Squadron Supreme


The Squadron Supreme is a fictional 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, and 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. The team also has several minor members. Members of the team are based on characters published by rival DC Comics, and the team is a stand-in for the Justice League. A number of characters that were not based on DC heroes were later added to the roster.

Publication history

The Squadron Supreme has its roots in the Squadron Sinister, which first appeared in 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 Avengers #85–86, 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.
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.

Fictional team biography

Earth-712 version

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. 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. 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 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.
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. 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. Earth-712, however, is left in a post-apocalyptic state.
The Squadron Supreme were next featured in a self-titled 12-issue miniseries by writer Mark Gruenwald, 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 to love him, resulting in his eventual removal from the team; Amphibian becomes increasingly disgusted with the Squadron's methods and abandons 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 discovers he has cancer but chooses not to inform his teammates, eventually succumbing to the disease.
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. 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.
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 marooned in the mainstream Marvel universe.
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, the Squadron attempt unsuccessfully to return to their own universe, and members Hyperion, Doctor Spectrum, and the Whizzer battle the entity Deathurge.
The entire Squadron Supreme appear in an Avengers storyline with the Avengers that finally returns them to their home universe. The one-shot Squadron Supreme: New World Order reveals that Earth-712 is now dominated by corporations using the Squadron's own Utopia technologies.
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.

''Supreme Power''

The series Supreme Power features the rebooted version of the superhero team Squadron Supreme and is set on Earth-31916.
Alien Hyperion arrives on Earth as an infant, and is taken into custody by the US government and raised in a controlled environment. Army corporal Joseph Ledger is given a strange crystal removed from Hyperion's spaceship by the government that bonds to him causing him to fall into a coma for years.
Discovering Hyperion has superhuman abilities, the government uses him as a secret weapon, and is eventually outed by the media. The government then announces and introduces Hyperion as a state-sponsored hero, which encourages other beings to appear, such as 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.
The story continues in the limited series Supreme Power: Hyperion with new Squadron members Emil Burbank, Arcanna, Shape and Nuke tracking Hyperion to what they believe is an alternate reality. In this world, Hyperion and a version of the Squadron rule the world, with only Nighthawk and a small group of superhumans opposing their rule. Although the heroes locate the true Hyperion and convince him to return to their world, Burbank discovers that it was in fact not an alternate reality but their world two years from the present time.

Second ''Squadron Supreme'' title

The second volume of the series Squadron Supreme brings together all the superhumans, who are split into two teams—one for international/public missions and another for covert operations. The President of the United States calls the group the Squadron Supreme. The Squadron meets with mixed success: an attempt to kill an African dictator is botched, and the target is murdered by local superhumans who state the group is not welcome in Africa, and a mission to Iran has member Inertia encouraging a victim to fight back and kill.
China recruits Redstone, the superpowered serial killer created from Hyperion's DNA, in a bid to protect itself. The final issue is a battle to the death against Redstone who threatens to detonate a nuclear weapon. The outcome is not revealed, as the series concluded with issue #7.

''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, features the Squadron in a crossover into the Ultimate Universe. Courtesy of a deception engineered by Nick Fury and the Ultimate villain Doctor Doom, the Squadron travel to the Ultimate universe, thinking that the Ultimate 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, Ultimate Fantastic Four, Ultimates and the Earth-712 Squadron Supreme, the third culprit is revealed as 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 and alleviate the Darfur conflict in war-torn 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.

Third ''Squadron Supreme'' title

A third volume of the title Squadron Supreme, written by Howard Chaykin and with art by Greg Land, is published, 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 investigate a group of returning astronauts that exhibit strange abilities. The astronauts infect many people they come into contact with, also giving them superhuman abilities.
Fury eventually leads a new version of the Squadron that features characters who are pastiches of long-time Marvel characters. The group eventually come into conflict with many of the original members of the Squadron who have been gathered by Hyperion. The heroes unite to stop a group of superhuman terrorists from the Middle East, but then, via a government device, apparently all lose their abilities. Arcanna secretly reveals to Fury that she, and likely many others, still possesses superhuman abilities. Fury later returns to the Ultimate universe.

Later appearances

Later, the members of Squadron Supreme are apparently killed by Namor and the Cabal after the villains raid the Squadron's universe. Versions resembling these characters later appear on the Battleworld created by Doctor Doom during the Secret Wars event, only to be killed again at the hands of Squadron Sinister. Nighthawk is left as the group's only survivor.

