KRUZADO
KRUZADO
Real Name: Dorothy Cardoza
Identity/Class: Hyperathlete (see comments)
Occupation: (see comments)
Group Membership: Anti-Registration Underground (All-Out/Unarmed Training Automaton Attacker/Richard Taine, Awe-Striker/Cecily Johnson, Basic Black/Norman Gentry, Battlestar/Lemar Hoskins, Brain Spasm/Dennis Hoxie, Canasta/Henry Cavanaugh, Captain Kinship/Edward Randlebuck, Dahntu/Charles Luc Phan, Freeware/Kurt Duryea, Gladiatrix/Robin Braxton, Green Guardswoman/Natalie Bell, Harbormaster/Sean Beckett, Haunter/Mark Runnemyer, Human Haze/Steve Cochrane, Iguanid/Tom Boldstep, Johnny Justice/Jonadab Megyscol, Lawman/Leon Frankfurt, Leather Angel/Andrew Mussawyr, Masked Rose/Josie Tyler, Natural/Beru Addison, Network/Valerie Martin, Orange Crusher/Andy Gardner, Panthrax/Alex Mitchell, Peace-Lover/Barry Kanczeski, Qiblah/Jared Nelson, Saint Hildegard/Sonya van Jagt, Scorecard/Bill Merrick, Skybolt/Zack Zimmerman, Solo/James Bourne, Spaceheat/Charles Yaméogo, Staten Island Star/Russell Feldman, Stone-Tough/Ted Pendleton, Tosser/Ferris Hartke, Typeface/Gordon Thomas, U.S. Annie/Harriet Best, Warbug/Bernard Van Buren, Winter Woman/Angela Stover, Xantippe/Mandy Atkinson, Zapster/Langley Saint-Margaret, others); see comments
Affiliations: See comments
Enemies:
(At least formerly)
S.H.I.E.L.D.
and its "Cape-Killers"
see comments
Known Relatives: See comments
Aliases: See comments
Base of Operations:
Unrevealed;
previously an unidentified
Anti-Registration Underground safehouse in Manhattan, New York
see comments
First Appearance:
(Unidentified) Civil War: Front Line#4 (2006);
(identified) Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z
hardcover#14 (2010)
Powers/Abilities: See comments
Height:
Unrevealed (approximately 5'8"; see
comments)
Weight:
Unrevealed (approximately 145 lbs.; see
comments)
Eyes:
Unrevealed (see comments)
Hair:
Blue
History: See comments.
(Civil War: Front Line#4 (fb) - BTS / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover#14: Anti-Registration Underground (fb) - BTS) - Following the Stamford disaster, where hundreds had perished during a battle between New Warriors and four Raft escapees, Iron Man (Tony Stark), Mr. Fantastic (Reed Richards) and others worked with US officials to develop the Superhuman Registration Act (SHRA), outlawing any crime-fighting activities by unregistered super heroes.
Vigilante Typeface, although his identity was already known, resolved to fight a perceived assault on freedom, and he organized an Anti-Registration Underground, beginning with ex-government operative Battlestar and anti-terrorist Solo, to support super heroes who continued fighting crime without SHRA approval. Their ranks were soon supplemented by mystic-armored Freeware; bodysuit-enhanced Green Guardswoman; Masked Rose, leader of super-team T,J,A.W. (Truth, Justice, and the American Way), empowered by accidental mutant blood exposure; exoskeleton-empowered Network; and cyborg Skybolt. Via a covert interview with Alternative reporter Sally Floyd, ARU members publicized their perspective, and several other anti-registration heroes joined, including Kruzado.
(Civil War: Front Line#4) - Kruzado was present with the ARU when S.H.I.E.L.D. raided the ARU's safehouse and arrested most of its members.
As the ARU members debated whether to seek and join Captain America (Steve Rogers)’s Secret Avengers, a better organized and equipped anti-SHRA unit, or to remain independent, armored S.H.I.E.L.D. Cape-Killers, accompanied by Iron Man, Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers), Wonder Man (Simon Williams) and at least ten unidentified flying heroes, raided the base. Caught by surprise, few ARU members managed to effectively fight back against their more powerful and organized opponents. Although S.H.I.E.L.D. captured over 40 members, the Harbormaster, the Awe-Striker, Canasta, Dahntu, the Green Guardswoman, and the Tosser evaded capture, as did the Masked Rose, who had been absent seeking new recruits.
(Civil War: Front Line#5/2) - ARU prisoners, such as Typeface, were seen being sent to the Prison 42.
(Civil War#6 - BTS) - The Secret Avengers and the Superhuman Registration Act resistance arrived at Prison 42 to free the prisoners.
