In Heroes Reborn, the Squadron Supreme’s answer to Batman has learned the truth of his world, and he has set his sights on the Avengers.
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 Heroes Reborn #5, on sale now.
In the Avengers-free reality of Heroes Reborn, Squadron Supreme member Nighthawk has long suspected that something is off about his world. After having his suspicions confirmed by a very unlikely source, Marvel’s version of Batman has made it his mission to keep tabs on the few remaining Avengers attempting to assemble in his world in anticipation of hunting them down.
After quelling a riot at Ravencroft Institute, Nighthawk comes face to face with the villainous Norman Osborn, who begs the hero not to allow the scattered team of Avengers to change the world back to the way it was. Although Nighthawk does not seem to understand the full implications of this exhortation, it is enough for him to set his sights on Blade and his tiny assortment of heroes determined to restore the world to its previous state.
Every issue of the main Heroes Reborn series following the first has focused on a different member of the Squadron Supreme, and every single one of them have proven to be narcissistic, relentless, and bloodthirsty in their dispensation of justice. Not only that, but all of them have shown a fervent dedication to their home, country, world, and universe.
So far, each member of the Squadron that has been featured, from Hyperion to Doctor Spectrum, has overheard some talk of reality not being right, although none of them seem to have given the notion any serious consideration besides Nighthawk. His previous encounter with Blade during the Masters of Doom’s assault on Washington D.C. had already left the hero wondering just what it is that he doesn’t know, and now that his worst suspicions are all but confirmed, he seems more poised than ever to do whatever it takes to protect the world that he has known for as long as he can remember.
Historically, Nighthawk has always been the one member of the Squadron’s previous iterations to stand up to the rest when things were getting out of hand or his fellow heroes were crossing a line. Unfortunately, it seems that now he is just as dedicated to protecting his reality as the others, even if it means hunting down the real heroes of the world, the Avengers.
Nighthawk already has an impressive trophy case filled with the masks and weapons of those that haven’t survived their encounters with Marvel’s Dark Knight, and with the joy that dispensing pain seems to bring him, there is no question that he will be gunning for the remaining Avengers before long. Blade and Captain America might not be much of a fight for Nighthawk, but he has already encountered T’Challa in a fight that did not go well for him, and he hasn’t even seen what the Phoenix is capable of.
With any luck, the Avengers will be able to turn Nighthawk around before anyone gets killed. Then again, Nighthawk and the rest of the Squadron are manifestations of Mephisto, so there probably isn’t much hope of a peaceful reconciliation between the two teams.
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