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, Blur from the New Universe, and Warrior Woman from a Secret Wars tie-in.
The Squadron Supreme's first action was to get revenge on Namor for what happened to the worlds of some of its members. They attacked Atlantis where Hyperion beheaded Namor and Zarda killed Attuma. The fight ended with Hyperion lifting Atlantis above the ocean and throwing it onto the ground hard enough to kill the remaining Atlanteans present. The actions caused by the Squadron Supreme led to the Avengers Unity Division to apprehend them before anyone else ends up killed by their hand. The Squadron Supreme were saved by Thundra and later teleported to Weirdworld, where they encounter Doctor Druid, who plans to mind-control Weirdworld's inhabitants. The Squadron Supreme shatter the crystal that Druid was using to enhance his mind-control powers and return home. Power Princess remains on Weirdworld and reveals herself as Warrior Woman. Thundra sides with the Squadron Supreme, although she is unsure if she should help the Squadron Supreme protect the world or help protect the world from the Squadron Supreme.
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. At the end of the story arc, Hyperion leads the action to disband the Squadron, and the team goes their separate ways.

Squadron Supreme of America

When the Avengers become a global peacekeeping force, Thunderbolt Ross meets with Phil Coulson to discuss the matter. Phil reveals that he has established the Squadron Supreme of America as the newest United States superhero team. The team consists of Hyperion, Power Princess, Nighthawk, Blur, and Doctor Spectrum as their leader.
With Doctor Spectrum as their leader, the Squadron Supreme of America were first used to fight Namor and his Defenders of the Deep, when they attacked a Roxxon oil rig that is off the coast of Alaska.
Then the Squadron Supreme visited another oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico, where Doctor Spectrum used his powers to melt areas of the oil rig to secure it from an attack by Namor. The Squadron Supreme then made short work of Namor and the Defenders of the Deep.
During the War of the Realms storyline, the Squadron Supreme of America were summoned to Washington D.C. by Phil Coulson, who brought them up to speed on Malekith's invasion. They are shown fighting Rock Trolls and Frost Giants. Their origin is fully shown, where its members are revealed to be simulacrums created by Mephisto and programmed by the Power Elite so that Phil Coulson can have them be a United States-sponsored superhero team. After the Squadron Supreme caused the Frost Giants to retreat, Phil Coulson sends them to Ohio which has become a battleground.
The Squadron Supreme are summoned to confront Black Panther when he infiltrates the Pentagon and confronts Phil Coulson. Hyperion states that the Squadron Supreme are the United States' sanctioned superhero team in light of the Avengers becoming an anti-American team. As Nighthawk states to Blur that Black Panther won't run as he is under arrest, Black Panther states to them that he doesn't know how they got their powers and that they are not the Squadron Supreme as he even asked if they trust Phil Coulson. Before they can grab him, Black Panther contacts Broo to teleport him away. As he disappears, Black Panther states that Phil Coulson won't answer their questions and that the Avengers aren't their enemies unless they forced them to be.

