by Jason Inman
In our current time, it can sometimes be very hard to read scenes like this—particularly for an old Army soldier, like myself. All of Lt. Gage’s treatment of Ulysses violates the value of loyalty and flies squarely in the face of Army values, which proclaim that you must stand up for your fellow man and fellow soldiers. The blind hatred and fear of Ulysses and his abilities is bewildering. Ulysses took the oath and he defended it. His honor is valid and true—just like every other soldier. Simply because of the color of his skin, Ulysses was pre-judged by the white men in the Army and found to be lacking.
In many cases, Ulysses is a better soldier than Captain America. In the previous chapter, I explained how Captain America was almost more of an ideal than a man. Ulysses, on the other hand, represents the man: a man’s drive to push through and be accepted because he knows he is the equal, if not the better, of every other soldier in the Army. He believes he is the best, and he proves it by winning a battle with only a shovel. I’d like to see Lt. Gage try this same gambit. Gravedigger is the perfect representation of adversity versus privilege. As in every superhero’s origin story, it’s Ulysses’ original obstacles that mold him into a powerful soldier.
His legend only grew when, during another mission, the grave-digging unit discovered another opportunity to stand up. A Nazi buzzard (plane) flew a sneak attack on their unit. In a split-second leap of heroics, Ulysses’ pal Andy pushed their commanding officer, Lt. Gage (remember him?), out of harm’s way. Simultaneously, Ulysses scooped up a bazooka and fired off an extremely difficult shot at the evading plane. If you remember, Ulysses had trained himself to be the best soldier. A shot that should have been difficult for a normal man was child’s play to him. Of course, he made the shot and took down the Nazi plane. However, Ulysses discovered his fellow gravedigger, Andy, did not survive the attack. His fallen comrade’s sacrifice, and the amazing one-in-a-million shot he had made, boosted Ulysses’ confidence enough that he demanded the Army move him to a combat unit. With his help and skills, the war would be over sooner, he boasted—and with a soldier as talented as Ulysses, this was no exaggeration.
His request was denied, of course, because the 1940s could not be as progressive as we would like to rewrite them to be. It’s at this moment in his story that Ulysses takes another step toward his destiny as Gravedigger, the ultimate comics soldier.
He invades the Pentagon! I did not miswrite that sentence. Ulysses Hazard became so fed up with the bureaucratic and bigoted responses to his service that he decided to seize his destiny by the horns and force the bigwigs in the Pentagon to give him his due. Can you imagine the guts it would take to make this choice? You would have to be so convinced you were right that invading the headquarters of the most advanced and powerful military in human history would seem like a logical decision. Like the powerful heroes of myth and many superheroes before him, Ulysses proved that he was not going to wait for his destiny. He would take it by any means necessary.
In a move that could be considered patriotism or madness, Ulysses, like a bull in a china shop, fought through every level of security at the Pentagon. No one could stop him. He had a purpose. No man could stand in his way. Though my prose may make it seem like Ulysses carried out this act with the drive of a madman, his actual attack was far from uncontrolled. It was crafted with the intelligence of a smart Army commander. Throughout his assault, Ulysses had several opportunities to kill his fellow soldiers—and. in every instance, he did not. This was his intention. How could he convince the armed forces leaders that he was to be trusted to lead the fight in this war if he so casually assaulted his brothers in arms? The decision to respect and preserve the lives of his fellow soldiers would turn out to be the linchpin of his destiny.
Then Ulysses blasted through the door of the war council and came face-to-face with the Secretary of War! He threw a live grenade on the table in front of the secretary and asked, if he could do lethal damage to the security of the Pentagon, what might he be able to do to the enemies of the Pentagon? Needless to say, the Secretary of War was intrigued. He could imagine.
