- "Hrm, rock solid!"
Dr. Hank Freebird is the orthopedic surgeon in Trauma Team.
Hank is a former member of the United States Army, growing tired of taking lives and decided to save them by becoming a surgeon. When he's not working on an operation or tending the flowers on the hospital grounds, and a crime is happening in the city, he turns into a superhero and stops these crimes under the name of "Captain Eagle". In contrast to his slow and careful approach to surgery, as a superhero he is heedless and destructive, causing extensive collateral damage and injuries during his crime-fighting. This reaches the point that the general public assumes that disasters which occurred while Captain Eagle was in the area are his doing.
Hank saves a patient named Claire Blunt, who attempted suicide. It has been revealed that he wishes to deliver the message that life is beautiful to those around him. While Claire is initially cold towards him, she eventually warms up to him. His superhero identity, "Captain Eagle," begins receiving bad press.
Hank decides to stop being a superhero, but during a trip to the mall with Claire, a shootout occurs, and Claire is shot. She tells Hank that she now wants to live, and seemingly dies in his arms. Hank discovers that the culprit has bone cancer and has no hope of surviving. The man shoots Hank in the chest twice and then passes out after trying to take his own life, and Hank operates on him. He discovers soft tumors within the patient's spinal cord - while he was discouraged from removing them, he finds the resolve to treat the patient's tumors, hoping to give the man the hope he was denied at first.
After the operation, Hank is informed that Claire was resuscitated by Maria Torres and survived the incident. Hank continues to fight crime as "Captain Eagle".
Trivia[]
- Hank's surname, Freebird, directly relates to Captain Eagle.
- Eagles are birds symbolic of freedom (therefore, "Free" + "Bird" as in 'Freedom Bird' or 'Bird of Freedom')
- Early concepts revealed in the Trauma Team art book show that Hank's eyes were originally open, and that his eye color is brown.