Summary
Warning: contains spoilers for Avengers #17Marvel’s very ownSuperman, the Multiversal “hero” known as Hyperion, returns to Earth-616 as a majorAvengersvillain inAvengers#17, attempting to destroy the entire planet with one monstrous punch. Mark Milton,last seen in the 2021Heroes Rebornevent, is a powerful parody of Clark Kent, whose various universal counterparts have been heroes, villains, and even an Avenger.
The “original"Hyperion was the villainous leaderof the Squadron Sinister but became better known asthe righteous and just heroic leader of the Squadron Supreme, a pastiche of DC Comics' iconic Justice League that debuted in 1971’sThe Avengers#85.
The Avengers can truly never catch a break, as Hyperion’s vicious assault on Earth is happeningright after the deadly Blood Huntconcludes. Thankfully,Avengers#17 - from writer Jed MacKay and artist Valerio Schiti - alsointroduces the epic X-Men hero Stormas the world’s newest Avenger, just in time for the goddess to battle Hyperion.
Squadron Supreme
Squadron Supreme is a group of superheroes that dates back to 1971 when they first appeared in The Avengers #85. Several characters have rotated through the team since then, but core members include Hyperion, Nighthawk, Doctor Spectrum, Whizzer, and Power Princess. Many of the members were based on the supervillains from Marvel’s Squadron Sinister.
Hyperion Has Not Been Seen In Over Two Years
Mark Milton’s entire existence was revealed to be fake
The Hyperion who reveals his plan to destroy Earth inAvengers#17 is a fascinating amalgamation of two versions of the iconic hero and has not been seen since 2022’sAvengers#50. Mark Milton of Earth-616 is actuallyan artificial construct created and given life by the demon Mephisto, in a plan to take over the world alongside the villainous Phil Coulson. To that end, Coulson used the Pandemonium Cube to create theHeroes Rebornuniverse, where the Avengers didn’t exist, and the Squadron Supreme were Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. After the Avengers reclaimed their identities and defeated Mephisto, the heroic memories of theHeroes RebornHyperion were transferred to Mephisto’s Hyperion simulacrum.
Marvel’s Real Superman Has A Surprising Eternals Connection
After the collapse of Coulson’s Squadron Supreme, the Hyperion construct was incredibly confused and conflicted, unsure of who he was or if his entire life was a lie (it was). InAvengers#50, Hyperion was shown seeking out the Red Widow, so that she could deprogram him after months of mental manipulation by Coulson and the Power Elite. Milton was last seen being “freed” from his brainwashing through Red Room protocols at the hands of the Red Widow. Now, an emotionally devastated Hyperion has resurfaced inAvengers#17, convinced that either his life - or Earth-616 - is a “lie,“prompting him to threaten a galactic murder-suicide to “solve” this existential problem. Clearly, whatever the Red Widow did to Hyperion may have freed him from his previous programming, but did not heal his fractured mind.
The Avengers Now Have Storm To Help Them Stop Hyperion
The X-Men leader’s first Avengers mission will be intense
Avengers#17 sees Captain America recruiting Storm to join the Avengers once again, believing that the Avengers failed mutantkind and her representation on the team would help the mutant race, and strengthen Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Ororo is immediately thrust into a battle for the fate of planet Earth, as Hyperion announces his intention to destroy the world right after she accepts her new role as an Avenger. Hyperion has defeated all the Avengers at one point or another. Still, hehas never faced the Omega-level might of Storm, a goddess and mutant fighter who will give the powerful super-being a run for his money.
Hyperion is not pure evil, instead,he is a broken and scared man who can’t get over the fact that his entire life was built on a demonic lie. Hopefully, Storm of theAvengerswill be able to stop Hyperion without needing to kill him, instead showing him the error of his ways and setting him on a more heroic path once again.
