The Crimebusters were a league of extrajudicial avengers and the second generation of costumed adventurers.
History[]
Formation[]
Following the break-up of the Minutemen in 1949, the United States continued to operate without organizations of masked vigilantes for almost two decades, even though their exploits individually inspired the next generation of heroes. During this period, former Minutemen member Captain Metropolis grew frustrated watching as specialized law enforcement stood still as crime continued to thrive.
In 1966, with the help of his new friend Ozymandias, Gardner established the Crimebusters as a potential successor to the Minutemen. Gardner believed that the social climate of America had become so overrun by social unrest that a new collective of masked crimefighters was the answer. Though it was believed that Gardner's motivation was driven primarily by the return of his old adversary, Moloch, who had reportedly founded another underground crime syndicate in New York City, his true reason to start the Crimebusters with a focus on the inner city, as well as "black unrest", was in part his attempt to make amends to Will Reeves, formerly known as Hooded Justice.
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Pop art painting depicting four of the members of the Crimebusters; clockwise from top left: Nite Owl II, Ozymandias, Doctor Manhattan, and Silk Spectre II.
Recruitment[]
The eclectic group comprised of former Minutemen members Captain Metropolis and the Comedian, a pair of next-generation costumed adventurers, Nite Owl II and Silk Spectre II, two new crimefighters, Ozymandias and Rorschach, and the bonafide god, Doctor Manhattan.
Disassembled[]
At their first meeting, a debate arose over the validity and necessity of such a group; Rorschach believed such a group would be merely a "publicity exercise" and would also be "too big and unwieldy." The Comedian expressed the strongest opposition, cynically stating that the threat of nuclear war looming over the world made Nelson Gardner's idea of "playin' cowboys and Indians" insignificant in the Atomic Age. To prove his point, the Comedian set fire to Gardner's carefully planned display. The only vocal support for Gardner's idea came from Nite Owl II who believed it was valid since he and Rorschach had some success fighting gangs by working together. Uninspired by this nomenclature and by Gardner himself, the team-up never came to be. Gardner retired shortly thereafter.
Legacy[]
Although the Crimebusters never came to be, the former members would sometimes work together on certain assignments, though they remained mostly separated. For instance, Doctor Manhattan and Silk Spectre II would go out on patrol together, and they eventually established their romantic partnership. In 1970, the Comedian and Manhattan joined forces together on behalf of the United States government to fight in the Vietnam War and ensured U.S. victory. Rorschach and Nite Owl II continued to work together, and hunted down New York City's most notorious criminals such as Underboss and the Big Figure without acting on behalf of any team. In 1975, Rorschach investigated the case of Blair Roche disappearance by himself. Ozymandias would often work by himself, and succeeded in taking down Moloch's organized crime syndicates. By bringing to justice the last of the notorious rogues from the original era of costumed adventurers, Veidt inaugurated this new age of masked vigilantes.
During the Police Strike of 1977, riots sprung up in New York City where the Comedian and Nite Owl II attempted to keep the peace; Doctor Manhattan and Silk Spectre II were together once again, settling the riots in Washington, D.C. outside the White House. Following the riots, the Keene Act was passed into law, making masked vigilantism illegal.
Members[]
Nite Owl II[]
- Name: Dan Dreiberg
- Status: In-Custody
- Description: Dan Dreiberg is the second Nite Owl, carrying on the mantle from his friend and predecessor, Hollis Mason. More than the other heroes, he relied primarily on his technological genius and gadgets to fight crime. Like his predecessor, all of his gadgets and costumes are based on an owl theme. He used an owl-shaped flying vehicle nicknamed Archie, equipped with a variety of offensive and defensive devices. Dreiberg continued to fight crime alongside his partner Rorschach until he was forced into retirement due to the Keene Act which made costumed vigilantism illegal. Dreiberg came out of retirement following the death of fellow crimefighter the Comedian. After failing to stop Ozymandias' plot to save mankind by killing millions, Dan and his lover Laurie Juspeczyk changed their appearances and identities. Dreiberg continued his career as a costumed adventurer following the 11/2 Psychic Shockwave and secretly started his own company MerlinCorp, providing him and Laurie, and several state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the United States with their own versions of Nite Owl II's high tech vehicles and equipment to fight crime. Dan and Laurie would break up as he wanted to settle down and have children, but she wanted to continue vigilantism. Despite their breakup, they put aside their differences and worked together to stop the Oklahoma City Bombing and killed Timothy McVeigh. In violation of the Keene Act, they were both arrested by the police. While Laurie chose to cooperate and ended up working for the FBI's anti-vigilante unit, Dreiberg refused to speak to the authorities and accepted the maximum sentence mandated by the Keene Act.
