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DEREK FREEMAN

Real Name: Derek Freeman

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: FBI agent

Group Membership: Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI)

Affiliations: Avengers (Black Knight/Dane Whitman, Captain America/Steve Rogers, Captain Marvel/Monica Rambeau, Hercules/"Harry Cleese", Iron Man/Tony Stark, Namor the Sub-Mariner/Namor McKenzie, Wasp/Janet van Dyne), Ray Donovan, Hauptmann Deutschland

Enemies: Blank, Enclave, Moonstone (Karla Sofen), Peter Parker (kind of), Sons of the Serpent

Known Relatives: Duane Jerome Freeman (brother, deceased), Raymond Washington (nephew)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Mobile;
formerly the New York district offices of the FBI

First Appearance: Avengers I#263 (January, 1986)

Powers/Abilities: Derek Freeman possesses no superhuman powers, but is an intelligent, capable federal agent who isn't easily shocked by experiencing meta human events or impressed by meeting superheroes.

History: (Avengers I#263) - Derek Freeman was part of a team of FBI agents on the trail of the Enclave. Tracking them down to JFK International Airport, Freeman and his colleagues tried to capture the trio of mad scientists before they could flee the country by plane. When the Enclave spotted the approaching police vans, they attempted to take off prematurely, almost colliding on the runway with a Boeing 747. Enclave member Carlo Zota managed to prevent the collision, but ended up crashing the craft in the waters of Jamaica Bay instead. As Freeman ordered in ambulances, divers and a dredging team via walkie talkie, he was surprised by a gigantic energy plume that surged up out of Jamaica Bay. The outburst was clearly visible in New York City and Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau) flew to JFK to investigate the incident. There, she met Derek who informed her about the Enclave operation. Suddenly, two FBI divers were thrown out of the water by an unknown force after they encountered a strange pod on the bottom that seemed to talk to them. Captain Marvel decided to take a look for herself, asking Derek to call in the Avengers while she checked things out. Thinking her to be a take-charge lady, Freeman put in the requested call. When the other Avengers arrived, they took over the investigation from Freeman and the FBI.

main image (Avengers I#270 - BTS) - Derek Freeman was assigned to track down the fugitive supervillain Moonstone. Meanwhile, the news that Namor the Sub-Mariner had become an Avenger caused massive public protests, complete with angry mobs picketing Avengers Mansion.

(Avengers I#270) - To his surprise, Derek Freeman spotted Moonstone outside Avengers Mansion, posing as a widow whose husband had allegedly been killed by the Sub-Mariner. Her story fuelled the outrage of the protesters around the mansion, who were already worked up over Namor joining the team. Derek, on board a helicopter over Manhattan, radioed FBI headquarters for help, requesting the bureau not only send in a special containment van, but contact the Avengers about the situation as well. However, before his report got through, Captain Marvel and Captain America tried to calm the crowds. Just as Wasp joined her colleagues to fill them in on the FBI report she'd received regarding Moonstone, the villain decided to create several diversions. First by blasting a fire hydrant, causing the crowd to get splashed, then by shooting down Freeman's helicopter with a laserblast. The Sub-Mariner rushed to save the chopper, returning to the mansion with Freeman and the pilot. Much to his amazement, Freeman watched as the protesters called Sub-Mariner's rescue a set up, designed to make him look good. The Avengers managed to capture Moonstone, but as she was dragged off in a cop car, she quickly discovered her guards were actually Titania and the Absorbing Man in disguise. The trio made their escape soon afterwards.

(Avengers I#271) - Derek was hard at work in his New York office when he got a surprise visit from Captain Marvel. Apologizing for her sudden appearance, the Captain proceeded to ask Derek about any information he had on Moonstone escaping police custody. Derek told her that Moonstone's escape was part of something bigger, pointing out that supervillains Grey Gargoyle, Whirlwind and Mister Hyde had been broken out of jail in a similar way. At first, the FBI linked this to the recent Scourge killings, but it had become obvious there was an entirely different mastermind behind these break-outs. Forgetting himself and business for a moment, Derek asked Captain Marvel out on a date. She accepted his offer and set a date for the following week. Upon returning to Avengers Mansion, she was positively excited about Derek's unexpected proposal. Both Monica and Derek couldn't help but think it would be a long wait.

main image (Avengers I#286 - BTS) - Captain Marvel became suspicious about Captain America's continued leave of absence, after the US government demanded he'd work exclusively for them.

(Avengers I#286) - Captain Marvel surprised Derek with a visit in his Washington D.C. office. She had recently captured two FBI agents who tried to enter Avengers Mansion looking for Cap. The Avengers chairwoman wanted to know if the FBI had a lead on Captain America's current whereabouts. Unfortunately, Freeman's security clearance wasn't high enough to get the full story. All he had acccess to was the fact that the agents who broke into Avengers Mansion were assigned to another, unrevealed government agency. However, he did alert Captain Marvel to the Fixer's most recent escape from prison.

(Captain America I#394) - As Derek Freeman and his FBI crew moved in to secure the base where the Red Skull (Johann Shmidt) and his accomplices had seemingly perished, Captain America openly wondered if the real Skull had truly died after their latest confrontation. As Derek Freeman of the FBI had the body of the Skull taken away, Hauptmann Deutschland asked that they release the body to his custody when they were done. The Skull viewed this from a distance, proving the old rivalry was still alive and well. All Freeman and his colleagues removed from the Skull's hidden base were deceased clones cooked up by Arnim Zola.

