In Marvel’s Heroes Reborn, the Ravencroft Institute takes on all the hallmarks of Batman’s Arkham Asylum in a world created by Mephisto.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for “The Pageant of the Masters of Nocturnal Artistry” by Jason Aaron, R.M. Guera, Giulia Brusco and VC’s Cory Petit, from the pages of Heroes Reborn #5, on sale now.
For as much as the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe have been transformed by the events of Heroes Reborn, its most famous landmarks have been as well. In the wake of the Avengers having been erased from the timeline, classic locales such as Avengers Mountain have likewise never come to exist as we know them. Other locations have been lucky enough to stick around, even if they are unsettling versions of their former selves. One such place is none other than the Ravencroft Institute, which was once an already eerie end uncomforting setting.
And in Heroes Reborn #5, it has just been turned into Marvel’s very own twisted Arkham Asylum, even more than it has been in the regular Marvel Universe.
Nighthawk’s job as the Squadron Supreme’s resident Batman has never been pretty or easy, but a riot at the Ravencroft Institute makes for one of the worst nights the hero has ever seen. Outside of the facility itself, the police are being quickly overwhelmed by Kraven the Hunter, who has somehow outfitted himself with a makeshift Nighthawk costume as well as some seriously heavy firepower. It doesn’t take long for him to go down, but once Nighthawk has made his way inside things are even worse. The dimly lit hallways are awash with the maniacal laughter and taunts of the Green Goblin coming through the speakers, and past those lies an army of superpowered killers just waiting for their next victim. Bullseye, Sabertooth and the Lizard are all waiting for Nighthawk as he stalks the Institute, later coming across Doctor Octopus and the Black Skull as well before finally reaching Norman Osborn. From the looks of it, every single villain that Nighthawk has ever taken in alive is a resident of Ravencroft, and with its newly acquired ultra Gothic appearance as their backdrop, it looks like the Marvel Universe finally has its very own Arkham Asylum.
Ever since it was first introduced in “Threat of the Two-Headed Coin!” by Dennis O’Neil and Irv Novick in 1974’s Batman #258, Arkham Asylum has been home to Gotham City’s most vicious and evil criminals. At least, it is after Batman has put them there. Its beginnings may have been somewhat minor, but in the years since, Arkham Asylum has become something of a world unto itself in the DC Universe — and especially within the mythos surrounding Gotham City and its Dark Knight. Nearly every single villain that Batman has ever faced off against has at some point walked the eerie halls of Arkham.
Arkham Asylum has often been the center of supervillain outbreaks, riots and conspiracies, lending itself to being not just a location, but a credible threat in its own right. Now it seems that Ravencroft, which has long been a much more polished place to treat the super-criminally insane, has devolved into almost the exact same state — if not a far worse one. Even when Arkham Asylum has become the epicenter of outbreaks like this one, it has rarely if ever been so gruesome — and it has certainly never housed so many legitimately unstoppable threats at on time.
With the world of Heroes Reborn having already taken so much influence from the DC Universe — most obviously in the Squadron Supreme’s status as analogues to the Justice League — it is no real surprise that Ravencroft has become what it is in this timeline. Even before now, there have always been comparisons between Ravencroft and Arkham, although they have never been so apt as they are right now. It may not last forever, but Heroes Reborn has undoubtedly given fans the darkest Ravencroft ever.
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