Membership

Institute of Evil

The Institute of Evil existed in the Earth-712 universe and served as the Squadron Supreme’s arch-foes. The Institute of Evil first appeared in Squadron Supreme #5 and was created by Mark Gruenwald and Bob Hall. The known members of the Institute of Evil included Ape-X, Doctor Decibel, Foxfire, Lamprey, Quagmire, and the Shape.
The Behavior Modification process invented by Squadron member Tom Thumb would prove to be the Institute of Evil's undoing. The Golden Archer used the machine to make fellow Squadron member Lady Lark obsessed with him. However, he couldn't stand her irrational behavior, so went for a walk and was captured by the Institute. They tortured the Archer until he revealed the Squadron's new base of operations. They then kidnapped the Squadron's family members and attacked their headquarters. They began ambushing Squadron members and using the behavior modification machines on them as they returned from their missions. The Institute then brought the Squadron back to their lair where the Golden Archer and their captive family members were held. The Squadron attacked, revealing that Tom Thumb had designed the process not to work on Squadron members, and defeated the Institute completely.
The Institute of Evil's members were subjected to the Behavior Modification process, altering their personalities. The former super-criminals all became elected to full membership in the Squadron Supreme and aided them in their efforts to conquer the world in order to forcibly turn it into a utopia.
Some Institute members did not fare so well as members of the Squadron. Ape-X suffered from a psychotic withdrawal from reality and fell into a coma, due to her behavior modification process. After saving twenty factory workers from a gas leakage, Quagmire went into a coma. In the hospital, he was sucked into the hole in his brain that is a portal into the dimension from which his dark matter originates, and Doctor Decibel suffocated in Quagmire's extra-dimensional slime.
In time, Squadron Supreme member Nighthawk objected to the extreme methods the Squadron was using to achieve its goals, and left the group. Nighthawk formed a rebel group, known as the America Redeemers, to oppose the Squadron's "benevolent" tyranny. The Redeemers included other enemies of the Squadron, expelled Squadron member the Black Archer, as well as unknown superheroes that infiltrated the Squadron to help take it down. With the help of Master Menace, the Redeemers were able to reverse the Behavior Modification of Foxfire, Lamprey, and the Shape and recruited them into his group. These three agents also remained in the Squadron as double agents.
When the Redeemers finally confronted the Squadron Supreme, an all-out battle broke out. Lamprey tried to absorb Doctor Spectrum’s power, but Doctor Spectrum was able to overload Lamprey's power which killed Lamprey. Foxfire, who had long been in love with Doctor Spectrum, tried to gain his approval by betraying Nighthawk, to allow the Squadron to win the fight. She used her powers to kill Nighthawk by blasting his heart and causing a massive coronary. Foxfire was then killed by fellow Redeemer Mink, who had been in love with Nighthawk. The death of Nighthawk caused the Squadron members to realize that they had become the very thing that they had intended to oppose, and thus ended the fight.
The Shape was the only former member of the Institute of Evil that eventually chose to side with the Squadron Supreme, finding happiness in his new calling.

Members

The America Redeemers, or Redeemers, as the team is more commonly known, is a fictional organization in the Marvel Universe. The Redeemers existed in the Earth-712 universe, the same place from which the Squadron Supreme originated. The team was founded by Nighthawk as a response to the Squadron’s Utopia Program.

History

When the Squadron Supreme began to alter the minds of criminals using the Behavior Modification process invented by Tom Thumb and took over much of the world, Nighthawk objected to the extreme methods the Squadron was using to achieve its goals, and left the group. He began to form a group of rebels, known as the America Redeemers, to oppose the Squadron’s “benevolent” tyranny. He recruited five unknown superhumans to infiltrate the ranks of the Squadron Supreme: Redstone, Moonglow, Inertia, Haywire, and Thermite. He also approached three of his enemies and offered them the opportunity to join the Redeemers, which they accepted: Mink, Remnant, and Pinball. Expelled Squadron member the Black Archer joined with the Redeemers as well.
Nighthawk also made a deal with Hyperion's nemesis Master Menace, who supplied the Redeemers with a way to reverse the brainwashing technology that the Squadron had used on its captured foes, the Institute of Evil, who had been allowed to join the Squadron after their brainwashing. With the Behavior Modification of Foxfire, Lamprey, and the Shape reversed, Nighthawk recruited them into his group. These three agents also remained in the Squadron as double agents.
When the Redeemers finally confronted the Squadron Supreme, an all-out battle broke out. During the battle, Blue Eagle killed the Black Archer by fatally fracturing the Archer’s skull with his mace, but lost the use of his wings after Lamprey drained the artificial gravity effect from them. Blue Eagle fell and crashed into Pinball, breaking his own neck and shattering Pinball’s spine; both combatants died as a result of their injuries. Lamprey tried to absorb Doctor Spectrum’s power, but was killed instead when Doctor Spectrum was able to overload Lamprey’s power. Thermite was killed when his regulator pack was damaged in a collision with the Whizzer. Arcanna, who was pregnant, went into labor during the climactic battle.
Foxfire, who had long been in love with Doctor Spectrum, tried to gain his approval by betraying Nighthawk, to allow the Squadron to win the fight. She used her powers to kill Nighthawk by blasting his heart and causing a massive coronary. The Mink, who had been in love with Nighthawk, killed Foxfire in retaliation. The death of Nighthawk caused the Squadron members to realize that they had become the very thing that they had intended to oppose, and thus ended the fight.
Haywire, Inertia, Moonglow, Redstone, and the Shape rejoined the Squadron Supreme after the Redeemers disbanded. Mink and Remnant disappeared and have not been heard from since.

Other versions

Marvel Zombies Supreme

A group of clones of the Squadron Supreme appear in the 2011 Marvel Zombies Supreme mini-series, which sees the members of the team infected with a zombie virus developed by a deranged geneticist.

In other media