The Squadron Supreme is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, of which there are several notable alternate versions. The original team was created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema, derived from the previously created supervillain team Squadron Sinister.
The core members of the Squadron Supreme are Hyperion, Nighthawk, Doctor Spectrum, Power Princess, and the Whizzer, pastiches of prominent members of rival publisher DC Comics' superhero team the Justice League. Many other characters were later added to the roster, not all of which were based on DC heroes.
Publication history The Squadron Supreme has its roots in the Squadron Sinister, which first appeared in The Avengers #69 as a pastiche of the Justice League. Roy Thomas later introduced a heroic version of the Squadron Sinister named the Squadron Supreme, which first appeared in The Avengers #85–86 (Feb.–March 1971), and which was co-created with John Buscema. The team then had guest appearances on several more occasions, and in 1985 was featured in a self-titled twelve-issue limited series by Mark Gruenwald, followed in 1989 by a graphic novel sequel by Gruenwald, Ryan and inker Al Williamson, Squadron Supreme: Death of a Universe, in which the Nth Man serves as the main antagonist.
In 2003, a reimagined Squadron Supreme appeared in an ongoing series entitled Supreme Power, published under the mature-audience MAX imprint. This version was created by writer J. Michael Straczynski and artist Gary Frank.
Yet another Squadron Supreme was introduced in 2015, written by James Robinson and drawn by Leonard Kirk. Unlike the previous teams, which had appeared in alternate realities, this team was based in Marvel's main "Earth-616" reality, although the team members were from a variety of alternate universes that had been destroyed in the aftermath of the 2015 Secret Wars event.
Another version of the Squadron Supreme, set in the Marvel Universe, was introduced by Jason Aaron in The Avengers vol. 8. The Squadron, created by Mephisto and led by Phil Coulson, acts as the US government's sanctioned superhero team in place of the Avengers. This version of the team is the focus of the Heroes Reborn storyline, where reality is overwritten so that the Avengers were never formed and the Squadron Supreme are Earth's premier superhero team instead.
Fictional history
Earth-712 version The Squadron Supreme are first encountered by four members of the Avengers – Vision, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Goliath – who have arrived in the Earth-712 universe by mistake.The Avengers #84 (Jan. 1971) The Avengers are initially confused, since several members of the Squadron Supreme have identical names and powers to the Squadron Sinister, a group of previously encountered villains.The Avengers #69–70 (Oct.–Nov. 1969) After a brief battle, the Avengers assist the Squadron Supreme against the global threat posed by the mutant Brain-Child, before returning to their own universe.The Avengers #85–86 (Feb.–March 1971) The Squadron Supreme have another series of skirmishes with the Avengers engineered by the Serpent Cartel, but eventually they join forces and prevent the use of the Serpent Crown.The Avengers #141–144 (Nov. 1975–Feb. 1976) and 147–149 (May–July 1976)
The Squadron Supreme were next featured in a self-titled 12-issue limited series (Sept. 1985–Aug. 1986) by writer Mark Gruenwald. The Squadron, led by Hyperion, believe they have the knowledge and power to recreate the world following a conflict with Overmind and Null the Living Darkness and create a utopia. Nighthawk protests, believing that the Squadron should serve and not rule. The issue is put to a vote, with the so-called "Utopia Program" favored by the majority of the Squadron; Nighthawk, unable to agree with the decision in clear conscience, resigns from the team. The Squadron assume overall control of the government of the United States and remake the nation into a virtual utopia. The team implement a series of sweeping changes, including revealing their secret identities; instituting a program of behavior modification in prisons where inmates are forced to submit to a process that mentally inhibits their criminal instincts; enforcing a strict gun control policy; and developing medical technology to cryogenically preserve the dead, while opposed by Victorex Prime.
