Squadron Supreme

The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Squadron Supreme first appeared in Avengers #85–86 (February–March 1971) and were created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema.

The core members of the Squadron Supreme are Hyperion, Nighthawk, Doctor Spectrum, Power Princess, and the Whizzer. The team also has several minor members. As with the Squadron Sinister supervillain team, members of the team were initially based on characters published by rival DC Comics.^[1] Characters not based on DC heroes were added later.

Publication history

1970s

The Squadron Supreme are first encountered by four members of the Avengers — the Vision, Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch and Goliath — who have arrived in the Earth-712 universe by mistake.^[2] 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.^[3]

Although this parallel was a deliberate choice by writer Roy Thomas, it created confusion in Marvel's production department, as the covers of Avengers #85 and #141 (Nov 1975) claimed the issues featured appearances by the Squadron Sinister, when in fact it was the Squadron Supreme that appeared in both issues. 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.^[4] The Squadron Supreme have another series of skirmishes with the Avengers engineered by the group the Serpent Cartel, but eventually they join forces and prevent the use of the Serpent Crown.^[5]

1980s

The team features briefly in the title Thor, when the evil version of Hyperion attacks the Earth-712 version and then the Earth-616 Thor.^[6] The Squadron appear in the title Defenders as mind-controlled pawns of the entities the Over-Mind and Null the Living Darkness, but are freed and aid the Defenders in defeating the villains.^[7] Earth-712, however, is left in a post-apocalyptic state.

The Squadron Supreme were next featured in a self-titled 12-issue miniseries (Sep 1985 – Aug 1986) by writer Mark Gruenwald,^[8] which picks up from where Earth-712 was last seen in Defenders #114. The Squadron, led by Hyperion, believe they have the knowledge and power to recreate the world 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.

Despite the economic and technological advances, there are setbacks: Golden Archer abuses the behavior modification technology by forcing fellow member Lady Lark (who had just turned down his marriage proposal) to love him, resulting in his eventual removal from the team; Amphibian becomes increasingly disgusted with the Squadron's methods, especially the behavior modification technology, and his disillusionment eventually leads him to not only leave the Squadron but abandon the surface world altogether; Nuke inadvertently kills his parents via unnoticed and uncontrollable release of radiation and dies while battling Doctor Spectrum during a rampage; and Tom Thumb, while developing many of the technologies used in the Squadron's Utopia Program, discovers he has cancer but chooses not to inform his teammates, eventually succumbing to the disease.

Predicting a nightmarish outcome, Nighthawk, with the aid of his world's Sorcerer Supreme, Professor Imam, crosses the dimensional border into Earth-616 to solicit the aid of the Avengers. Although his request is denied, he is able to enlist the aid of three of his former enemies, who had fled to this Earth to escape the Squadron's actions.^[9] Returning to his home world, Nighthawk is eventually forced to confront his old teammates with a new team he calls the Redeemers, which also includes former Squadron member Golden Archer (now known as Black Archer). 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.^[10]

In a graphic novel sequel by Gruenwald, Ryan, and inker Al Williamson, Squadron Supreme: Death of a Universe, remnants of the team reunite to battle the Nth Man. Although they succeed, several members of the Squadron are killed, with the remainder (Hyperion, Doctor Spectrum, Whizzer, Power Princess, Lady Lark (now known as Skylark), Moonglow, Haywire, and Shape) marooned in the mainstream Marvel universe.^[11]

1990s

The Squadron encounter the hero Quasar, and relocate to the government facility Project Pegasus. After another encounter with the Overmind and a visit to the laboratory world of the Stranger,^[12] the Squadron attempt unsuccessfully to return to their own universe,^[13] and members Hyperion, Doctor Spectrum, and the Whizzer battle the entity Deathurge.^[14]

The entire Squadron Supreme appear in an Avengers storyline with the Avengers that finally returns them to their home universe.^[15] The one-shot Squadron Supreme: New World Order reveals that Earth-712 is now dominated by corporations using the Squadron's own Utopia technologies, with the characters eventually reinstating democracy.^[16]

