (#83-85) & Chris Ivy (#85-87) (inks), Terry Kavanagh (editor)

First Posted: 01/26/2004
Last updated: 02/25/2014

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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