Stormwatch Team Achilles

Stormwatch Team Achilles is the superhero team, appearing in the second incarnation of the Image comics Stormwatch. This version was penned by Micah Ian Wright, with illustrations contributed by Whilce Portacio, C. P. Smith, Mark Texeira, Tomm Coker, Carlos D'Anda and Clement Sauve. The longest run for a penciler on the book was by Smith, who drew issues 11-19. The title featured covers by Portacio, Jason Pearson and Michael Golden.

History
Benito Santini knew humanity needed a considerably more powerful protection against SPBs (Super Powered Beings), and he knew he couldn't do it as part of American forces, given his issues with I.O. As such, he led what was originally a United Nations-based group of human Special Forces soldiers from all over the world, Team Achilles. The team was charged with the elimination of out of control superpowered beings.

The founding of the new StormWatch is unclear. It was voted on by the UN's Security Council at a point where it had been made certain the US representative couldn't veto the initiative; it was obvious the US would never go for something that could threaten their own SPB activities. The creation of the new StormWatch also was done without the consent of the "United Nations Special Security Council", a group of six multi-billionaires who controlled much of the UN and had specifically been the real masters behind Henry Bendix's StormWatch.

The new StormWatch had to be rushed into action three weeks early. Ivana Baiul, now head of the Homeland Defense Agency, had decided to test Achilles' steel (and increase her own budget) by having Islamist terrorists attack the UN's H.Q. in Manhattan. Two members of Achilles, Santini and Coleman, who were jogging in Central Park at that point, managed to slip in the building, kill a superpowered guard, capture another and assemble the team, taking out the majority of the SPB terrorists and forcing the two survivors to retreat. Shortly after, Santini was teleported against his will by the UN's Special Security Council. The multi-billionaires were furious to see a new StormWatch not under their control, and wanted to make clear to Santini who was boss. Santini had a plan, however - the SSCC didn't realize he had a hidden emitter in his knee, nor that Project: ENTRY teleportation couldn't be electronically blocked. After a short, tense discussion Santini had two members of his assault team, Jukko Hämäläinen and Jaeger Weiss, teleport in and execute the SSC members. He then massaged the situation so that it would look like the SSC members had been killed into the UN buildings by the terrorists, allowing him to escape any retaliation planned by the SSC.

During the following months, Team Achilles proved to be up to the task of controlling a number of threats. A powerful Serbian empath radiating low-level hatred over the Balkans -- a contributing factor to many of the regions pointless ethnic wars -- was taken down, lobotomized and had his powers rewired to the pleasure centers of his brain. The remainder of the terrorist group that had attacked the UN was taken out, along with a major target - Dhul Fiqar, one of the few known activators of Seedlings, who was providing SPBs to Islamist terrorist groups. Achilles prevented the Russian army from moving into Chechnya (from which they had been expelled by the Authority). They took down a reality-manipulating SPB who had taken over a small American town and prevented the reincarnated George Washington from destroying the US - although extensive damage was done to key Federal buildings and personnel in Washington, D.C. - such as the SCOTUS and Congress. They also stopped an European villain named Baron Chaos.

However, during that time, the vendettas continued. Baiul managed to capture Tefibi - but was outmaneuvered as the StormWatch telepath, Avi Barak, was much more powerful than her intel indicated, and had layered multiple booby traps in Team Achilles' minds. Santini also abused his resources to track down and kidnap Senator Terns, the man who had prevented the truth about the SPB named Devil from reaching the Hague. Santini kept Terns, widely considered to be the most powerful Democrat in Congress, prisoner in his H.Q. and had Codename Alias replace him. Santini also sent Flint to Earth ENTRY on his behalf to bring him the head of Devil, and she did.

During those months, a highly dangerous feud developed with the Authority. Santini considered SPBs taking the world into their own hands an abomination; though he made a point of not killing any of them, he still kept outmaneuvering them. The Authority came to the conclusion he was out for superhuman blood, however, and Santini and his men started figuring on their list of "terminate-with-prejudice" targets.

When the Authority took control of the United States, Team Achilles' funding and legal power, as provided by the UN, has been severed. Team Achilles remains committed to their mission, without government oversight and has gone underground.

The organization was later trapped in the Project Entry Universe alongside with their enemies. The two groups put aside their past grudges and have been trying to find a working teleporter to their Earth for more than two years. Eventually Team Achilles and their enemies escape to their Earth's New York City. There the team discovers that their status is overshadowed by Stormwatch P.H.D. However, as Team Achilles was about to celebrate their return they witnessed the start of Armageddon when The High's clones, the Reapers, were attacking around the world. Santini and his team continue into action to "kill some superhumans."