Moving forward with my new favourite research-heavy series
of posts about the MC2, today we’ll be looking at the roguishly charming
member of the MC2’s Avengers, Brandon Cross aka Freebooter.
Specifically, we’ll be taking a deep dive through his various appearances to showcase
any and all of Freebooter’s Costumes. Without further ado, let’s
jump in!
Freebooter’s most frequent and recognizable costume
is the one he debuted in alongside his fellow Dream Team members
in A-Next #4, following a shadowy cameo in A-Next #3.
Artist Ron Frenz had this to say during his interview with Adam
Chapman’s on the Comic Shenanigans podcast:
‘I remember Freebooter being a no-brainer. I’m an
old Space Ghost fan and I like the outline of that mask so that kind of
worked for me and I kind of built the costume around it. I was kind of doing a
cross between the Swordsman and Hawkeye. I love those
characters.’
Following in-universe chronological order, Brandon’s earliest
costume appears in a flashback during American Dream #3 which details Shannon
Carter’s first meeting with former hero and long-time Avenger Clint Barton
aka Hawkeye. Clint introduces Shannon to another of his ‘special
students,’ Brandon Cross in what appears to be his own training gear. Notably,
Brandon appears to already have a preference for both purple and the distinctive
design he’ll later don as a hero.
In another flashback in the same issue of the American
Dream mini-series, we see Brandon training alongside his fellow
students and future teammates wearing some fairly standard looking martial arts
training uniform or ‘gi.’ It’s nothing special, but to leave it out would be unforgiveable,
I’m sure!
On the very next page, during the same flashback sequence in
American Dream #3, we get our first look at the Freebooter
costume in all it’s elegant glory. This appears to be the first time Brandon
sees the costume too, as it is gifted to him by his mentor Clint Barton
as a gift on the group’s graduation day. This is also where Brandon is
given his superhero codename by Clint, for those paying attention.
This costume remains unchanged throughout the A-Next
series from Brandon’s debut right up until the final issue, and this continues
into his guest appearances in Spider-Girl and beyond. However, there are a few small variations
worth pointing out. In A-Next #8 we get a glimpse of Brandon
mid-way through changing into his costume, giving us this look of Freebooter
without his masked hood, glove or bracer arm-guard. Note that normally Brandon
wears his glove on his right hand and his bracer on his left arm.
Over in J2 #6 we see slightly different bracer design
on Brandon’s left arm, this time with only one large exposed area on the
forearm rather than the standard two.
Here’s Freebooter unarmed and without his belt and bandolier
from A-Next #12. Don’t worry, he gets them back!
While it’s clearly a colouring mistake, here’s Freebooter
from Spider-Girl #13 looking like he’s missing some of his costume at
the back.
Once again, Felicity Hardy’s daydream sequence in Spider-Girl
#52 provides us with another ‘imaginary’ costume design for a member of the
Avengers, with this look for Freebooter looking even more swashbuckler-y:
While his costume appears unchanged throughout the Last Hero
Standing mini-series, we get this one panel variation from issue #4
where Brandon appears to have switched glove hands. I wonder if he’s ambidextrous?
Brandon takes time off from the Avengers for a
while but a representation of him is glimpsed during Sylene’s plan to
remake Earth as a new Asgard in Avengers Next #4. It’s
likely another colouring mistake, but here Freebooter appears to have
bare hands.
Reappearing in a
cameo appearance Amazing Spider-Girl #25, there is another slight
variation which, yet again, may simply be the result of a miscolouring. But it does
appear to depict the Freebooter costume with two gloves and shoulder pads,
so it goes on the list here!
Artist Todd Nauck depicts Brandon’s Freebooter costume a little different from the norm, making the boots shorter similar to Captain America or Hawkeye’s classic costumes (American Dream #5)
Even in the Spider-Island mini-series’ MC2
story, where various characters have new or updated costumes, Brandon
retains his iconic costume. Here is a shot of Freebooter with his trusty
collapsible crossbow by his side from Spider-Island #1.
I realize some of these are a bit of a stretch, but at least
I was thorough. If you think I’ve missed any, please do let me know! I hope we
see more from Freebooter in the future, because the guy has grown on me
during my research.
Until I master the art of being suave, charming and disarming,
I remain
frogoat