# The Union (Marvel)

The Union is a UK superhero team that appears in comic books published by Marvel comics.
The Union appeared in the crossover event called King in Black alongside other well known comic book heroes and teams, and faced off against known foes and new foes not yet fought by any Marvel superhero or team.

## Comic Publication History

The Union is a five issue mini series that first appeared in December 2020 with Union #1. The Union was originally due to be release as part of the Empyre event, but was moved and rewritten to fit into King in Black event due to issues caused by the ongoing pandemic.

### The Union (comics)

King in Black :
| Issue No | Release | Publisher | Created by |
| 1 | December 2, 2020 | Marvel | Paul Grist (writer) Andrea Di Vito (illustrator) |
| 2 | January 13, 2021 | Marvel | Paul Grist (writer) Andrea Di Vito (illustrator) |
| 3 | February 24, 2021 | Marvel | Paul Grist (writer) Andrea Di Vito (illustrator) |
| 4 | March 31, 2021 | Marvel | Paul Grist (writer) Andrea Di Vito (illustrator) |
| 5 | May 5, 2021 | Marvel | Paul Grist (writer) Andrea Di Vito (illustrator) |
Special releases :
| Name | Release | ISBN | Publisher | Created by | Type | Citation |
| The Union: The Britannia Project | July 7, 2021 | ISBN 9781302938680 | Marvel | Paul Grist (writer) Andrea Di Vito (illustrator) | Trade Paper Back (TPB) | |

## Team Publication History

On December 02, 2020, The Union appeared in The Union #1 as part of the King in Black crossover event.
On 29 September 2021, The Union appeared in Marvels #5.
On 15 May 2024 The Union appeared in Union Jack the Ripper: Blood Hunt #1-3 with Bulldog featuring as a supporting character.

## Team History

The Union was formed by the British government as publicity attempt to restore faith in the UK. The team's formation is funded by billionaire Steve Darwin and was the dream of Britannia who wished to see super powered representatives from across the U.K serve Queen and country.
The members, while representing different parts of the UK have to work together to face a variety of enemies, these including the Knull, Doc Croc, The Sponge, Vampires and Baron Blood. The Union under the leadership of Britannia has protected the nation and united the super-powered heroes of its past and future

## Characters

Britannia
Britannia was the leader of the Union in the Union #1 and represented the United Kingdom as a whole. She was a powerful warrior that wore a dark and light contrasting blue outfit with a red cloak. She was seen wielding a sword and shield, as well as a trident. After being killed by a symbiote dragon, her spirit resided within Union Jack, to protect him from harm and enhance his strength.
Union Jack
Representative of England in the team and current leader, He is the only pre-existing character in the Union, and the latest man to bear the name of a character who first appeared in The Invaders.
Kelpie
Representative of Scotland in the team. She is referred to as "an ancient water demon found living in a Scottish lake". She has the power to control water, as well as being able to transform her hands into sharp claws.
The Choir
Representative of Wales in the team. She has black hair with a bright green strip across the top, and she is dressed in a glowing green and black contrasting outfit with a blue cloak and she wields a dagger. She is described as having "a voice that can shatter stone". During the attack on Earth by Knull, the Choir is infected by a symbiote. She is freed of Knull's control through the efforts of the Union, but later defects to work alongside Doc Croc and his team.
Snakes
Representative of Northern Ireland in the team. Snakes is a sentient collection of snakes formed together in the shape of a human. Described as having "the strength of ten men".
Bulldog
Joining the team as a replacement for Britannia after her death, Bulldog was a short man who displays super-strength and enhanced agility. He wore a red and grey jumpsuit and black boots. In Union Jack the Ripper #2, Bulldog is turned into a vampire and in Union Jack Blood Hunt #3 Bulldog is killed.

### Roster

The Union (Marvel team) roster has gone through a number of changes, this includes members leaving and joining the team and being present in a spirit form.
(Current member are indicated in bold) (Leaders are highlighted in gold)

#### Current Roster

The Union :
| Team Member | The Union (Comic) | The Union (Comic) | The Union (Comic) | The Union (Comic) | The Union (Comic) | The Marvels | Union Jack: Blood Hunt | Union Jack: Blood Hunt | Union Jack: Blood Hunt |
| Team Member | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Union Jack | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | | No |
| Kelpie | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | | No |
| The Choir | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Snakes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| No of Members | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 5 | N/A | 2 | N/A |

#### Deceased members

| Team Member | The Union (Comic) | The Union (Comic) | The Union (Comic) | The Union (Comic) | The Union (Comic) | The Marvels | Union Jack: Blood Hunt | Union Jack: Blood Hunt | Union Jack: Blood Hunt |
| Team Member | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Britannia | Yes | No | No | No | | No | No | | No |
| Bulldog | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |

## Supporting Characters
### Allies

* Selwlyn James (Government Minister with special responsibility for super heroes), the head of the Britannia Project, and the Union's government liaison. Later revealed to be ex-supervillain The Sponge
* Steve Darwin (Leader of the Britannia Project)
* Mara Syal
* Captain America
* Captain Britain

### Enemies

* Knull
* Doc Croc (Croker Dyle)
* The Sponge (Selwlyn James)
* Skreem (The Choir) (supervillain / superhero) (Introduced in The Union #1) (First full appearance in The Union #4)
* Volcana (introduced in The Union #4)
* Lady Shimmering Lights (introduced in The Union #4)
* Craig, the cybernetically enhanced Corgi (introduced in The Union #4)
* Hunger
* Vampires
* Baron Blood

### Races and species (featured)

* Humans
* Symbiotes/Klyntar
* Dogs (Robot)

## Reaction

The Union received mixed reviews from people across the United Kingdom, with some of the Scottish and Welsh people disagreeing with the name of the group and the way that their characters Kelpie (Scotland) & The Choir (Wales) portray the two countries.