Victory Girl

Victoria Hamilton, aka Victory Girl, is an open source character created by Simon Kirby and originally published on MSN Groups circa 2004. Initially devised as a sidekick to Major Triumph, she paid tribute to wartime heroines such as Pat Patriot, Yankee Girl and Miss America.

Origin
Several months prior to America's entry into World War Two, 16 year-old Victoria Hamilton is adopted by her uncle, Captain Ross Hamilton, after her parents die in suspicious circumstances. Hamilton is the commanding officer of a USO company stationed in Washington; using his military connections he arranges for "Vicki" to join the company as a tap dancer. There she makes friends with fellow performers Pixie and Trixie Bell, a pair of 'vaudeville brats' billed as "The Liberty Belles." All three girls are placed under the supervision of W.A.C. Lieutenant Betsy Ross, a former school teacher responsible for educating the Company's children.

On the eve of Pearl Harbor, Victoria meets the mythical figures of Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty, who warn her that the United States will soon be at war. Due to her great courage and purity, Victoria will be granted vast powers to battle the enemy, along with the indomitable spirit which has made America the greatest nation on Earth. Upon awakening, Victoria imagines it was all a dream, but soon discovers that she becomes superhumanly powerful whenever she sings the "The Star Spangled Banner."

Donning a costume based on the American flag, Vicki sets out to solve the mystery of her parent's murder, which she traces back to a Nazi sabotage ring operating out of Washington. Aided by Pixie and Trixie, she succeeds in bringing the spies to justice, foiling an attempt to blow up the White House in the process. The three girls also meet up with the great American superhero Major Triumph, who was working on the same case. Victory and Triumph immediately deduce each others' secret identities, and agree to become partners in the crusade against evil.

Soon afterwards, the USO Company is transferred to the European Theatre, where they encounter the Nazi war machine head on. Although Victory starts out as Triumph's side-kick, she quickly proves her worth battling super-villians such as Tiwaz and Wotan, the Germanic gods of war. In time, her powers and abilities come to match those of Major Triumph, and she branches out on adventures of her own. At the same time, she still retains close ties with her uncle, and the two share many adventures until the end of the war.

In 1945, she is reported missing in action and presumed dead by everybody, including Major Triumph. Allied Intelligence indicates that she made the supreme sacrifice raiding a German nuclear facility, and was vaporized in the detonation of a prototype atomic bomb. However, this was not the end of Victory Girl. It later transpires that upon her death, she ascended to the national spirit, and took her place beside Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty as the living incarnation of America Triumphant.

Powers
Initially, Victory Girl is granted the strength and speed of "twenty good Americans", making her far more powerful than the average human being. As her abilities are fueled by faith in the national spirit, her strength redoubles with each American victory until she is virtually indestructible by the end of the war. In later adventures she acquires several additional powers, including super-sonic flight and invulnerability to most forms of physical attack. She is shown to survive incineration, machine gun fire and grenade explosions with little or no damage.

Perhaps her most significant power is the ability to inspire courage and heroism in others - her simple presence can lift the spirits of war-weary soldiers, raising hope in the face of overwhelming odds. American GIs often remark that "You'll never lose a battle when Victory's around." This is eventually proven true when Victory Girl is revealed to be the living incarnation of America Triumphant.

Crossovers
Germany, 8 May, 1945: Adolf Hitler is presumed dead, Berlin is being occupied by allied forces and the Third Reich is in the verge of immanent collapse. However, out in the wilds of the Norwegian Alps, the Nazi super-villain Grünstraum is making one final attempt to seize power. Having brokered a deal with Hekatte and The Book Master, Grünstraum's scientists have developed a prototype Atomic Bomb along with fleet of Glocken aircraft with which to destroy Europe.

Grünstraum's plans are foiled by Alliance 1 led by American General. The strike force (which includes Major Triumph, Victory Girl, American Valkyrie, Independent and American Shield) manage to fight their way past Vemork's defensive perimeters, but are halted in the tracks by Tiwaz the Terrible, Wotan and The Krimson Kaiser. With time running out, Victory Girl slips through to the heavy water plant, determined to halt the countdown.

Realizing the cause is lost, Grünstraum detonates the bomb, hoping to wipe out the entire Patriot Brigade in a single stroke. The plan backfires due to the complex being located underground; a massive nuclear explosion ensues, vaporizing everything within the Power Plant and setting off several earthquakes across the region. Tiwaz and the Kaiser are eventually subdued, but the Patriots fear they've lost one of their most cherished members.

In the aftermath of the explosion, the immortal Valkyrie searches through the irradiated ruins, but finds no trace of either Victory Girl or Grünstraum. Realizing they must have been vaporized in the blast, Val returns to inform Major Triumph that his niece did not survive. At this grim news, the remaining members of the Patriot Brigade stand to attention and salute the passing of 16 year-old Victoria Hamilton. As the sun sets in the west, they are joined by a war-weary platoon of Allied Soldiers, all of whom take a knee in honor of Victory Girl..."The Greatest of Us All."