THE SHADOWS

Membership: Hawkeye, Striker, Sundance

Purpose: To oppose the government of San Revilla using resistance fighter techniques

Affiliations: U.S. government

Enemies: Advisor, Hawkeye, Hazzerd, government of San Revilla, Troubleshooter, U.S. Agent, War Machine

Base of Operations: Mobile in San Revilla

First Appearance: Force Works#12/2 (War Machine: Brothers in Arms: Vicious Circle#1) (June, 1995)

History:Force Works#12/2 (fb, BTS))- The San Revillan rebel forces’ elite strike team, The Shadows were supported and equipped with high-tech weaponry by the US government, and trained by Hawkeye. The soldiers of The Shadows wore protective armor, and carried high tech rifles, some of which may have been energy weapons.

The Shadows attacked an airstrip controlled by the government of San Revilla, killing both troops and refugees attempting to flee the country on a Red Cross flight.

(Force Works#12/2)- The Shadows attacked a government fuel store at Vitidos, concealed by Sundance’s power. War Machine intervened, defeating one of the soldiers, then Striker and Sundance. With Sundance down, the other Shadows became visible, including their leader, Hawkeye.

(War Machine#15/2)- As Hawkeye tried to convince War Machine to leave, Striker recovered, and attacked again. While they fought, Hawkeye pulled Sundance to his feet, and aborted The Shadows’ mission, firing a flame arrow at a stack of oil drums behind War Machine, distracting him for long enough for Sundance to render The Shadows invisible so they could escape.

Aware of the nature of Sundance’s powers, War Machine was able to detect the distortion effect it caused, and track The Shadows to their base camp, where he confronted Hawkeye in his tent, only to learn that the U.S. government had been backing the rebels against the fascist government of San Revilla, and Hawkeye had been sent in to train and lead an elite force. Hawkeye denied that The Shadows had been killing, having planned all their missions to hit resources, not people, despite being told by War Machine that Striker had killed a civilian woman.

The Shadows received orders to attack Preto Airstrip, their briefing claiming it was being used to ship in foreign mercenaries for the government forces, but War Machine was spying on their communications, and learned that the airstrip was quiet aside from refugee flights out of the country. He also discovered that The Shadows’ orders were secretly coming from The Advisor, playing both sides of the war against each other.

Hawkeye led The Shadows in the attack on Preto, ordering them to only hit planes and supplies, not people. He destroyed a cargo plane with an explosive arrow, before War Machine arrived, knocking Hawkeye off his feet. Striker leapt at War Machine, but was slapped away. War Machine tried to explain to Hawkeye how he was being played, only for them both to be attacked by the San Revillan government’s own super-agents supplied by The Advisor: US Agent, Hazzerd and Troubleshooter.

(Iron Man#317/2)- As Hawkeye realized that US Agent was fighting for the other side, he ordered The Shadows to withdraw, only to be attacked and brutally beaten by Hazzerd. Troubleshooter gunned down a number of The Shadows, before Sundance rallied them to fight back against the government forces. Striker attacked US Agent, but was quickly subdued. US Agent then saved Hawkeye from Hazzerd, and the two of them learned that they had both been sent in by the US government, and that someone was manipulating them. War Machine revealed that The Advisor had been behind everything. Striker recovered, and angrily attacked Hawkeye for talking with US Agent and War Machine, and Hawkeye, believing he was finally seeing sense again, fired an explosive arrow at Striker, taking him out of the fight. War Machine broke up fighting between The Shadows and government troops with concussion pulses, while Hawkeye stalked the invisible Sundance, managed to locate him, and destroyed his suit’s systems with an acid arrow, then defeated him with a single punch.

Comments: Created by Dan Abnett & Fred Haynes

by Gauntlet: Dark Rider

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Shadows should not be confused with:

• Shadows: The Dark Side of the Marvels, a book written by Dr. Dennis Schoolcraft, @ Thunderbolts I#24

Non-Marvel Copyright info
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