You may be asking yourself: Could something like this happen in real life? Could a human being who felt discriminated against as a result of their race, sex, or sexual orientation break into the Pentagon and force the Joint Chiefs of Staff to implement change by recruiting them into the current war based on a display of the havoc they caused? The answer is—unequivocally—no. That insane patriot would be locked up in the military prison at Fort Leavenworth faster than you could say “Hurrah.” But this is not the real world we’re examining; this is a comic book: a medium of determined men and women destined to seize opportunities in grand ways—ways that make us cheer them on.
Now, my struggles to join the Army were nowhere close to the hardships Ulysses had to endure, and I respect his character so much for never stopping, never giving up, and making it through, even if he had to make his desires happen with a grenade and a grand gesture. With the loud thud of an explosive device on a table, Ulysses changed his destiny. (It would not be responsible of me if, at this point in the book, I did not mention that grenades cannot solve problems. Sure, they may seem flashy and all the rage, but these small explosive devices do more harm than good. Grenades should not be used as problem-solving implements. Safety rant is now over.)
Fortunately, the Secretary of War was impressed by Ulysses’ gambit, noting that, during his attack, he could have easily killed many of his fellow soldiers, but he did not. The secretary offered Ulysses the position of a “doomsday commando”: a man who can handle the dirty jobs, the impossible assignments, and gives him the codename “Gravedigger.” Behind Gravedigger’s back, however, the Secretary boasts: “With the tasks I have planned for our brash young sergeant, I don’t think we’ll have to worry about him very long.”
The racial implications and trickery which accompany the very moment Ulysses Hazard finally gets what he wants are not something I am even remotely qualified to write about, and I understand that. Needless to say, this is another instance of the story proving my point that Ulysses is a pure, good soldier. All of his assumptions about the leaders in his military are right. Due to their racial bias, they will never see him as equal. They will never see him as a soldier, in spite of knowing he is their better in every way.
Gravedigger’s first mission as a combat soldier led him back to France, and straight back to his old unit. Outside a small French village, Gravedigger’s unit was pinned down by sniper fire. Through a feat of extraordinary gymnastics (a proud DC Comics tradition, especially when you consider Dick Grayson, the first Robin), Ulysses was able to leap up to the enemy’s position through a physical feat he figured the Nazis would never dream of: leaping up over twenty feet to grab the ledge of an unguarded window by bouncing off walls and a tree! He sprang inside and made quick work of the enemy soldiers. Here the narrative stops for just a beat. The panel goes dark and the caption reads: “Gravedigger stands surveying the carnage he’s just wrought, trying to convince himself that the blood-puddling corpses aren’t men, but merely the enemy. He’s almost successful.”
This moment stands out to me. It’s something all service members have to face during their careers, unless they’re very lucky. For all of Ulysses’ bravado, his courage, and his pure gumption, he’s still a man. He still has morals, and he still feels the loss. This is powerful. It takes him beyond a caricature of the most badass soldier of all time and makes him real. How do these things change you once you make the decision to act on them? Can you live with it? Can the greater good of protecting your squad and your mission overcome the future guilt? One panel in a comic book can feel like an eternity. So can this decision for all service members. The brief second the story pauses for speaks volumes. This is a quandary all service members might have to face during the course of their duty. Can you take another’s life to save your own or the lives of your unit? Many times, when you are faced with that decision, you only have a
second, a moment, to make a move that will change your life. Was this action good or bad? That’s up to you to decide. If your life or your fellow service members’ lives are in danger, you have to act. You have to do whatever it takes, within reason, to save lives. It was the move Ulysses made. Did it change him? Of course. It’s impossible to take a life and move forward as if nothing happened. However, Ulysses is a true soldier. He progressed past his feelings temporarily.
Soon afterward, Gravedigger encounters a character that we all know and love: his old commanding officer, Lt. Gage! When Gage sees Ulysses, he tries to arrest him for impersonating an officer! The ups and downs of storytelling really are on display during this scene. Only in a fictional story could you go AWOL (absent without leave) and come back to your unit with a promotion. Ulysses left his unit as a sergeant to return as a captain. Now, he was Lt. Gage’s commanding officer! How do you like them apples, Gage?
