Camp Hammond is a training camp in the fictional Marvel Comics universe, Marvel Universe to train a superhero team for every state of the United States as part of the Fifty State Initiative. This Initiative HQ, located in Stamford, Connecticut, was the original setting for the Avengers: The Initiative comic book series.
History
Prior to the opening of Camp/Fort Hammond, the superhuman training facility was located at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. Camp Hammond, located on the site of the Stamford tragedy that started the Civil War, is named in memory of Jim Hammond, the original Human Torch. The camp is considered the Initiative HQ and also serves the dual function of being the Initiative team for Connecticut.
The camp is primarily used to train drafted super powered young people in the United States who have to be registered with the federal government. However, many respected and established superheroes have also attended training to brush up and further their skills.
New recruits are put through Avengers basic training, which includes combat, first aid, and superhuman ethics. If passed the recruits' registration card will be upgraded to a full heroes license with some being offered places in one of the fifty nationwide teams.
During the Secret Invasion, the base was set to be used by the Skrull invaders as a homebase for their regime. It is revealed the Chief Administrator, Hank Pym, was a Skrull impostor (this Skrull later perishes). The whole idea of the Initiative was created by Skrull agents to place Skrull impostors all over the country. Skrulls took the place of many graduates.
After the invasion, an incident with the Thor clone Ragnarok, and the revelation to the MVP cloning experiments to the media gives Norman Osborn, head of national security and director of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s replacement agency H.A.M.M.E.R., justification to shut down Camp Hammond.
Points of interest
Among the locations in Camp Hammond are:
- The Subbasement 5 level is the location of the omega weapons cache.
- The Subbasement 9 level is the location of the combat simulator, Yellowjacket's lab, Blitzschlag's lab, the infirmary, and the Shadow Initiative's briefing room.
- The quarters of Yellowjacket, Blitzschlag, Danielle Moonstar, Constrictor and Mutant Zero (named The Zero Room) have been seen along with cadet barracks bravo and the base housing home of the Green family.
- A number of Jim Hammond memorial statues which read
Jim Hammond
"The Human Torch"
First of the marvels
He showed us that heroes can be made
Staff
The main staff at Camp Hammond consisted of Henry Peter Gyrich overseeing the camp as Secretary of Superhuman Armed Forces, with Yellowjacket as Chief Administrator, War Machine as Camp Director and Field Commander, Gauntlet as Drill Instructor, and Justice as Youth Counselor. Villain Baron Von Blitzschlag was hired as Head Scientist, and later Taskmaster was brought in as Drill Instructor, when Gauntlet was in a coma. Other guest instructors and staff included the Thing, Constrictor, Gargoyle (Issac Christians), Nighthawk, and a battalion of Initiative Cape-Killers along with other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Chuck the bus driver, transported the new recruits to Camp Hammond.
Students
There were an undetermined number of recruits at Camp Hammond before it closed; according to Henry Peter Gyrich and War Machine, there are over sixty super humans at Camp Hammond including staff. Notable graduates of the Initiative program at Camp Hammond include:
- Annex: Assigned to the New Mexico Initiative team.
- Ant-Man: Assigned to the Thunderbolts.
- Blazing Skull: Assigned to the New Jersey Initiative team, the Defenders.
- Cloud 9: Assigned to the Montana Initiative team, Freedom Force.
- Geiger: Assigned to the New Mexico Initiative team.
- Hardball: Assigned to the Nevada Initiative team, the Heavy Hitters.
- Hellcat: Assigned to the Alaska Initiative team.
- Komodo: Assigned to the Arizona Initiative team, the Desert Stars.
- Melee: Trained to be an instructor after graduation.
- Nighthawk: Assigned to the New Jersey Initiative team, the Defenders.
- Red Nine: Assigned to the Georgia Initiative team.
- Thor Girl: Assigned to the Georgia Initiative team; revealed to have been a Skrull.
- Triathlon: Assigned to the Hawaii Initiative team Point Men, as the new 3-D Man.
- Trauma: Served as a counselor at Camp Hammond after graduation.
- Ultra Girl: Assigned to the Georgia Initiative team, and director of the Junior Guardsmen.
References
Further reading
- Marvel Atlas #2, page 9.