(Civil War#7 / Amazing Spider-Man I#538 / Civil War: Front Line#10-11 - BTS) - The Secret Avengers penetrated Prison 42, freeing many prisoners. When the combined anti-registration forces were confronted by Iron Man’s pro-registration forces, Secret Avenger Cloak (Tyrone Johnson) teleported both groups to Manhattan. Freed ARU prisoners took part in the battle between the pro and anti-registration heroes, spanning from the Negative Zone prison to the streets of New York. In the ensuing battle, which caused severe damage, the Thunderbolts’ Venom (Mac Gargan) apparently killed Typeface. Other fatalities may also have occurred. Following Captain America’s surrender to forestall further civilian risk, Battlestar and possibly others avoided recapture.
The government offered amnesty in return for registration. Although Gladiatrix rejected the offer, Network registered under the 50 States Initiative, while Solo also registered but pursued independent interests. Presumably additional ARU members followed Gladiatrix’s example, others followed Network’s or Solo’s, and still more remained at large.
Comments: Created by
Created by
Paul Jenkins
and
Ramon Bachs.
Codename, real name, and nature provided by Ronald Byrd
During
the production of the Civil War: Battle Damage Report (2007) writer
Paul Jenkins provided Ronald with authorization to provide
identities, real names for the various background Anti-Registration
Underground characters, and to flesh them out as much as he wanted.
Ronald provided identities and real names for the Anti-Registration
Underground entry in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A
to Z hardcover#14 (2010). There wasn't room to provide much more than
that in that entry. However, Ronald had backgrounds and histories in
mind for these characters when he provided their names.
While
the information is unofficial until it sees print,
here is the
full story behind Kruzado:
KRUZADO
REAL
NAME: Dorothy Gale Cardoza
ALIASES:
Crusader (English translation of codename),
Little Ms. Martial Arts
IDENTITY:
Publicly known
OCCUPATION:
Licensed martial arts instructor, adventurer
CITIZENSHIP:
USA
PLACE OF
BIRTH: Westchester,
New York
KNOWN
RELATIVES: Jonathan Cardoza (father),
Frances Cardoza (nee Carat, mother), Oscar Cardoza (brother), Emma
Alcott Cardoza (sister-in-law)
GROUP
AFFILIATION: Formerly
Anti-Registration Underground
EDUCATION:
Bachelor's Degree in Martial Arts Studies,
extensive martial arts training
SHRA
CLASSIFICATION: Hyperathlete
FIRST
APPEARANCE: Civil War: Front Line #4
(2006)
HISTORY:
Following high school graduation,
Dorothy Cardoza won a months-long trip around the world, and visited
many countries. A physical fitness buff, Cardoza studied the
traditional martial arts of several nations while abroad -- including
Bartovia's Éclat d'un Faucon, Boca del Dios's Garras
d'Ofidiano, Halwan's Varzesh-e Muru'ah Alsāyf, Kwarrai's Lob Wil
Don, Ruritania's Os Zen Zau, San Gusto's Trescientos Imbunche
Ventaja, and Terra Verde's Chak Chel Cruz -- acquiring
reasonable or above-average expertise in each. After graduating
college and becoming a licensed martial arts instructor, Cardoza,
while attending a police auction, impulsively purchased the deceased
costumed criminal Death's
Head (Paxton Page)'s
cobalt-radiated, semi-transparent horse Xolotl, whom she renamed
"Bungle." To take advantage of an obscure city ordinance,
dating back to the 1910s, which guaranteed equestrian costumed
adventurers the right to ride freely throughout the city in search of
crimes or crises in which to intervene, Cardoza registered as such an
adventurer, taking the codename "Kruzado," preferring to
spell the word with a "K" instead of with a "C"
because she thought it looked "cooler."
Kruzado initially took her self-declared status lightly, as little more than an excuse to legally ride Bungle on jaunts throughout New York City, even sometimes allowing her cats, King Smokey and Nancy Thunder, to accompany her on excursions. However, her attitude toward heroism gradually changed following several encounters with Gwendolyne "Gwen” Stacy, a young woman who, despite having neither special training nor superhuman abilities, periodically risked her life to help others to safety during various superhuman-related crises -- often while her boyfriend Peter Parker was, unknown to her, similarly risking his life as Spider-Man -- including separate attacks on Manhattan by extraterrestrial android Ramrod and Ego-Prime; the Crime Wave orchestrated by the Cowled Commander; and minor incursions during the "Night of the Netherspawn," when Thog the Overmaster sent demons to possess people across the world. Kruzado was impressed by Stacy's consistent bravery, which she felt exceeded her own.
