The Daughters of Liberty

Origin

Originally known as The Daughters of the Light, the Daughters of Liberty were born out of the Age of Enlightenment, where the free expression of new ideas shaped the dignity and courage of new generations of women. They made it their mission to steward civilization in the use of those new ideas and make sure the power those ideas had was always used wisely. Through the years, they would study sorcery, science, and combat, always led by a designated Dryad. They participated in the American Revolutionary War, where they changed their name to Daughters of Liberty, and in the Underground Railroad, where they continued to earn that name.

Creation

The Daughters of Liberty first appear in Captain America (2018) #7 by Ta-Nehsi Coates and Adam Kubert. The team is named after a real group in American history who opposed taxation prior to the American Revolution.

Major Story Arcs

WWII and the Cold War

Peggy Carter was first recruited prior to World War II by Alexa Lukin. She finished her training as the war broke out. Her first mission was to keep a close eye on Captain America, the one and only successful super soldier at the time. During the Cold War, Lukin defected back to her home country, Russia, where she `became an operative in the Winter Soldier Program, using her spellcasting to aid in the brainwashing of soldiers. As the country shifted from communism to oligarchy, so did she.

Captain of Nothing

When Captain America was framed and imprisoned for the murder of Thunderbolt Ross, Sharon Carter summoned a new Daughters of Liberty with the help of the current Dryad, a mysteriously youthful Peggy Carter. Together, they planned to break Cap out of The Myrmidon. Toni Ho was able to hack the schematics of the prison. Mockingbird identified infrastructure brownouts for their time table, while Spider-Woman and Invisible Woman determined an inmate they could lean on for help. Meanwhile, Peggy tracks down the real killer, The Foreigner, who was seemingly killed by Hydra.

Once, out, The Daughters revealed at the center of the conspiracy against Captain America was Alexa Lukin. She was working with the mutant, Selene. Selene had stolen a piece of Sharon’s soul during her investigations, so Cap teamed up with his old pals, Bucky and Falcon to get it back. Their cover was blown, and they were, ultimately, rescued by the Daughter of Liberty. With the backup, they were able to recover Sharon’s soul piece, returning Sharon to her youthful appearance.

Their victory celebration was cut short when other Daughters members were caught by Lukin’s forces in Madripoor, where the Daughters found Ross alive. Cap and his friends fought through Watchdogs to Alexa and Red Skull, resurrected in Alexa’s husband’s body. Luckily, they were able to escape with the help of Ross’ Red Hulk form, leading to an exoneration for Cap.

However, it wasn’t enough. Lukin had already fomented enough rage and distrust across the country that multiple political demonstrations ended in violence. This was the plan all along. The Red Skull had used social media to reach the masses and brainwash followers. It was an enemy Cap couldn't punch, so he riled up Red Skull into monologuing how he really feels about his followers. Using a spy cam, the Daughters were able to broadcast it on his own channel.