Jack Harrison (Earth-616)

Early Life[]

Jack Harrison and his brother, Drake, were members of Captain America's computer hotline network, and they created a citizen's patrol group in their hometown of Sandhaven, Arizona. Drake was attacked by a couple of criminals, and the attack left him unable to use his legs. After the attack, Jack and Drake discovered that the Serpent Society had infiltrated the town. They informed the local authorities of the situation, but it was to little effect, as the Serpent Society had paid them all off. Frustrated with the situation, Jack began an intensive martial arts and weight lifting regime, with the goal of fighting the Serpent Society himself. He took on a disguise that he thought would make Captain America proud, and began to fight crime as Jack Flag.^[3]

During a bank robbery, Jack intervened and stopped Rock Python and Fer-de-Lance (both of whom were members of the Serpent Society). Shortly after this, Jack attempted to infiltrate the Society, but King Cobra did not fully trust Flag. King Cobra sent him to steal a painting from Mr. Hyde, who severely beat Jack. While fighting, Flag was drenched in Hyde's chemicals and developed superhuman strength. After receiving his new powers, Flag easily defeated Mr. Hyde and retrieved the painting that he was supposed to steal for the Serpent Society. Before returning the painting to the King Cobra, Flag contacted Captain America's hotline and informed them that the Serpent Society was in Sandhaven.^[4]

Impressed that he was able to defeat Mr. Hyde, Cobra tried out Jack as a new King Cobra. While Flag was undercover with the Serpent Society, Captain America, and his protégé, Free Spirit, showed up to aid Jack and defeat the Society. Jack followed Captain America and Free Spirit east, aiding them against ULTIMATUM, AIM, and Madcap. When Captain America believed he was dying, he charged Jack, Free Spirit, Fabian Stankowicz, and Zack Moonhunter with maintaining his hotline.^[5]

Post Civil War[]

Jack Flag, now living in Cleveland, later helped a girl escape a group of gangsters and was targeted by the new Thunderbolts for violating the Superhuman Registration Act.^[6] He was able to subdue almost all of the Thunderbolts team, but was stabbed in the spine by Bullseye while attempt to escape, destroying his cauda equina and leaving him paralyzed.^[7] He was taken into custody and imprisoned in the superhuman prison code named Prison 42, which resided in the Negative Zone.^[8]

War of Kings[]

Jack later subsequently took charge of Prison 42 after the warden and guards retreated back to Earth and abandoned the prisoners during the Skrull Invasion. Prison 42 soon fell under siege by Blastaar's forces, who wants to gain access to the facility's portal to Earth, to prevent which Jack fought them off for some time. While confined to a wheelchair, Jack still commanded the respect and loyalty of the former superheroes and villains that now made up his army.^[9]

Prison 42 was then visited by Peter Quill (Star-Lord) when Peter was sent inside Prison 42 to negotiate with Jack for the surrender of the facility to Blastaar's forces. Unfortunately, due to a betrayal by one of Jack's men, Skeleton Ki, the doors of Prison 42 were opened to Blastaar's forces, who stormed the facility. Jack Flag and Peter Quill were surrounded when Peter's Guardians of the Galaxy team suddenly teleported in to save them. Jack Flag and Peter Quill escaped back to Knowhere, the Guardians of the Galaxy's headquarters, where Jack's spinal injury was healed by alien technology and his paralysis cured. Considering himself a wanted man on Earth, Jack decided to stay with the Guardians for a while as a fellow cosmic adventurer.^[10]

The Thanos Imperative[]

Jack was on board the Sacrosanct, the homeworld of the Universal Church of Truth, when Thanos was resurrected and went on a rampage across the world.^[11]

New Team[]

At some point Jack left the Guardians and returned to Earth, the Superhuman Registration Act having being abolished while he was in space. Jack was recruited by Captain America along with Free Spirit as part of S.H.I.E.L.D. in order to combat the growing threat of Hydra.

During one mission which involved capturing Baron Zemo in Bagalia, Jack Flag was thrown out of Zemo's getaway plane by Captain America himself, who had recently been replaced by a Hydra double-agent version of himself by a sentient Cosmic Cube named Kobik.^[12] Jack barely survived the fall, and even though S.H.I.E.L.D. managed to give him medical assistance, he remained comatose.^[13] Captain America later attempted to finish Jack off by injecting him with poison, but he was interrupted by Free Spirit who informed him that Jack had made her the decision-maker in the case of his continued life support, and that contrary to Jack's family's desires, she had chosen to pull him off life support, which eliminated the need for Cap to kill Jack himself. Once life support was removed, Jack died.^[14]

Jack has a cheerful and carefree personality which has been shown through his partnership with Free Spirit where the two engaged in constant banter. He was shown not to take things too seriously when Free Spirit showed concern over Captain America’s illness and what they would do in life after they stopped being heroes. This attitude has carried on as a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy where he was a comic relief with out-of-place comments and witty one-liners.^{[citation needed]}

Jack also has a strong sense of righteousness inspired by Captain America which motivated him and his brother to form a citizens’ patrol group. Coming face to face with the corruption posed by the Serpent Society, affirmed by this sense, had made him determined to put an end to their activities. During the Super Hero Civil War he displayed an unfaltering stance, wearing the costume once again despite being aware of the potential consequences.^{[citation needed]}