When one of Spider-Man's chief opponents, the Green Goblin (Norman Osborn) murdered Stacy, Kruzado felt the world had "lost a hero" and dedicated herself to living up to Stacy's example, as when she rescued bystanders from collateral damage during an attack by unidentified undersea giants, who were ultimately defeated by the Swordsman (DuQuesne) and Thor Odinson of the Avengers. She subsequently established a formidable reputation when she single-handedly ended an impromptu crime spree by over a dozen admittedly inexperienced costumed criminals (Airwoman, the Crasher, Dragonbone, the Green Gecko, Horizon, the Jitters, Mister Threat, Noisemaker, Pert, Red Dome, Setback, Sturlaug), who'd been seeking diversion after a failed recruitment drive by the Wizard (Wittman)'s Frightful Four. Soon afterward, Kruzado's fellow non-powered acrobatic adventurer U.S. Angel joined one of her martial arts classes, and the two became close friends.
Following the passage of the Superhuman Registration Act (SHRA), Kruzado declined to register because she erroneously believed her registration as an equestrian adventurer years before met the SHRA's requirements; when government agents confronted her at her home, Bungle, sensing their hostile intentions, attacked the agents and galloped away, leaving Kruzado to flee from arrest. She eventually joined Typeface's Anti-Registration Underground. When S.H.I.E.L.D. forces attacked the A.R.U.'s safehouse, another non-powered adventurer, the Staten Island Star, rashly attacked an armored agent and was immediately knocked unconscious. Recognizing herself to be equally outmatched by the S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives, Kruzado surrendered. She registered without incident, reunited with Bungle, and, at least temporarily, retired from costumed adventuring.
HEIGHT: 5'8” WEIGHT: 145 lbs.
EYES: Black HAIR: Black (dyed blue)
ABILITIES/ACCESSORIES:
Kruzado is an accomplished acrobat, hand-to-hand
combatant, equestrian, and martial artist. She is proficient in over
a dozen forms of martial arts and frequently deploys components from
several techniques in mixed, or "freestyle," combat. She is
fluent in at least seven languages and "passable" in at
least ten others.
She rides the mutated horse Bungle, who possesses at least three times the strength, speed, and intelligence of a non-mutated horse, along with the ability to render herself and her passenger(s) intangible for up to three seconds at a time and to emit bursts of dazzling though harmless cobalt energy from her eyes.
Profile by Ronald Byrd, Snood, and Multi-Tasking Mike Fichera.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Kruzado should be distinguished from:
images:
(without ads)
Civil
War: Front Line#4, page 9, panel 1
Appearances:
Civil
War: Front Line#3/1 - BTS (September, 2006) - Paul Jenkins (writer),
Ramon Bachs (penciler), John Lucas (inker), Cory Sedlmeier
(editor)
Civil War: Front Line#4/1 (September, 2006) - Paul
Jenkins (writer), Ramon Bachs (penciler), John Lucas (inker), Tom
Brevoort (editor)
Civil War: Front Line#4/3 (September, 2006) -
Paul Jenkins (writer), Sean Chen (penciler), Rick Magyar (inker),
Molly Lazer, Aubrey Sitterson (assistant editors), Tom Brevoort
(editor)
Civil War: Front Line#5/2 (October, 2006) - Paul Jenkins
(writer), Steve Lieber (artist), Molly Lazer, Aubrey Sitterson
(assistant editors), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Civil War#6 -BTS
(December, 2006) - Mark Millar (writer), Steve McNiven (pencils),
Dexter Vines (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Civil War#7 -BTS
(January, 2007) - Mark Millar (writer), Steve McNiven (pencils),
Dexter Vines, John Dell & Tim Townsend (inks), Tom Brevoort
(editor)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z
hardcover#14 (June, 2010) - Jeff Christiansen & Mike Fichera
(head writers/coordinators), Markus Raymond & Mike O'Sullivan
(coordination assistants), Stuart Vandal, Sean McQuaid, Michael
Hoskin, Ronald Byrd, Markus Raymond, Mike O'Sullivan, Madison Carter,
Kevin Garcia, Gabriel Shechter, Jacob Rougemont, Rob London, Rich
Green, Chris Biggs, David Wiltfong, Jeph York, Mark O'English, &
Mike Gagnon (writers), John Denning (associate editor), Alex Starbuck
(assistant editor), Theodore Kutt (copy editor), Mark D. Beazley
(editor, special projects), Jeff Youngquist & Jennifer
Grunwald (editor)
First posted:
03/20/2026
Last updated:
03/20/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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