NO MORE CRUSADERS ANYMORE

The New Crusaders have had three line ups since they first burst onto the scene, saving the Beckhams from Black Tom Cassidy and his sport related team of super villains. They have travelled the world, jumped dimensions and skipped through time but it appears that time has almost certainly run out for them now.
In the American magazine 'CAPES' they have been pronounced as officially defunked and though the magazine claimed that the team has more than enough members to patch a team together tomorrow we took a longer look and think its far more unlikely than they think.
We've looked at each hero and tracked them as best we could and think we can show just why each and everyone of these brave individuals is likely to stay just that; an individual, unconnected to a new Crusaders.

VALIANT
The long time leader of the team thought killed in the Secret Invasion reappeared just as Von Doom attacked Britain eighteen months ago. Where is he? He hasn't been seen in action at all! Experts say that when he arrived back from where ever he had been he was with the Ex Crusader Spitfire and that they were trailing two small children, if this is to be believed then he must have hung up his boots and gloves.
Others claim that he has lost power and standing in the hero scene and so has drifted quietly away so as not to jeopardise his legacy. Whatever the reason he has not been in action since his return and so it seems hes out of the running to return any time soon if ever again.

THE YOB
Yob was one of the first to leave the team and since moving to the X-Men he hasn't looked back. Though he could swing in to make a quick save if needed it is highly unlikely considering the Mutant teams attempt to create a nation state and hold it all together. The only real threat to his position with the Mutants would be the recent return of the legendary X-Man Wolverine, who has been back for a year or so and has made that time count by joining any team that would have him. Is this because he's lost his place on the X-Men's main team or is he just making up for lost time? Either way Yob looks settled and so unlikely to join a patched together New Crusaders.

SPITFIRE
This flame throwing super hot heroine lost her powers during the Mutant M-Day event and was thought killed with Valiant in the Secret Invasion, she returned, throwing fire balls by all reports but hasn't been seen in action since. Most likely to be shacked up with the charismatic Valiant and not ready to return.

THE GREEN MAN
This primordial force of nature sacrificed itself at Stone Henge to close a rift that threatened to destroy all of reality. Since then he has been seen once only and most believe that the majority of his power was spent clearing the environment around the United Kingdom. When a pole was taken last year ninety percent of the population of Britain believed he was some form of nature diety and sixty percent believed that his existence disproved the Christian Gods directly. Either way he doesn't seem likely to be able to turn up on a regular basis.

BRITANNIA
The mystic hottie was only ever a fringe player and so when she was bestowed with the power of Captain Britain and sent into the Dimensional multiverse to do battle with evil it didn't really impact too heavily on the original team. No chance of hooking back up with the team that took her to the dance.

THE FALCON
The United Kingdoms oldest and probably greatest protector next to Captain Britain sacrificed himself against the Zombie Sentry Virus and was destroyed forever, proving that even immortals aren't safe when they pull on a cape. No chance of a return for The Falcon mores the pity.

THE PLANT
This nippy scientific battler was no wall flower but many believe that the torture he sustained when captured by Cromwell and the N.M.A drove any desire to serve on the front line out of him forever. This said he moved from the New Crusaders on to being a scientific support member of the Avengers under the late Wasp and spearheaded the mission to LV426 where we are now colonising at great speed. No chance of returning to active duty as he has just taken a post as Head Scientific officer of the New Earth colony.

UNION BLACK
Black is the most controversial member of the team without a doubt and his exploits are too many to detail, from joining Tony Starks S.H.I.E.L.D as his number two to his live resignation on television which consisted of a right cross and a f-you. His open contempt for the Registration act led to him taking a more shadowy role in the world of superhumans until he was apparently killed in the Negative Zone battling the Sentry Virus. He turned up alive after that and was arrested for the murder of two British Soldiers and the torture of Richard Aberline. He is currently being tried for the crimes and if convicted could face life imprisonment.

ULTRAVIOLET
Voted the second hottest women on the planet after the first and only year in the team she disappeared on M-Day and many think she was killed, thought it is just as likely that she lost her powers and simply could not do the work anymore.

BOUND
This miniature Frost Giant proved to be one of the biggest members of the New Crusaders but despite his incredible feats of strength and bravery he is more likely to be remembered for his unlikely marriage to Paris Hilton, the break up, the clothes lines and brief foray into New York Sca music, his estranged wife paying for genetic augmentation and then Initiative training (which she shockingly past) and the reunion. Now Bound and Paris live on the land where Asgard once floated with the other asgardians and the litter of pygmy frost giants that she gave birth to last year.

MIDNIGHT
The original turncoat has stabbed the team in the back on more than one occasion and hell is more likely to freeze over than she is to rejoin any Crusaders team.

FREERUNNER
The hugely popular par core master and general gentleman pugalist turned out to be a rabbit driving a robot suit that we all fell for, hard. The Longorian Ambassador is now wealthy, fat and living on his rabbit races base on Titan. No chance of pulling this rabbit out the hat.

REBEL
The fiery red head was a handful of that there was no doubt but she was thought killed with Union Black during the Senrty encounter. She surfaced later as did Black himself but didn't make it back to regular active duty. She was spotted six months ago with The Yellow Canary and Clive The Cavalier in China doing battle with Triad gangs. It seems unlikely she would return without The Canary and he has been quoted by the Chinese papers as saying he never wants to leave china again.

GERALD
The Falcons butler saw plenty of action but was killed by Indian assassins in the same year as his master was killed. Gerald is gone for good.

THE YELLOW CANARY
The Falcons second bodyguard was thought dead but is now in China. Not a chance.