2000s

The Squadron come into conflict with a new government when an interdimensional team called the Exiles, traveling from the Earth-616 universe, reveal that the government had rigged the election through worldwide vote fraud. The Squadron and the Exiles depose the new government and attempt to allow society to progress without superhuman involvement.^[17]

2010s

The Squadron Supreme appears in the 2011 series Marvel Zombies Supreme, which sees members of the team infected with a zombie virus developed by a deranged geneticist.^[18] It is revealed in the series that these are clones of the Squadron Supreme, and the story is set in Marvel's primary Earth-616 universe.

Earth-31916 version

The mature-audience Marvel MAX imprint showcases the adventures of the Earth-31916 version of the Squadron Supreme. This team is a rebooted version, with all characters completely redesigned.^[19]

This version of Squadron Supreme met the Ultimates during the Ultimate Power miniseries.^[20] The conclusion of this series left Zarda, a member of Squadron Supreme, in the Ultimate Marvel Universe, and Nick Fury in the Squadron Supreme Universe.^[21] Nick Fury, however, eventually returned to the Ultimate Marvel Universe.^[22]

Membership

In other media

Television

• The Squadron Supreme appears in the "Whom Continuity Would Destroy" episode of The Super Hero Squad Show. The members present are Nighthawk, Power Princess, and Hyperion. Thanos and Grandmaster pit Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, and Hulk against the Squadron members.

• The Squadron Supreme also appears in Avengers Assemble. The group consists of Hyperion, Power Princess, Nighthawk, Speed Demon, and Doctor Spectrum. They are shown in a flashback in the episode "Hyperion", where the Squadron Supreme is presented as heroes from Hyperion's home world who were killed when the planet was destroyed in a civil war. This was proven false in the episode "Nighthawk",^[23] when Nighthawk appears on Earth and uses S.H.I.E.L.D.'s contingency plan on the Avengers. When Falcon is his captive, Nighthawk mentioned that he is the "architect" of the Squadron Supreme while Hyperion was the "hammer" of the group. It was also mentioned that the rest of the Squadron Supreme are heading to Earth. At the end of the episode, Hyperion springs Nighthawk from his cell on the Tri-Carrier. They both leave to get their team back together. The remaining core members appear in the episode "Dark Avengers". Using the Reality Stone, Dr. Spectrum alters reality so the Avengers are all criminals with darker costumes and the Avengers Tower is headquarters of the Squadron. Due to a spike in energy, Iron Man sees the real reality and manages to convince his team to come together. However, Spectrum has created a machine that will give him complete control over reality, and plans to alter history so the Avengers were never born. Captain is able to get ahold of the stone and revert reality back to normal. The Squadron leaves with Nighthawk activating charges placed at the base of Avengers tower. The Avengers manage to prevent the structure from falling onto New York in time for J.A.R.V.I.S. to activate the repair systems.

Collected editions

• Squadron Supreme (Trade paperback, 352 pages, 2005, ISBN 0-7851-0576-X) collects Squadron Supreme #1–12 (Sep 1985 – Aug 1986)
• Squadron Supreme: Death of a Universe (Graphic novel, hardcover, 1989, ISBN 0-87135-598-1)
• Squadron Supreme: Death of a Universe (Trade paperback, 240 pages, 2006, ISBN 0-7851-2091-2)
• Squadron Supreme Omnibus (HC, 2010, ISBN 0-7851-3772-6), collects Squadron Supreme #1–12, Captain America #314, Squadron Supreme: Death of a Universe

See also

• Champions of Angor
• Irredeemable
• Pantheon (Lone Star Press)
• Watchmen

References

External links

• Unofficial SQUADRON SUPREME Page!
• Squadron Supreme Sep 1985 – Aug 1986
• The Unofficial Handbook of the Squadron Supreme's Universe
• TKO'D By the Decision: Irresolution and Dependence in Squadron Supreme