Crucible:Department X

After Washington DC was nearly destroyed by paranormal forces in the late 1930s, the US government set up a secret investigative branch to deal with paranormal threats. Their field team of investigators battled many occult menaces before and during World War II.

• John Striker, the team's leader, was an experienced agent whose family was killed by occultists. He dedicated his life to investigating paranormal activities.
• Cassandra Colt was a graduate of the FBI academy with top honors in marksmanship and combat. Her uncle Logan was a powerful, dangerous psychic and mind controller.
• Archibald Cameron was the FBI's only historian, specializing in medieval lore, when he accidentally ran afoul of an ancient death cult. He was offered a job with Department X after narrowly saving the city of Chicago from a massive rite of blood sacrifice.
• Albert Einstein was one of the world's leading physicists, who discovered that the Third Reich was developing powerful occult weapons. Emigrating to the US, he offered his services as a man of science.
• Wing Sun, an American of Chinese descent, was an expert in Asian occult lore.

For a time, the occult expert Balthazar Graves worked with Department X on their cases.

Creator: Ed Messina

First Appearance: THE MIDNIGHT MEN #8