(Captain America I#395) - Derek Freeman informed Captain America that the autopsy on the Red Skull's corpse proved it wasn't actually the Red Sull. Amused, the Captain listened to Freeman explain how his research showed the Skull had played them for a fool, before explaining the Skull had been using a cloned copy of his own super-soldier serum added body.

(Captain Marvel II#2 (fb) - BTS) - At some point Derek found out that Monica Rambeau was Captain Marvel.

(Captain Marvel II#2) - Derek waited for Captain Marvel in her hotel room and when she attempted to protect her secret identity he told her told her that he had known for a long time that she was Monica Rambeau. He then asked Captain Marvel to watch Ray Washington, who was going to host a Minority Business Seminar at Empire State University, for the FBI. When Monica was unwilling to spy on Washington for the FBI, Derek admitted that it was actually also a personal matter for him because Ray was his nephew and needed someone to protect him from the Sons of the Serpent, whose recent activities at ESU were considered a superhero level threat and not a FBI matter.

(Avengers III#49 - BTS) - Derek's brother Duane Jerome Freeman, Avengers liaison and Triune Understanding member, was one of the thousands who died when Kang the Conqueror reduced Washington D.C. to rubble. After his brother's death, Derek discovered the preliminary results of Duane's investigations into the Triune Understanding's shady dealings. Duane had uncovered that Triune leader Jonathan Tremont was able to read the minds of his followers, which may have been how the Triunes got their hands on sensitive, classified Avengers information. Not wanting to be a security risk, Duane started a formal letter of resignation but died before completing it.

(Avengers III#55 - BTS) - In the wake of the war against Kang and his forces, Derek's brother Duane was revealed to have perished in Washington D.C. during the Conqueror's final assault on the city.

(Avengers III#55) - Derek visited Avengers Mansion to collect Duane's personal belongings. He was met by Iron Man and told the Avenger about his late brother's passion for superheroes, his love for the Avengers in particular and how happy it made him to work for the team. Iron Man confessed to Derek that he felt uneasy about working with Duane after it became clear he was a member of the Triune Understanding. Derek then revealed what he had learned about Duane's investigation into the Triunes. Iron Man felt guilty about the way he treated Duane, saying he really should have told the liaison how he liked and respected him. Derek assured him not to worry about that: his brother was the smart one in the family and always knew the score, before leaving the mansion with a box full of Duane's belongings.

(Amazing Spider-Man II#580 (fb) - BTS) - The FBI had been tracking the Blank for several months across the country.

(Amazing Spider-Man II#580) - Derek Freeman gave a press conference to inform the press about the FBI's progress (or lack thereof) in the Blank's pursuit. He couldn't answer a reporter's question regarding the origin of Blank's powers (the reporter wanted to know if Blank was a mutant) because the investigation into that matter was ongoing as well.

   After the press conference Derek was approached by Peter Parker (Spider-Man), who wanted to know how the FBI intended to catch the Blank. An annoyed Derek was saved from any further questions by Agent Ray Donovan, who took Parker aside and promised him that the FBI would catch the Blank.

Comments: Created by Roger Stern, John Buscema, Tom Palmer.

Despite several attempts and a dinner date we never saw, Derek's romance with Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau) never went anywhere. A bit of a shame, considering the two had real chemistry.

Although the cover of Captain Marvel II#2 shows #1, the imprint state "Captain Marvel vol.2 No.2", a continuation of 1989's Captain Marvel II#1, which seemed like a one-shot until 1994's second issue (the one mentioned in this profile).

Profile by Norvo. Update by Markus Raymond (ASM)

CLARIFICATIONS:
Derek Freeman should not be confused with:

images: (without ads)
Avengers III#55, p33, pan1 (main image)
Avengers I#270, p13, pan6 (head)
Avengers I#286, p6, pan1 (startled)

Appearances:
Avengers I#263 (January 1986) - Roger Stern (writer), John Buscema (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Avengers I#270 (August, 1986) - Roger Stern (writer), John Buscema (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Mark Gruenwald, Howard Mackie (editors)
Avengers I#271 (September, 1986) - Roger Stern (writer), John Buscema (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Avengers I#286 (December, 1987)- Roger Stern, Ralph Macchio (writers), John Buscema (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Captain America I#394 (November, 1991) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Rik Levins (pencils), Bud LaRosa (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Captain America I#395 (December, 1991) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Rik Levins (pencils), Bud LaRosa (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Captain Marvel II#2 (February, 1994) - Dwayne McDuffie, Dwight Coye (writers), Mark Bright (pencils), Dennis jensen, Barbara Kaalberg, Mark McKenna (inters), Sarra Mossoff (editor)
Avengers III#55 (August, 2002) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Patrick Zircher (pencils), Scott Koblish (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Amazing Spider-Man II#580 (February, 2009) - Roger Stern (writer), Lee Weeks (artist), Stephen Wacker (editor)

First Posted: 09/17/20013
Last updated: 09/17/2013

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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