Several stories down the road, Gravedigger is traversing the Sahara on a very important mission and suffers an injury that leaves him with a cross-shaped scar on the bridge of his nose. This physical feature and his bravery would be his defining features for the rest of the comic. In the final issue of Men of War, DC Comics decided to team up its two most famous war characters, Gravedigger and Sgt. Rock. (We’ll get to the core of Rock in a future chapter.) These two famous comic book soldiers join forces to destroy an enemy artillery position. The mission was a grand success, not just because these two characters were good soldiers, but because DC Comics’ readers would have rioted if these two had failed in their final issue. In the last panel, Gravedigger remembers his military roots and begins to bury the fallen members of Sgt. Rock’s Easy Company.
Until recently, that was one of the final adventures of Ulysses Hazard. His post-World War II whereabouts remained a mystery until a mini-series called DC Universe Legacies (2010). In issue four of the series, called Snapshot: Remembrance, the readers are shown a reunion of DC Comics’ war characters which takes place on July 4, 1976. One of the warriors in attendance is none other than Ulysses Hazard. The story reveals that he did survive the war and excelled in the Army to achieve the rank of general. He was now a valued leader in an army that originally didn’t want him.
I can never know the struggles Ulysses Hazard faced in his military career, but I do know this: his bravery and will to never give up are to be admired. While sometimes he became a little overzealous (don’t use grenades to illustrate your point, kids!), the fact of his successes and leadership of many men to safety says so much. Like many superheroes, there were many times Ulysses could have given up. But he didn’t, he persevered, and he prospered. I would be proud to serve under a man such as the Gravedigger. He’s a hero who stands on the same platform as Superman.
Chapter 3
Captain Marvel
Flying from Values
Carol Danvers may be one of many superheroes who punched evil in its stupid face under the moniker of Captain Marvel, but she is also one of the few female heroes to serve her country. Since her soft reboot in 2012, many comic fans have branded themselves with the symbol on her chest. Marching to the beat of a brand-new drum, these Marvel fans began to call themselves “The Carol Corps.” Carol has been “all in” in every aspect of her life: from her military experience to her time with the Avengers to inspiring the aforementioned fans. Thinking about it, there’s not a single comic book convention I’ve been to in the last five years where I haven’t seen someone cosplaying the spectacular Captain Marvel. She dives into her life like an arrow flying at a target, so let’s jump into her chapter with that same gusto.
The daughter of Joe Danvers, a former US Navy officer, Carol has always had one foot in the military world. She dreamed of being an astronaut, one eye always on the stars. Disappointingly, her father couldn’t fathom why any daughter of his needed a college degree. Joe Danvers believed Carol’s perfect place was in the kitchen as a housewife. However, that was not Carol’s destiny. Was this belief spurred by his time in the Navy, or by his upbringing in the mid-twentieth century? My own parents have some fairly old-fashioned beliefs, but I don’t think either of them believes a woman’s place is in the kitchen. I think this may have been a time when the creators who developed Carol’s origin didn’t want to fully form Joe Danvers as a real character. Rather, they imagined him as an archetype or obstacle to Carol’s destiny. So, basically, Joe Danvers was a woman-hating curmudgeon and nothing more.
In order to prove her father wrong, Carol sneaks off and joins the Air Force. As an airwoman, Carol soon becomes a pilot and adopts the call sign “Cheeseburger.” This training will be a springboard to her ultimate goal—skyrocketing to other planets as a full-fledged member of NASA.
It’s here that I must admit a kinship with Carol. As a small boy, I, too, wanted to join the awesome ranks of NASA, half-spurred by my constant viewing of Star Trek: The Next Generation and half by the wanderlust that ultimately drove me from my boyhood farm in Kansas. I was ever-present in this dream until my third-grade teacher—Mrs. Hazen—told me I’d soon have to develop an aptitude for math if I ever wanted to count myself among NASA’s ranks. (Fun fact: to this day, I have the mathematical knowledge of a caveman.) This revelation scuttled my rocket-ship dreams faster than you could say “Pythagorean theorem.” Since then, any time a fictional character seized their dream and gained the very exclusive rank of “astronaut,” I’ve always stood up and applauded.
