CHEER CHADWICK
Real Name: Cheer Chadwick
Identity/Class: Human; citizen of the United
States; public identity
Occupation: Valet, political extremist,
conspirator; would-be conqueror
Group Membership: Sons
of the Serpent; Secret Empire/Imperial Forces of America; the
Elite;
formerly Royalist Forces of America
Affiliations: Brute
Force (Fieldstone,
Fizgig,
Hoarfrost,
Hoopsnake,
Ingot,
Loblolly,
Scarum,
Watchfire),
Harcourt Vickers, Richard Cholmondely, Supreme Serpent, Thomas
Gloucester, Tinkerbelle
Enemies: Captain America (Steve Rogers), Citizen V
(Dallas Riordan), Defenders (Nighthawk/Kyle Richmond, She-Hulk/Jennifer
Walters), Falcon (Sam Wilson), General
Argyle Fist, the Jury (Bomblast, Firearm, Ramshot, Sentry/Curtis
Elkins, Wysper/Jennifer Stewart), Joaquin
C. Pennysworth, Thunderbolts (Atlas/Erik Josten, Charcoal/Charlie
Burlingame, Hawkeye/Clint Barton, Jolt/Hallie
Takahama, Moonstone/Karla Sofen, Songbird/Melissa Gold), U.S.Agent/John
Walker
Known Relatives: Hesperus Chadwick (father,
deceased), William
Taurey (uncle)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Madripoor;
formerly Sons of the Serpent base, Webster County, West
Virginia;
formerly Cornwallis Base, Rocky Mountains, United States;
formerly Royalist Forces underground base, Western
Badlands, United States
First Appearance: Captain America I#195 (March,
1976)
Powers/Abilities: Cheer Chadwick possesses no known
superhuman abilities. She is a wealthy and self-assured socialite with
extensive experience inside conspiratorial political organizations. She
is comfortable directing armed personnel, overseeing violent
competitions and security operations, and explaining complex
installations to prospective recruits. Cheer is familiar with advanced
weapons, genetic experimentation, indoctrination technology and other
equipment used by the organizations with which she has been involved.
She generally relies on guards, technology and superhuman operatives
rather than engaging opponents personally.
Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'8")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 125 lbs.)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
History:
(Captain America I#195 (fb) - BTS) - Cheer Chadwick was
born into wealth and privilege as the daughter of Hesperus Chadwick, a
member of the Elite behind the Royalist Forces of America. By adulthood,
Cheer fully embraced the group's belief that the Elite were born to rule
while ordinary people only existed to serve them.
(Captain America
I#195) - Cheer encountered Captain America and the Falcon after the two
heroes escaped the Royalist Forces' labor pens and entered a laboratory
where human beings were being forcibly altered for use as workers.
Rather than immediately having the intruders killed, Cheer was
fascinated by the two masked men and ordered the guards to stand down.
She personally took them through the underground complex, proudly
showing off the Royalists' society and introducing them to the deadly
Kill-Derby that entertained the Elite.
When Captain America and the Falcon began asking about the Madbomb,
Cheer privately contacted her father. Hesperus assured her that the
heroes would soon be dead and that the Royalists' great Madbomb was
already positioned for its eventual activation. Tinkerbelle subsequently
took charge of the captives and prepared them for the Kill-Derby.
(Captain America I#196) - Cheer presided over the
Kill-Derby and demanded that Captain America and the Falcon participate.
The two were forced onto rocket-powered skateboards and sent into an
arena where heavily armed competitors tried to kill them. Cheer
enthusiastically watched the blood sport while the heroes fought their
way through the other contestants in an effort to recover Captain
America's stolen shield.
(Captain America I#197) - Captain America and the Falcon survived the Kill-Derby and won the contest, but Cheer was outraged when they rejected the winners' pot of gold and refused to accept the murderous values of the Elite. She turned the crowd against them and ordered the heroes killed. The confrontation was interrupted when General Argyle Fist and United States troops stormed the Royalist headquarters. Cheer fled while the underground complex descended into battle. Her father's men reached her before the base fell and escorted her to a private pneumatic car. Hesperus and Cheer escaped through the tunnels while explosions sealed the route behind them.
(Thunderbolts I#31 (fb) - BTS) - Years later, Cheer and
the surviving Elite reorganized their movement. The Imperial Forces of
America served as its recruitment arm while the Elite operated behind
the scenes as a new Secret Empire. The organization established
Cornwallis Base in the Rocky Mountains and developed a program of
indoctrination, military training and genetic experimentation intended
to build a loyal superhuman army.
(Thunderbolts I#31) - Cheer singled out a group of new Imperial Forces
recruits (secretly the Thunderbolts, who had come to rescue their
teammate Charcoal) for a personal tour of Cornwallis Base. She
showed them the organization's re-education equipment, military
facilities and genetic laboratories, explaining how recruits were
transformed into obedient members of the new society. When she took them
to the lab where Charcoal was being tortured, the Thunderbolts revealed
themselves. Cheer was not surprised: when the T-bolts were initially
recruited, a bodyscan had revealed their metahuman nature. Cheer then
unleashed the Secret Empire's superhuman team the Brute Force against
them. The infiltrators were eventually subdued by the Empire's forces.