Despite the economic and technological advances, there are setbacks: Golden Archer abuses the behavior modification technology by forcing fellow member Lady Lark to love him,Squadron Supreme #4 resulting in his eventual removal from the team;Squadron Supreme #6 Amphibian becomes increasingly disgusted with the Squadron's methods and abandons the surface world; Nuke inadvertently kills his parents with radiation and dies in a battle with Doctor Spectrum;Squadron Supreme #3 and Tom Thumb dies from cancer.Squadron Supreme #9
In the meantime, Nighthawk forms a new team he calls the America Redeemers, recruiting former villains and several previously unknown superhumans. The later infiltrate the Squadron and kidnap the surviving Institute of Evil members to reverse the behavior modification they had been subjected to. Despite mixed feelings on the parts of several of the Institute members, they too join the Redeemers. Golden Archer (now known as the Black Archer) also joins. Eventually, the Redeemers confront the Squadron Supreme. A brutal battle ensues in which several members of both teams are killed, including Nighthawk. A horrified Hyperion realizes that Nighthawk was right: the Squadron, despite having good intentions, had inadvertently created a totalitarian state with themselves as its dictators. The Squadron surrenders, disbands and returns control of the United States to the government.Squadron Supreme #10–12
In a graphic novel sequel by Gruenwald, Ryan and inker Al Williamson, Squadron Supreme: Death of a Universe, remnants of the team and their former enemies (including Victorex Prime) reunite to battle the Nth Man. Although they succeed, several members of the Squadron are killed, with the remainder (Hyperion, Doctor Spectrum, the Whizzer, Power Princess, Lady Lark (now known as Skylark), Arcanna, Haywire, and Shape) stranded in the mainstream Marvel universe.Squadron Supreme: Death of a Universe (1989) The Squadron Supreme returns to their universe and attempts to allow society to progress without superhuman involvement.The Avengers vol. 3 #5–6 (June–July 1998)Avengers/Squadron Supreme Annual '98Exiles vol. 2 #77–78 (April–May 2006)
Earth-31916 version Supreme Power The series Supreme Power features the rebooted version of the superhero team Squadron Supreme and is set on Earth-31916. In this version of events, Hyperion arrived on Earth as an infant and was taken into custody by the US government and raised in a controlled environment. Army Corporal Joseph Ledger bonds with a strange crystal from Hyperion's spaceship, rendering him comatose for years. Discovering Hyperion has superhuman abilities, the government uses him as a state-sponsored hero, which encourages other beings to appear, such as the Blur, who can move at superspeed. Ledger awakens and, harnessing the energy powers of the crystal, becomes Doctor Spectrum. Hyperion and Spectrum are initially hostile to one another and they battle, with Hyperion accessing lost memories when coming in contact with Spectrum's crystal. Amphibian is seen on dry land for the first time, and Princess Zarda heals Hyperion after his battle. Nighthawk solicits the aid of Hyperion and the Blur to deal with a superpowered serial killer, who Hyperion now knows is actually the product of experimentation with his DNA. Although successful, Hyperion is outraged by the government exploitation and leaves, warning that he has no wish to be contacted by humankind again. The government gathers the remaining superhumans into a team to capture Hyperion.
Ultimate Power An unrelated nine-issue series, Ultimate Power, written by J. Michael Straczynski; Brian Michael Bendis and Jeph Loeb with art by Greg Land,Ultimate Power #1–3 (Dec. 2006–Feb. 2007); 4–5 (June–July 2007); 6–7 (Sept.–Oct. 2007); 8 (Dec. 2007) and 9 (Feb. 2008) features the Squadron in a crossover into the Ultimate Marvel universe. Courtesy of a deception engineered by Nick Fury and Doctor Doom, the Squadron travel to the Ultimate Universe, thinking that Reed Richards is responsible for releasing an organism that has destroyed much of the United States.
A series of misunderstandings ensues, and after a series of battles between the Squadron, the Fantastic Four, the Ultimates and the Earth-712 Squadron Supreme (whose world was also affected by the organism), the third culprit is revealed as Emil Burbank, who was asked by the government to develop a weapon to kill Hyperion. Nick Fury is detained in custody in the Earth-31916 universe, while Squadron member Power Princess remains in the Ultimate Universe to ensure that Doom is captured.
Squadron Supreme: Hyperion vs. Nighthawk An unrelated four-issue limited series, Squadron Supreme: Hyperion vs. Nighthawk, written by Marc Guggenheim and with art by Paul Gulacy, relates how Hyperion and Nighthawk, after an initial skirmish, join forces to try to alleviate the Darfur conflict in Sudan. Hyperion discovers Nighthawk has a prototype weapon built from stolen plans of Emil Burbank's journal that cannot actually injure him, but can convince him that he is being injured.Squadron Supreme: Hyperion vs. Nighthawk #1–4 (March–June 2007)
Third Squadron Supreme title A third volume of the title Squadron Supreme, written by Howard Chaykin and with art by Greg Land (and other artists), is published,Squadron Supreme vol. 3 #1–12 (Sept. 2008–July 2009) with the 12-issue series being set five years after the battle with Redstone. Most of the Squadron have disappeared, with Ultimate Nick Fury, Burbank and Arcanna now a team of intelligence officers working for the government and investigating a group of returning astronauts that exhibit strange abilities. The astronauts infect many people they come into contact with, also giving them superhuman abilities.
Later appearances Later, the members of the Squadron Supreme are apparently killed by Namor and the Cabal after the villains raid the Squadron's universe.New Avengers vol. 3 #24 Versions resembling these characters later appear on Battleworld during the Secret Wars event, only to be killed by the Squadron Sinister. Nighthawk is left the sole survivor.Squadron Sinister #1
Earth-616 version This team, set in Marvel's mainstream reality, features characters from numerous alternate universes, such as the Nighthawk from Supreme Power, a Hyperion from a reality that had been destroyed upon colliding with another universe, Doctor Spectrum from the world of the Great Society (which was destroyed by Namor to prevent it from colliding with the mainstream universe), the Blur from the New Universe, and Warrior Woman (a counterpart of Power Princess posing as her Earth-712 counterpart).Avengers (vol. 6) #0
Through Modred the Mystic's magical modifications to Reed Richard's time machine, Hyperion and Doctor Spectrum are accidentally transformed into ephemeral "ghosts" caught in the past; specifically during the Squadron's attack on Atlantis and just before Hyperion kills Namor. They decide to change the past by dragging this past Namor back to the present, thereby resurrecting him. Although this action is easy for Hyperion, who has had second thoughts about the cutthroat methods the Squadron Supreme has been using, it is more difficult for Doctor Spectrum, as Namor destroyed her Earth. Hyperion leads the action to disband the Squadron, and the team goes their separate ways.Squadron Supreme vol. 4 #13–15
Squadron Supreme of America