Freedom Ring (Curtis Doyle), is a fictional gay superhero in the Marvel Comics universe, created by writer Robert Kirkman. Curtis first appeared in Marvel Team-Up #20. He became Freedom Ring in Marvel Team-Up #21. Marvel Comics is an American comic book line published by Marvel Entertainment, Inc. ... In comic books, first appearance refers to the date or issue of a characters first appearance. ... Robert Kirkman is a American comic book writer. ... A fictional character is any person who appears in a work of fiction. ... Batman and Superman, two of the most recognizable and iconic superheroes. ... Marvel Comics is an American comic book line published by Marvel Entertainment, Inc. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this comics-related article or section may require cleanup. ... Robert Kirkman is a American comic book writer. ... Marvel Team-Up is the name of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics. ...

Origin

After the Master of the Ring story arc in Marvel Team-Up ended, Captain America and Wolverine showed up. Cap told everyone he would take the reality-altering ring that the Ringmaster was wearing into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. Unfortunately, A.I.M. sent a group of soldiers called a M.O.D.O.C. (Military Operatives Designed Only for Combat) Squad to fight Cap for an unknown reason. The ring falls out of the pouch that Cap was supposed to bring it to S.H.I.E.L.D. in, but he doesn't notice. Captain America, the alter ego of Steve Rogers (in some accounts Steven Rogers), is a fictional superhero in the Marvel Comics Universe. ... Wolverine, born James Howlett but more commonly known as Logan, is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero and a member of several teams, including the X-Men and the New Avengers. ... The Ringmaster (real name Maynard Tiboldt) is a fictional supervillain who is featured in Marvel Comics. ... S.H.I.E.L.D. (originally an acronym for Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division, subsequently changed to Strategic Hazard Intervention, Espionage and Logistics Directorate) is a fictional counterterrorism and intelligence agency in the Marvel Universe that often deals with superhuman threats. ... A.I.M., or Advanced Idea Mechanics, is a fictional group in the Marvel Universe. ...

Curtis Doyle. Art by Andy Kuhn.

The ring is eventually found by mild-mannered Curtis Doyle, whose friend Troy calls the ring a "free, dumb ring". This comment helps Curtis find his superhero name later. He discovers that the ring gives him the ability to alter reality when he accidentally creates an ice cream sundae. He runs away terrified, but when he returns, he finds that the sundae has disappeared without a trace. He calls Troy, and later, they have a long night of super-power practice. Image File history File links CurtisDoyle. ... Image File history File links CurtisDoyle. ...

The next day while Curtis is on a date with Jeffrey, the Abomination attacks nearby and Curtis runs off to fight him. While fighting Abomination along with Spider-Man and the X-Men, Curtis is seriously injured. Spider-Man rushes him to the hospital. The Abomination is a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Spider-Man swinging around his hometown, New York City. ... The X-Men are a group of comic book superheroes featured in Marvel Comics. ...

Curtis recovers, but is told he will never walk again. Troy helps him return home, and Curtis uses the ring to restore his legs. Going after Troy, who just left, he finds that his neighbour is an undercover Skrull who was sent to monitor the Avengers just before they disassembled. Losing track of them, the Skrull turned his spy equipment towards his neighbours. He knows everything about Curtis, and having decided to become a Superhero himself (dubbed the Crusader), asks Curtis if he wishes to be his partner. The Skrull are an alien race in Marvel Comics fictional universe. ... The Avengers are a superhero team, consisting of many of Marvel Comics most popular heroes. ... Crusader is the name of a fictional character created and published by Marvel Comics. ...

Curtis is unsure, given what happen with the Abomination, but the Crusader convinces Curtis that he can do it, because if he fixed his legs, he can make himself stronger and faster, and less reliant on conjuring up the right item. Curtis agrees, making himself stronger, and practices with the Crusader for two weeks. In a later battle with Iron Maniac, Curtis is slain after revealing the source of his power to the foe, who slices off Curtis's finger before stabbing him multiple times. Iron Maniac is a Marvel comic book character created by Robert Kirkman, who is an evil alternate universe version of the regular Marvel Universe character Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. ...

Powers and abilities

Curtis Doyle originally had no inherent super-powers on his own, but in Marvel Team-Up #20, the character comes into possession of a ring crafted from a fragment of a destroyed Cosmic Cube which allows the wearer to alter reality within a radius of roughly 15 feet (4.6m) around him him, giving him a 30-foot sphere of reality he can alter. After his first attempt as Freedom Ring, he altered his physiology to give himself superhuman strength, stamina, durability and enhanced speed. A Cosmic Cube Cosmic Cube is the name of a fictional device that exists in the Marvel Universe. ...

Trivia

• Curtis called himself "Freedom Ring" after his friend Troy called his cosmic ring a "Free, dumb ring" when Curtis found it.
• Curtis' first interpretation of his powers seem to be based on the DC character Green Lantern, although the difference between their powers is that Freedom Ring creates actual objects while Green Lantern merely creates hard-light constructs.
• The term "freedom rings" also refers to a set of five interlocked rings of different colors, frequently seen on decals, as a symbol of gay rights, similar to the rainbow flag. Since Curtis is gay, he might also have chosen the name for this connotation.
• Curtis's death was met with many strong negative reactions, including accusations of homophobia from gay comic book sites Gay League and Prism Comics.