Carol threw herself at her dreams and her military career. Was this because she unconsciously emulated her military father? Studies have shown that a high percentage of military children form strong connections with the ideals of military bases, culture, and personnel. I would theorize that this happened to Carol. At the funeral of her father, when asked to say a few more words, Carol only says this about the man who raised her: “He was a worthy opponent.”
What a perfect window into the soul of Captain Marvel this statement is. Even after his death, Carol still viewed her relationship with her father as a battle. At each turn in her life, Joe Danvers was her opponent. A father and daughter as enemies and not allies is quite sad when you consider it. Nonetheless, it does illuminate how this superhero operates. Writer Kelly Sue DeConnick bestowed upon Carol Danvers a motto while she was penning the character. That motto is: “Higher, further, faster, more.”
Another way to interpret that motto is “Never surrender, never give up”—a positive motto when applied to an airman or a soldier. I can almost hear them chanting it as the trainees run across the base for their morning’s physical training.
Yet, the words “higher,” “further,” “faster,” and “more” can lead a person away from humility. Why do these values matter to the story of Carol Danvers? Well, humility is one of the United States Air Force’s core values. Each military branch has its own set of values that help service members get the mission done while inspiring them to the very best at all times. These values are integrity, courage, honesty, responsibility, accountability, justice, openness, self-respect, and humility. Airmen are taught to study them, follow them, and encourage others to do the same through their actions and words.
These would have been drilled into her head during her training, and the word “more” flies in the face of it all. (Yes, the pilot pun was intended.) This conflict between humility and fighting for “more” lies at the very core of Captain Marvel. It can illuminate the many times she has fallen and succeeded as a superhero and as an airwoman.
It wouldn’t take Carol long to go from airwoman to cosmically-powered superwoman. She retired from the Air Force to take a position at NASA as head of security. This allowed her to leave the service a full colonel. (Take that, Captain America! She outranks you.) It was during her stint at NASA that Carol first encountered the man who would change her life, Mar-Vell. He was a soldier of the Kree, an interstellar empire that bowed down to a giant talking head called the Supreme Intelligence. (No jokes there; sometim
es superhero comic books get silly.) Carol was eventually kidnapped by another alien called Yon-Rogg. Mar-Vell attempted to rescue her and, during his battle with Yon-Rogg, Carol was exposed to the Kree Psyche-Magnitron. The Psyche-Magnitron’s only purpose was to confer superhuman abilities to people! Of all the alien supermachines in all the galaxy Carol could have bumped into, she sure picked the right one! Although Carol was unaware of her new abilities at first, she would eventually don a costume and join the ranks of costumed vigilantes as Ms. Marvel—a tip of the hat to Captain Marvel, the alien hero who had rescued her.
Recently, the Life of Captain Marvel mini-series, written by Margaret Stohl, revealed that Carol’s mother was actually a Kree alien. So, instead of the alien device giving her superpowers randomly, the origin has now been changed to the Psyche-Magnitron activating her latent Kree abilities. Overall, I predict this small change will do little to alter the arc of Carol Danvers stories going forward.
Another one of the United States Air Force’s core values is justice: “Those who do similar things must get similar rewards or similar punishments.”
It’s this value that, I think, led Carol to seek out—and later join—the Avengers. This team of “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” gathered to fight the foes no single hero could withstand. Carol would be drawn to this team because it has a very militaristic culture. (She does outrank Captain America, remember?) The Avengers have a team leader who gives orders, they take votes on who can join, and they even have access to the government’s criminal files. This core belief of justice in Carol’s head, the one that probably has been nagging her since her time in the Air Force, can finally be honored by joining a super team.