CABER
The Scottish powerhouse was an excellent addition to the team but was brutally wounded by the Sentry and its common knowledge he isn't capable of active duty anymore. He is also a member of the coalition governments cabinet and seems very settled as the minister for Superhuman Affairs.

SHATTERPROOF
Gorgeous and powerful she was a Californian beach babe with real grit, fleeing the Registration act she set up shop with the New Crusaders and weren't we all happy about that. Strong, dependable, tough and ready for action she was a rock for the team but following the events that transpired eighteen months ago she distanced herself from the team and followed the Plant to New Earth where she is a member of their global defence team.

CLIVE THE CAVALIER
From sidekick of Rebel to full New Crusader he won alot of fans and so when he followed Rebel and The Yellow Canary to China many hearts were broken. It seems he was some how caught up with a secret member of the New Crusaders known as Sabotage. What happened we aren't entirely sure but we do know that he will not be drawn on the subject of Mr Scratch or Captain Britain. No chance he will cross the world without his two friends and they have no intention of returning.

STOKE
An interdimensional being in a containment suit he was always a strong figure within the team in the public eye but didnt stay the course after the Sentry Virus and was already developing his alternative energy and technology company before he left. Now Smythe industries is one of the most powerful companies in the world and though it couldn't save Britain from the recession it did take the brunt leaving the economy ropey but not shattered. Too wrapped in the company to come out of retirement.

STARDUST
The Fairy princess was a magical force in the New Crusaders and had a serious magical pedigree by all accounts. She left the team following the Sentry Virus battle in the Negative zone and rejoined her Fairy people where she is now presumably their queen?! She has been known to appear every now and then and spread a little love but in general she is certainly out of the line of fire.

THUNAER
The Norse Totem of Thor's power, protector of the people of the Thunder God cannot step into the fray was a main stay and a lynch pin piece of the team. He fought the Sentry virus and the Skrulls, N.M.A intruders, osbournes Avengers and Dooms assault on The British Isles, but following the events at the end of the last team he became distant and finally has settled in with the Asgardians in America. He was there for the Siege and stood against Ares himself apparently. What is perplexing about Thunaer is there appears to be no real reason why he didn't stay and continue the Crusaders on as their lynch pin if not their leader. Whatever happened it was serious enough to make him break from the team altogether and it seems a break he is unwilling to mend.

FURY
This lightside Vampiress was originally attached to MI13 and was serving on the New Crusaders as what seemed to be a representative of that organisation. She was always a shadowy figure and so when she stepped out of the lime light no one was that surprised. Now Fury follows her calling with MI13 hunting down Vampires and creatures of the night and is unlikely to give up her success against this mystic and magical threat for the public eye once more.

APPERTURE
A telporter of rare control he was never really seen in the middle of the action and instead liked to skirt the edges of the battles redirecting unsuspecting bad guys in front of each other. Watch the tapes and it doesn't seem unfair to say that Aperture was never a natural at the super hero thing so when he decided to join Captain Britain's interdimensional task force it really wasn't shocking at all.

MASS DRIVER
Power is what we will always remember Mass Driver for. The only pikey super hero on record he was as unstable as he was powerful and that instability proved his certain undoing. Following an uncertain time on the team he slipped into his own problems and his destructive nature in tandem with his troubled past led him to a serious drink and drug addiction. He was sectioned just a week after the mansion was destroyed and has remained in treatment ever since.

ICON
The winner of a talent contest to find the next great super hero was always going to find it tough in the real world but he did make a go of it, no one could call him a quitter. He struggled on on his own for a month or two when the team went their separate ways but it wasn't really what he was looking ofr, the boy could never be really described as having 'True Grit.' He was approached by M.T.V to host and star in a new show for them, an opportunity he grasped with both hands and so he went on to lead some of the greatest daredevil celebrities in history in a team many will remember more than his Crusader days; they were and still are Icon, Johhny Knoxville, Jack Osbourne and they are the Challengers Of The Fucking Impossible!

MR SCRATCH
Scratch was a terrifying nightmare of a being that hid from the cameras and scared the willies out of anyone who saw him, how the team managed to function with him around is a miracle. He was last seen before the battle at the mansion and never after. Is he dead? Inactive? No-one knows but it seems unlikely he will return now if ever.

ATOMIC KONG
This massive gorilla with an Einstein mind worked with the New Crusaders right up to the point where he attacked them revealing himself to be a villain from an alternative dimension called Gorilla Grodd. He was reported killed at the mansion, wishful thinking or the reason the team split? No one knows but its certain he would not form or serve in a New Crusaders team.

CAPTAIN BRITAIN
The new Captain Britain was a black slimlinned version of the old powerhouse that always seemed to be missing when most needed. This version fought the call to the multiverse conflicts for as long as he could and insisted he would stay and protect this Britain, right here, right now. He involved himself in cultural events, became the leader of the New Crusaders and proved himself to be a hero many times, but sadly with the power of Captain Britain comes all the responsibilities and he finally had to join the multiverse struggle. He now comes back whenever possible to put in some time in his home dimension, though that time has become shorter and shorter over the months and though we understand, we still wish we could have our champion back.

All the New Crusaders are busy/dead/inactive or unreachable. The team is dead. The only way it could return is if an entirely New group of heroes got together and if that did happen then perhaps we would think twice before giving them the mantle of Britain's protectors, we maybe would want to see if they are really ready to stay the course or would we simply be unwilling to label another generation of capes with a name that could be more of a curse to young lives with so much more to give that a years blood sweat and tears before they are cruelly robbed of their lives or their powers or both.
VERITY LUCE