U.S. ANNIE
Real Name: Harriet Best
Identity/Class: Normal human (see comments)
Occupation: Unrevealed (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, Kruzado/Dorothy
Cardoza, 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, Warbug/Bernard
Van Buren, Winter
Woman/Angela Stover, Xantippe/Mandy Atkinson, Zapster/Langley
Saint-Margaret, others); (see comments)
Affiliations: Unrevealed (see comments)
Enemies: (At least formerly) S.H.I.E.L.D. and its
"Cape-Killers"
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Unrevealed (see comments)
First Appearance: Civil War: Front Line#4/1 (2006)
Powers/Abilities: U.S. Annie has peak athletic
abilities and fitness (see comments).
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 150 lbs.
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Auburn
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 crimefighting 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 hyperathlete U.S. Annie.
(Civil War: Front Line#4/1) - U.S. Annie 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 - BTS) - ARU prisoners, such as Typeface,
were sent to the Prison 42 in the Negative Zone.
(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 Paul Jenkins and Ramon
Bachs.
Codename 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 U.S. Annie.
REAL NAME: Harriet Best
ALIASES: None
IDENTITY: Known to US authorities
OCCUPATION: Legal consultant (see further comment below), bar owner,
occasional
adventurer/vigilante;
formerly exotic dancer
CITIZENSHIP: USA
PLACE OF BIRTH: Unrevealed
KNOWN RELATIVES: None
GROUP AFFILIATION: None;
formerly
Anti-Registration Underground
EDUCATION: Bachelor of Law
SHRA CLASSIFICATION: Baseline human
FIRST APPEARANCE: Civil War: Front Line#4 (2006).
Hyperathlete Harriet Best performed as an exotic dancer at multiple super-villain bars. She met Tagak the Leopard Lord during the "Defenders for a Day" event, and was instructed in combat and spirituality by him. She was present at the Satan's Circus bar when patrons brutally murdered Captain Terrific; this motivated her to act as the costumed heroine U.S. Annie on an irregular basis while continuing to work at underworld bars and attending law school part-time.
Following the passage of the Superhuman Registration Act (SHRA), Best refused to register because she presumed the SHRA applied only to those super-heroes who were active in their costumed identities on a daily basis. She subsequently graduated with a law degree and semi-retired from heroics. Best purchased her former place of employment, the Three Strikes Bar. When last seen, she was offering legal services to any patrons who earned her sympathy.
-----
Having a law degree (such as a Juris Doctor or JD) in
the USA does not automatically make the graduate a lawyer or attorney.
To practice law or legally represent clients, a person must pass a
state bar exam and receive an active license from a state bar. So it sounds like Best provides legal
advice and associated services, but she
doesn't/cannot represent clients in court as she's only a graduate.
Profile by Ronald Byrd, "Spider-Mike" Fichera and Grendel Prime.
CLARIFICATIONS
:
U.S. Annie has no known connections to:
images:
(without ads)
Civil War: Front Line#4, p8, pan2 (main image)
p31, pan4 (headshot)
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: 10/28/2026
Last updated:
10/28/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
Copyright info
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