Silk Spectre II[]
Ozymandias[]
- Name: Adrian Alexander Veidt
- Status: In-Custody
- Description: Adrian Veidt is a former billionaire industrialist who draws inspiration from his heroes Alexander the Great and the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II, the latter from whom he took his name, Ozymandias. During his early crimefighting career, Ozymandias focused particularly on taking down organized crime syndicates led by Moloch the Mystic and earned a reputation as "the smartest man in the world". Overtime, costumed adventuring exploits, started to become hollowed pursuits to him. His attempt to help his friend Captain Metropolis organize a new team of costumed adventurers known as the Crimebusters was disrupted by the Comedian, who noted in his brutally apt way exactly how petty the doings of the costumed heroes were in a world where the threat of nuclear war hung overhead, and how powerless they were to stop it. Veidt was inspired to do just that. Following his publicized retirement from vigilantism, Veidt capitalized on Doctor Manhattan's superpowers by issuing a patent for the spark hydrant, which made Veidt his first million, and eventually made more money by playing the stock market with great savvy. He used his newfound wealth to establish Veidt Enterprises. Veidt used his company to create a giant squid monster that killed millions of people, which he used to end the Cold War and avert nuclear war by uniting the human race through fear of a manufactured "alien" threat. Years of dissatisfaction of not being recognized for saving the world followed, however. He eventually asked Doctor Manhattan to send him to a paradise he created on the moon Europa, where he thrived for years until its monotony began to drive him insane. After his escape, he returned to Earth and saved the world again, this time from his daughter, Lady Trieu, only to be arrested by Laurie Blake for his crimes against humanity 34 years prior.
Captain Metropolis[]
- Name: Nelson Forrest Gardner
- Status: Deceased
- Description: Nelson Forrest Gardner was the organizer, founder, and leader of the Minutemen under the name Captain Metropolis. Gardner enlisted in the Marines after washing out of Harvard University and served with distinction under Major General Smedley Butler in the Banana Wars. He was honorably discharged as a lieutenant in 1936 and began a career as a security consultant and military contractor, which made him independently wealthy. As a retired Marine, Gardner used his tactical knowledge to organize the team against enemies that had to be fought with numbers, almost always proving successful. He acted as the lover of Hooded Justice, a relationship that was hidden from the public eye. Despite his heroic intentions, Nelson cared more about the team's public image, and chose to fight costumed criminals such as Moloch rather than using his leadership to take on systemic issues. Although he initially agreed to help Hooded Justice in taking down the Cyclops, he refused to help him even after learning of their use of mind control technology against black people. Due to his own racist attitudes and indifference towards the black community, Gardner casually dismissed it as nothing serious, and that it just isn’t something that the Minutemen will do since solving "black unrest" doesn't fit their public image. After the split of the Minutemen and Hooded Justice's disappearance, Gardner enthusiastically attempted to form a second team known as the Crimebusters with the help of Ozymandias, but it fell apart the same day it was formed. Feeling regretful for his careless and dismissive actions during their time together, he decided to leave his fortune and estate to Hooded Justice in the event of his death. Years later, he was decapitated in a car crash.
Comedian[]
- Name: Edward Morgan "Eddie" Blake
- Status: Deceased
- Description: Eddie Blake was a masked vigilante formerly known as the Comedian and a paramilitary operative for the United States government. During his time with the Minutemen, he committed sexual assault against Sally Jupiter and was beaten to a pulp by Hooded Justice before he could rape her. This heinous action resulted in him getting expelled from the team. Following his departure from the team, Blake became a decorated war hero and super-soldier in the employ of the United States military during World War II. In 1948, Blake and Sally would have consensual sex, with Sally being impregnated with their daughter Laurie. Due to his government connections and his activities both domestic and overseas, Blake would become a patriotic symbol of American justice and helped campaigned for several conservative politicians including Joseph David Keene. Because of his involvement with the government and support for members of the House Un-American Activities Committee, Blake was the only vigilante not forced to testify. The Comedian was invited to join the Crimebusters by his former Minutemen teammate Captain Metropolis. The team-up never came to be as Blake pointed out the futility of their activities, stating that old fashioned crime-fighting methods were useless for saving the world when the threat of nuclear war lay overhead at all times. Still working as a U.S. operative, Blake was sent to fight in the Vietnam War and teamed up with Doctor Manhattan. While Doctor Manhattan played a major role in giving the United States' a major advantage against North Vietnam, Blake led his own military unit called the Blazin' Commandos. During the war, he and his unit committed several violent atrocities including the Mỹ Lai massacre. Blake continued his work as a government operative, with many of his missions remaining classified. The few missions the public is aware of were known to be notoriously violent and disturbing. In 1985, Blake discovered a private island belonging to Adrian Veidt. It was there that he learned that the island was staffed with artists, writers, and scientists employed by Veidt to create a massive alien-like creature. Blake understood the goal of the project, and it disturbed him so much that it broke his cold, nihilistic demeaner and drove him to moral outrage and despair. On October 11, 1985, Blake was killed by Veidt for his discovery of the plot that he had been orchestrating to end the Cold War.