Cheer later stood with Hesperus Chadwick and William Taurey while Taurey
formally revealed that the Royalist movement had become the Secret
Empire and now intended to extend its rule beyond the United States.
(Thunderbolts I#32) - Cheer joined the Elite in watching
their captives forced into a new Kill-Derby against Brute Force and the
Imperial Forces. The situation changed when USAgent and the Jury arrived
(having been tipped off by Citizen V who had also infiltrated the
base). When the heroes caused the Secret Empire's defenses to
collapse, Cheer remained with William Taurey while the Elite prepared to
abandon Cornwallis. Before leaving, Cheer witnessed Taurey make one last
plea for help to his outside benefactor, Baron Helmut Zemo. When he
refused any further aid and ended the video call, the outraged Cheer
openly mocked Zemo for having an accent and wearing a sock on his head.
(Thunderbolts I#32 - BTS) - Cheer's father Hesperus was intercepted and
captured by Citizen V before the base was destroyed. Cheer and Taurey
escaped the immediate battle, thinking the Thunderbolts had taken
Hesperus.
(Last Defenders I#3 (fb) - BTS) - Cheer came to the conclusion her
father had died, which led to her rededicating herself to his cause: to
wipe out the lower classes.
(Last Defenders I#2 (fb) - BTS) - Cheer allied herself with the Sons of
the Serpent. She supplied the white supremacist organization with
blueprints that allowed them to reconstruct the Madbomb
technology once used by the Royalist Forces.
(Last Defenders I#2) -When Nighthawk and She-Hulk located captured
S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Joaquin Pennysworth inside a Sons of the Serpent base
in Webster County, West Virginia, Cheer appeared alongside the Supreme
Serpent on a video transmission. The Supreme Serpent announced that the
rebuilt Madbomb would be used to tear the United States apart and
establish the Sons' racist vision of society.
(Last Defenders I#3) - Cheer stayed close to the Supreme
Serpent as they watched Nighthawk, She-Hulk and SHIELD agent Pennysworth
tear a swath through the Sons of the Serpent at their Webster County
installation. When it became clear the day was lost, Cheer and the
Supreme Serpent made themselves scarce.
(Captain America X#21
(fb) - BTS) - Cheer reconnected with her uncle William Taurey who had
now set himself up in Madripoor. As a member of the Power Elite, he
hosted modern slave auctions which made him a prominent figure in the
island's criminal society.
(Captain America X#14 - BTS) - Intelligence gathered on
the network surrounding the Power Elite included a static image of Cheer
among several established extremist and criminal figures.
(Captain America I#21 (fb) - BTS) - Cheer involved herself in her
uncle's organization and became his valet. She made it a point to
connect with influential people, setting up a meeting with Alexa, the
wife of billionaire industrialist Aleksander Lukin.
(Captain America X#21) - Cheer accompanied William Taurey
during his most recent slave auction, which concluded with a high end
cocktail party. Chadwick mingled with the guests, approaching Aleksander
Lukin and openly flirting with him while Taurey danced with Alexa. Cheer
was still present when tensions between the men escalated and Lukin
moved against Taurey.
Comments: Created by Jack Kirby and D. Bruce Berry.
In her original appearances, Cheer bears a striking resemblance to Cher.
Somehow I doubt Jack Kirby was blasting Dark lady or Gypsies,
tramps and thieves while working on these pages in his studio in
Thousand Oaks. But he must have been aware of her, she was also a major
TV star with her own variety show on CBS. The name Che(e)r also seems to
be a dead giveaway.
Over time, the resemblance became less obvious, by the
time we got to 2008's Last Defenders she looked more like
G.I. Joe's Baroness. Last Defenders I#3 establishes that
Hesperus Chadwick had presumably died by that point. But without a body,
it's still possible he remains a 'guest' of the V-Battalion after
Citizen V captured him in Thunderbolts I#32.
Profile by Norvo
CLARIFICATIONS:
Cheer Chadwick should not be confused with
Images: (without ads)
Thunderbolts I#31, p10, pan3 (main)
Captain America I#195, p17, pan1 (closeup)
Captain America I#195, p17, pan4 (contacting poppa)
Thunderbolts I#31, p10, pan7 (is of the elite)
Thunderbolts I#32, p17, pan3 (bag over his head)
Captain America X#21, p16, pan1 (meets Lukin)
Appearances:
Captain America I#195 (March, 1976) - Jack Kirby (writer, pencils,
editor), D. Bruce Berry (inks)
Captain America I#196 (April, 1976) - Jack Kirby (writer, pencils,
editor), D. Bruce Berry (inks)
Captain America I#197 (May, 1976) - Jack Kirby (writer, pencils,
editor), Frank Giacoia (inks)
Thunderbolts I#31 (October, 1999) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Mark Bagley
(pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thunderbolts I#32 (November, 1999) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Mark Bagley
(pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Last Defenders I#2 (June, 2008) - Joe Casey & Keith Giffen
(writers), Jim Muniz (pencils), Cam Smith (inks), Stephen Wacker
(editor)
Last Defenders I#3 (July, 2008) - Joe Casey (writer), Jim Muniz
(pencils), Cam Smith (inks), Stephen Wacker (editor)
Captain America X#21 (October, 2020) - Ta-Nehisi Coates (writer), Robert
Quinn (pencils & inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
First Posted: 10/04/2026
Last Updated: 10/04/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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