The Golden Age Pryde of LionsThe organization, for lack of a better term, wasn't really deeply involved in the war against the Nazis. At least in the context that the United States pretty much dismissed the idea of ANY non-superpowered women involving themselves in the conflict. In fact, it was the fact that these sassy ladies wanted to help DESPITE the USA's lack of desire to let them made their story all the more interesting.
Their primary role was mostly getting involved in various criminal plots by Les Collaborators (American Bundists, people who are totally not Charles Linburgh or Henry Ford, Quisling types, etc) and criminals who sought to make a profit on the war. Oddly, they ended up fighting the Black Hand and PHANTOM (despite that organization being ANTI-Nazi) as much as the Proto-Death's Head organization.
The Golden Age Pryde, honestly, didn't meet that many heroes during its service despite a few group shots when the USA realized they were a massively effective group.
Aladdin and his Genie,
Doc Aeon,
Steel Commando I and the
Liberators, and the
Liberty Men on a couple of occasions were about the extent of it. Oddly, Alex knew them BEFORE the Pryde of Lions and the 1940s Alex directed the Time-Lost Modern Age Pryde to meet with them. "I swear it was like the ghosts of girlfriends past when Maggie met Cynthia."
But yes, the specifics of that adventure basically boiled down to the Heirophant and Deathmonger plus an Atlantean Time Machine and Book of Spells. The Book of Spells was destroyed, much to Heirophant's horror/relief but the Time Machine fell into the hands of the Pryde and remains their tool for visiting their friends in the past. Yes, this causes the Time Police NO end of trouble but they're aware that people of the 21st century have NO respect for linear time.
libra wrote:The fact that she made more friends and enemies across the globe than she did profits, mostly due to the fact that she kept bumping into racism, sexism, fascism, communism et al across the globe and had OPINIONS about that sort of thing which she tended to back up guts alongside true grit in the course of some truly epic put-downs and the ensuing adventures so provoked (later with the help of her sidekick and certain other friends she'd made along the way).
greycrusader wrote:Following World War II, Ava and Trix's adventures followed the later course of the earlier Battle Aces, veering into weird science and the supernatural. During this period, their partnership blossomed into true love. Though discreet, their relationship eventually made them persona non grata in the States, especially after the House Un-American Affairs Committee targeted Ava for her "radical" ideas about racial equality and liberal politics. The two settled in France, which was proud to call the two heroines home for the rest of their lives.
Much to the disgust of many modern historians, much of the Pryde of Lions efforts was actually suppressed and classified in part because of raging homphobes given the fact that the HUAC discovered that not only were their charges ACCURATE but the others were well aware of their inclinations. The investigation would have gone on much longer to expose the "deviants" and their supporters if not for an order to avoid from J. Edgar Hoover (backed by blackmail material) that America's morale would take a drastic blow given how many people were willing to speak up for them who were viewed as heroes.
History, of course, has vindicated the fact that apparently the vast majority of heroes were surprisingly open minded even in the 1940s.
(It helps, of course, that plenty were otherworldly gods, people from the future, French, or just plain used to the unusual)
Libra wrote:The fact that her ability to absorb kinetic force did nothing to protect her garments - and her fondness for CQC tended to result in them being extensively shredded - was, along with the favour of Eva Amazing, a striking beauty all her own and her reputation as quite the pistol, equally helpful in turning her into the first superhuman matinee icon in the Los Dios, courtesy of a rather massive number of much-impressed soldiers.
Greycrusader wrote:The Bombshell did pop up in a few movies during the later days of WW II and in the years thereafter. Unfortunately, her physique stereotyped her as a Carnival strongwoman, female wrestler, and the like. Her career mostly consisted of minor roles in studio films and bigger parts in B-move potboilers. She enjoyed a later-in-life revival as an actress in Mexico, starring in numerous "female wrestler vs gangsters/monsters/aliens" films.
Amusingly, her pinups never did stop being popular because plenty of men didn't mind the fact that their breathtaking lady was a bit on the brawny side. The movies were, of course, TERRIBLE but some of the Westerns were actually remarkably authentic.
Gee, I wonder why.
Her first husband was, interestingly enough, one of the Morris clan. This, ironically, makes the Sunfleurs a distant set of relations to the Aeon Family and other heroes.
Greycrusader wrote:Bombshell still runs a Gold Gym franchaise in Texas, as well as a popular saloon/burger-n-frieds joint. She ran through three husbands in her time, and had children with each, so Cassie Sunflowers has numerous cousins out in the world.
The semi-superhuman physique of the family means that she's about mid-sixties in health despite her age and still able to lift things many normal people can't. She has played the role of "Dirty Old Grandma" to the Pryde on several highly embarrassing visits.
Oddly, The Last Ranger ceases ALL WEIRD in her presence. Such a nice boy.
