- "What, are we taking everybody?"
"I'm from Fresno, Ace." - ―Dum Dum Dugan and Jim Morita[src]
Private James "Jim" Morita was a member of the Howling Commandos in World War II, and the team's communications officer.
Biography
World War II
Jim Morita was a Japanese-American soldier who was born in Fresno, California. Originally he served in the US Army Nisei Squadron as a Ranger under the command of Captain Happy Sam Sawyer.[2] However, by October 1943, Morita had been captured by the Germans and sent to the weapons facility run by HYDRA in Austria.
Rescue Mission
Morita agrees to join the Howling Commandos
In November 1943 Captain America sneaked into the facility and liberated the prisoners. Morita and his companions broke free with Captain America's help, although he then made sure to tell Dum Dum Dugan after the latter implied that he may have been one of the Imperial Japanese members and thus one of the Axis soldiers that he was actually from Fresno, California, and thus American and of the Allied Powers, also showing his dog tags to prove it. He and the others then wreaked havoc on the HYDRA soldiers, with Morita teaming up with Jacques Dernier who used a gun powered by the Tesseract to destroy parts of the base. Morita joined the rest of the freed soldiers and returned to the Allied military base in Italy immediately after.
Gabe Jones and Morita intercept a HYDRA radio signal
Shortly after their break-out, Morita and his comrades were invited to join a special elite squadron led by Rogers himself. Morita accepted, despite the perspective of coming back to the front-line immediately after merely escaping with his life. Along with the other Howlers, Morita took part in every assault against HYDRA, he was able to intercept a HYDRA radio message allowing them to locate Arnim Zola. Captain America, Bucky Barnes and Gabe Jones attacked the train but only Rogers and Jones returned with Zola.
During the attack on Johann Schmidt's fortress, Morita and the other Howling Commandos were the first to attack. Morita called the rest of the army unit to attack and they were able to capture the fortress. Morita was put in charge of the radios and was able to receive a call from Rogers. When it became clear that Rogers intended to crash the plane to save lives, Chester Phillips told Morita to leave the room so only Peggy Carter could listen. Rogers crashed the plane and went missing in action.[3]
Capturing Werner Reinhardt
Morita recovers the Obelisk
Morita, along with SSR agent Peggy Carter and fellow commando Dum Dum Dugan, then captured the last known HYDRA base in Austria, along with HYDRA General Werner Reinhardt and an artifact of unknown origin known as the Obelisk due to its shape.[5]
After the War
Morita died after the war, as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files given to Steve Rogers when he awoke in the 21st century reported Morita's status as deceased.[6]
Personality
| This section requires expansion |
James Morita likes a good joke and is somewhat cocky in battle but serious when he needs to be.
Abilities
- Expert Marksman: Morita's training with the United States Armed Forces gave him great ability in firearm usage, being able to kill multiple HYDRA soldiers in a small span of time with relative ease.
Equipment
Weapons
- M3A1 "Grease Gun": Morita carried this submachine gun as his weapon of choice, and he used it during the Howling Commandos' raids on HYDRA facilities and during the Attack on HYDRA Headquarters. He continued to use it as he worked together with Agent Peggy Carter to raid the HYDRA Research Facility Number 4 and imprison Werner Reinhardt.
Relationships
Family
- Tadashi Morita - Father
- Keiko Morita - Mother
- William Morita - Brother
Allies
- Strategic Scientific Reserve
- Chester Phillips † - Superior Officer
- Peggy Carter
- Howling Commandos
- United States Army Rangers
- Happy Sam Sawyer - Former Commander
Enemies
Appearances
| Appearances for Jim Morita |
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In chronological order:
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Trivia
- In the comics, Morita was a Nisei soldier who assisted Nick Fury on several occasions with his team, and got rescued from a Nazi prison camp by the Howling Commandos and soon joined the team.
- As a Japanese-American from California, Morita was likely forcibly relocated after the United States' entry into World War II prior to his enlistment in the Armed Forces.
- Jim Morita, Gabe Jones, and Dum Dum Dugan are the only original Howling Commandos from the comics to appear as members in Captain America: The First Avenger.
References
- ↑ S.H.I.E.L.D. Files
- ↑ S.S.R. Files
- ↑ Captain America: The First Avenger
- ↑ Translates from German to:"Good day!"
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 2.01: Shadows
- ↑ The Avengers Deleted Scene
