Crimson Commando

Crimson Commando
The first appearance of Crimson Commando (Frank Bohannan; lower middle) as seen in The Uncanny X-Men #215 (March 1987).
Art by Alan Davis and Dan Green.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearance(Bohannan): The Uncanny X-Men #215 (March 1987)
(second version): X-Men #106 (Nov. 2000)
(third version):
X-Men #215 (March 1987)
Created by(Bohannan): Chris Claremont
Alan Davis
(second version): Chris Claremont
Leinil Francis Yu
(third version): Seth Peck
Jefte Palo
Guillermo Mogorron
In-story information
Alter egoFrank Bohannan
SpeciesHuman mutant
Team affiliations(Bohannan): Freedom Force
Office of National Emergency
(second version): Brotherhood of Mutants
(third version): Freedom Force
Notable aliases(Bohannan): Commando
Abilities(Bohannan): Non-superhuman physical perfection (peak state possible for baseline humans)

Crimson Commando is the name used by three fictional characters, which are either a mutant or a cyborg appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Publication history

Frank Bohannan first appeared in The Uncanny X-Men #215 (March 1987), and was created by Chris Claremont and Alan Davis.

The second version only appeared briefly in X-Men vol. 2 #106 (November 2000), and was created by Chris Claremont and Leinil Francis Yu.

The third version appears in X-Men (vol. 3) #40 (March 2013), and was created by Seth Peck, Jefte Palo, and Guillermo Mogorron.

Fictional character biography

Frank Bohannan

Frank Bohannan was born somewhere in Massachusetts. Bohannan, Stonewall, and Super Sabre, all veterans of World War II, intend to continue their government service after the war by combating communism during the Cold War, but are rejected. Angered by what they perceive as a decline in morals in the United States, the group become vigilantes. They capture criminals, then release and hunt them in the wilderness of upstate New York.

Mistaking Storm (the leader of the X-Men) for a criminal, the team capture and then hunt her. When Storm and Wolverine defeat the three, Stonewall and Crimson Commando agree to turn themselves in. Stonewall and Crimson Commando agree to join Freedom Force, a government-sponsored team of superhumans, in exchange for a commutation of their sentences.

Crimson Commando is gravely wounded during a bungled mission in the Middle East. Freedom Force is sent to Kuwait City to rescue or kill physicist Reinhold Kurtzmann, but encounter the Arabic super-team Desert Sword. Teammate Super Sabre is killed, while Crimson Commando's right hand is severed by Desert Sword member Aminedi.

Cyborg X, a cyborg soldier created by Care Labs, is implied to be Crimson Commando. A testing accident causes him to malfunction, bringing him into a confrontation with Spider-Man and Ghost Rider. Cyborg X later assists Spider-Man in battling the Sinister Six, but is apparently killed in an explosion.

Crimson Commando appears in the reality-altered House of M storyline serving as one of Magneto's royal guards. After this and M-Day, he loses his mutant powers. Without his powers, Crimson Commando begins to die. He kidnaps Hope Summers in an attempt to have her save him, but is killed by Wolverine.

Bohannan was resurrected by the Five at some point during the Krakoan Age, which restored his lost limbs. He did not stay on Krakoa for long and later became the director of the Office of National Emergency. Bohannan opposes the X-Men, but believes that his actions are benefiting the United States.

Second version

An unnamed, female, African-American version of Crimson Commando appears briefly as a member of Mystique's new Brotherhood of Mutants.

Third version

A human/cyborg version of Crimson Commando is a member of the Freedom Force. His power armor is equipped with two automatic machine guns as hands and a machine/rail gun mounted on its left shoulder.

Powers and abilities

Frank Bohannan is a mutant who possesses the peak of physical perfection a baseline human can achieve without becoming a superhuman, and thus apparently ages at a much slower rate than normal human beings. In addition, he is resistant to telepathic detection. Bohannan previously had cybernetic enhancements, which were lost following his resurrection.

In other media

The Frank Bohannan incarnation of Crimson Commando appears in X-Men II: The Fall of the Mutants.[citation needed]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Webber, Tim (February 2, 2017). "X-Cons: 16 X-Men Villain Teams You Forgot". CBR. Archived from the original on February 5, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2026. In 1987's "Uncanny X-Men" #215, Chris Claremont, Alan Davis and Dan Green introduced an unnamed trio of super-powered veterans who hunted criminals for sport. In a story called "Old Soldiers," Crimson Commando, Super Sabre and Stonewall were introduced as former WWII-era soldiers who were forced into retirement by the American government. Disgusted by rampant criminal activity, the group started kidnapping criminals and hunting them in the forests of the Adirondacks. After being beaten in combat by Storm, the group joined the government-sponsored team Freedom Force along with X-Men foes Mystique, Pyro and Avalanche...In a later adventure, the Iraqi super-team Desert Sword killed Sabre and maimed Commando. Commando was given cybernetic implants after this mission and fought the X-Men oa [sic] few more times. After losing his powers, Commando started dying when his body began rejecting his implants, and he was ultimately killed by Wolverine.
  2. 1 2 J.A.M (July 22, 2025). "10 Badass Moments Storm Proved She's Outgrown the X-Men". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on July 22, 2025. Retrieved February 18, 2026. At this point in time, Storm has lost her powers. Obviously, that doesn't slow down the opposition from challenging her. As she tries to outrun WWII-era villains Crimson Commando, Stonewall, and Super Saber, Storm decides she's tired of running. Instead, she sets traps for her would-be-captors that prove effective before a final confrontation with Crimson Commando.
  3. 1 2 Cronin, Brian (August 7, 2018). "How Freedom Force Was Wiped Out to Make Room for X-Factor". CBR. Archived from the original on August 8, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  4. 1 2 Sawan, Amer (March 28, 2023). "X-Treme X-Men Just Highlighted Storm's Most Underrated Skill". CBR. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2026. Likewise, in Uncanny X-Men #215 (by Chris Claremont and Alan Davis) Crimson Commando was a veteran fighter from World War II with years of combat experience, and his own mutation always kept him in peak physical condition just shy of being superhuman. Much like Callisto though, Storm beat him through a combination of superior strategy and martial prowess.
  5. ↑ Cronin, Brian (May 16, 2008). "Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #155". CBR. Archived from the original on April 27, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2026. Cyborg X was written as though he was Crimson Commando, the former member of Freedom Force who had been critically injured in a recent storyline in the X-Men annuals - Larsen had Cyborg X use actual dialogue from that storyline, showing the post-traumatic stress he felt about those events (later on, Crimson Commando would show up in X-Factor explicitly a cyborg).
  6. ↑ Nilsson, Jamison (February 18, 2026). "X-Men #25: 'Til You're 90". Comic Watch. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  7. ↑ X-Men (vol. 2) #106 (November 2000)
  8. ↑ X-Men (vol. 3) #40 (January 2013)