Libra wrote:Growing into a sturdy, plain graceful and rather no-nonsense young lady, Jade Tigress proved herself capable of deep thought, great sympathy for others and not a little suspicious of those in authority (which would prove helpful in making life more difficult for those agents in government of the Iron Hand at the mercy of the Dragon Lady Death, but also complicated relations between the Tigress and her elders), as well as in possession of a great stone-shattering roar all her own.
Greycrusader wrote:Jade Tigress remains a revered, venerable teacher of the White Lotus Society, though she takes on few new students this late in her life. She does sometimes have to deal with the odd Iron Hand assassin out to make a name for himself; she's less tolerant than she used to be, so Jade Tigress now makes such unworthies hop naked on one foot back to their base-camps.
You can imagine how a Chinese woman went over with the team as well. Thankfully, much of their activity was in the Eastern Theatre anyway ("From one crummy bar to another.")
But yes, Jade Tigress was forced to witness the destruction of much of the China she'd called home not soon after the end of World War 2. The Maoists sent many individuals to kill her and it was only by adopting a normal life was she able to avoid becoming a causalty of it, despite all of her skill. Suffice to say, she was highly depressed for nearly two decades. The rise of Khanate in her backyard also was a dire blow to her ego.
It was, ironically, Maggie Lee who sought her out to learn the ways of martial arts (or more precisely, improve what she learned from the Black Wins) that she regained a sense of purpose.
Note: The White Lotus Society in China was almost destroyed by the Maosits, ironically surviving mostly abroad in Taiwan and other locations. Say what you will about the Chinese government but they didn't take on more than they could chew during the war on superhumans.
Libra wrote:One of the keenest investigative reporters of her day, all but tireless, quite fearless and not unacquainted with the technicalities of beating the snot out of low-lives with her bare hands (her father had been extremely concerned about her safety, she'd been tomboyish in her youth and more than willing to learn what she needed to survive two dangerous professions), Miss Metropolitan distinguished herself in a low-key sort of way as a street-level sleuth and occasional vigilante.
greycrusader wrote:Miss Metropolitan retired uneventfully after V-E day, and returned to her life as a full-time reporter. A dedicated career woman in a time when females had to work twice as hard to get half as far in the profession, the ex-Miss Metropolitan never married, but had numerous eligible suitors even into middle-age. Sadly, she had an occasionaly smoking habit even when actively adventuring, and this escalated into a two-pack a day addiction by the time she was forty. She died at the premature age of 57 of lung cancer.
Honestly, the Unmasking Massacre left her feeling pretty despondant anyway. A close friend and professoonal rival of Antaeus (nothing more, much to her regret sometimes) his suicide was something which destroyed much of her ability to function as an objective journalist on superheroic matters. The fact Miss Metropolitan's secretary and a number of friends were gunned down in the event (despite the fact she'd been retired for years) ALMOST almost lead to a roaring rampage of revenge.
Debates rage to this day why she didn't.
libra wrote:How all this motivation led to her adopting a costumed guise and adopting a habit of sniffing out evidence which could truly settle cases caught up in uncertainty lack of it, then leaving it for her Father to find is an interesting question - suspicions that Athena may have noted the young lady's resolve, then decided that some tutoring from one of her new friends amongst the Liberty-Men are unsurprisingly rife.
greycrusader wrote:Owlgirl and the others went along with this grudgingly, as the alternative was not being allowed to serve at all; Jade Tigress protested vociferously, but eventually consented as even she saw the team being much more effective in the fight against tyrrany with official US backing. Greycoat quit the team in anger, severing her friendship with Owlgirl.
Given the United States wasn't exactly keen on a team of women lead by a Chinese woman either. The issue was a bit more complicated than simple racism at work. Honestly, the issue was Greycoat became increasingly frustrated with the entire system. It was, after all, years until segregation was put to an end and honestly the United States didn't seem worth fighting for. A part of her also felt troubled that she was spending so much time surrounded by wealthy white women and one Chinese girl.
She eventually reconciled with the others but not until she was in her eighties. It helps, really, that much of the New Fighters For Freedom were composed of fanboys and fangirls for the heroes of the past. People who needed guidance to help the Iron Age come to an end.
Libra wrote:Born on the US/ Canadian border, the US Maiden was a young woman possessed of courage, determination, the power to raise and lower ambient temperatures, sufficient to create a mist - and, if she was in a particularly bad mood freeze an area within a radius of considerable size (though she always felt uncomfortable using that ability on Human Beings or those she thought to be Human, preferring to use her abilities to conceal her movements, then rely on stealth,cunning and as small an amount of violence as she could get away with to carry the day).
greycrusader wrote:US Maiden favored the Frost Giant lineage of her biological father.
Loki being named the God of Fire by Wotan actually makes him the only deity in the Nine Worlds capable of traversing all the realms (being a Frost Giant, God of Fire, and god all at once). It was a mistake that Wotan really should have seen coming.
US Maiden oddly DID die a perfectly normal death and ended up in Hel before Ymir had her taken to Valhalla.
(Specifically, the portion conquered by the Giants it's quite nice)
She's now the giant equivalent of a Valkyrie.
