How Did Marvel Characters Dodge The Draft?

[davew128]

If any of the X-men came up drafted, Xavier would just put a mind wammy on people and make their draft mysteriously disappear.

Funny as that sounds, the truth is back in the day Xavier had an FBI liaison named Fred Duncan who probably KOed anything like that.

[davew128]

I am real fuzzy on this but weren't some character like Reed Richards and Ben Grimm vets who fought in the Korean War when they were young?

WWII for both actually. It was Xavier and his step-brother Cain who served in Korea.

[babyblob]

I don't think they 'avoided' the draft, they simply didn't get called up. As I understand it, only 2.2 million were drafted out of an eligible 27 million, so it didn't really have to be explained. In Spider-Man, Flash Thompson joined up voluntarily and went to serve in Vietnam, but that's the only one I can think of.

Flash didnt go willingly. he got a draft notice. I forget the issue number but the gang was at the coffee shop when Peter walks in and Flash tells him they couldnt win the war without him because he got his draft notice or something like that. There is even a scene (Dont know if it the same issue) Where a school mate holds up a paper and says now that Flash is being drafted they dont have a chance against metro U.

[ChrisIII]

Speaking of the time scale shifting, didn't Reed and Grimm also serve alongside Fury and the howling commandos? How was that retconned?

[williamtheday]

Speaking of the time scale shifting, didn't Reed and Grimm also serve alongside Fury and the howling commandos? How was that retconned?

Wikipedia says Fury and the commandos worked with Reed who was with the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) in SFAHHF ##3. No mention of Ben, who I think was a flier in the Pacific (?). Maybe nowadays Reed and Ben served in the fictious Asian country war Frank Castle was in with Flash Thompson.

[Grapeweasel]

Ben Grimm was in an issue of Captain Savage and His Leatherneck Raiders.....

[shooshoomanjoe]

Was Flash Thompson the only character that was drafted in story?

[shooshoomanjoe]

Speaking of the time scale shifting, didn't Reed and Grimm also serve alongside Fury and the howling commandos? How was that retconned?

I think that's been ignored. I wonder if they'll just say those stories happened in comic books, like the golden and early silver age eras.

[Darkshadow]

Wasn't Flash eventually retconned into the second Iraq war?

Also interesting that superheroes don't join up to lend their powers to the battlefield...or step in to end wars for that matter...wars exist in the MU, but outside of Genosha (the only one I can think of) when have superheroes stepped in to end a war?

[babyblob]

Wasn't Flash eventually retconned into the second Iraq war?

Also interesting that superheroes don't join up to lend their powers to the battlefield...or step in to end wars for that matter...wars exist in the MU, but outside of Genosha (the only one I can think of) when have superheroes stepped in to end a war?

In Spiderman Life Story Captain America gets very involved in Vietnam,

And Flash Dies and Mary Jane is pissed at Peter for not using his powers in the war.

[Mike_Murdock]

Was Flash Thompson the only character that was drafted in story?

Was he drafted or did he volunteer? I don't honestly remember.

[Digifiend]

He was drafted. ASM #46.

[Zauriel]

Flash Thompson served in the second Iraq War when there was no draft notice. Draft was abolished long before the Iraq War.

But there was draft when the Vietnam War was going on.

How could Flash Thompson fight in two wars decades apart? Vietnam War was later retconned to Siancong War. But if the Siancong War occurred after draft was abolished, Flash Thompson couldn't be drafted.

[Omega Alpha]

Flash Thompson served in the second Iraq War when there was no draft notice. Draft was abolished long before the Iraq War.

But there was draft when the Vietnam War was going on.

How could Flash Thompson fight in two wars decades apart? Vietnam War was later retconned to Siancong War. But if the Siancong War occurred after draft was abolished, Flash Thompson couldn't be drafted.

Like Iron Man fighting dozens of communist villains, it's just one of those things you have to look to the side and ignore.

[Zauriel]

Like Iron Man fighting dozens of communist villains, it's just one of those things you have to look to the side and ignore.

Yes, the Cold War was over 30 years ago. Thirty years ago!