The rebirth of Marvel Comics’ 25th anniversary of its 1996 Heroes Reborn brand began to expand beyond the four editions of the main limited series announced for May, with a pair of tie-ins now added to the mix.
First, there’s the Young Squadron – a Heroes Reborn 2021 faces the main trio of the teenage Marvel team of Marvel, formed by former writer Jim Zub and artist Steve Cummings.
In this case, Miles Morales, Kamala Khan and Sam Alexander (the Spider-Man of the central universe, Ms. Marvel and Nova, respectively) will assume totally new superheroic identities and even powers inspired not by the Avengers, who never formed in the new Heroes Reborn universe, but by America’s overprotectors, Squadron Supreme.
Sam Alexander will gain Doctor Spectrum’s light-building powers as Kid Spectrum. Miles Morales will become Nighthawk’s partner Falcon, replacing Nighthawk’s now deceased original companion. And finally, Kamala Khan will become Girl Power, gaining his powers not through the Inhuman Terrigen Mists, but an artifact from the home world of Power Princess.
Who the hell are Doctor Spectrum, Power Princess and Nighthawk? They are central members of Marvel’s Supreme Squad.
Originally introduced in Avengers # 69 of 1969 as the villain Sinistern Squad, Avengers # 85 of 1971 reintroduced characters like the Supreme Squad, the heroes of an alternate world, who are essentially all pastiche / tribute characters based on the DC Justice League. as a cunning way of having the two teams sort of clash before a real Avengers / JLA fight is really possible on the page.
Since then, they have appeared in several different titles, in different incarnations from a variety of multiverse worlds, although some, like Hyperion and Nighthawk, have remained lingering at the core of the Marvel Universe.
Interestingly, Young Squadron will also feature Deadpool, whose nature of breaking the fourth wall may come into play.
“Under the flashy facade of colorful adventure, something dark is moving and Deadpool is determined to bring it to light,” says Marvel’s official description, released via ComicBook.
“[Heroes Reborn limited series writer Jason Aaron and artist Ed McGuiness] built an incredibly fun premise in Heroes Reborn, “Zub told ComicBook.
“It is a twisted mirror that reflects the characters we know and love, in contrast to the familiar and the unexpected,” he continues. “Taking that central idea and pulling it further to show how it affects the Champions trio of Miles, Kamala and Sam is incredible, and doing that with my Champions collaborator, Steven Cummings, makes it all the more fun.”
Then there is Magneto and the Mutant Force, by writer Steve Orlando and artist Bernard Chang, who resumes Magneto’s adventures (now apparently using a wheelchair-like floating transport like Charles Xavier did in the 90s) while he leads a team of mutants on a “hope for mutants” mission, in Orlando’s words.
“I didn’t expect Magneto & The Mutant Force, and in these unexpected moments is where some of the most exciting stories are found,” Orlando told AiPT, which announced Magneto and Mutant Force.
“The world of Heroes Reborn is a beautiful nod to iconic traditions of events like Age of Apocalypse or House of M, the same types of events that pulled me out of the mall’s corridors and guided me to the spinner shelf as a child,” he continues . “Jason [Aaron] and Ed ‘ [McGuinness] The world shows us how important the Avengers are in their absence, and for Magneto and his Mutant Force, the struggle for mutant freedom is more deadly than ever. “
Marvel’s official description sheds a little more light on what life is like for mutants in the world of Heroes Reborn 2021.
“Years ago, Magneto and Professor X led the Earth mutants in a final push for independence against America’s Supreme Squadron,” says Marvel’s description of Magneto and Force Mutant # 1. “What followed was the Massacre of Squad Mutants, a violent replica that left the Mutant race wounded forever, and Xavier killed … or so Magneto thought. “
“Years later, Magneto discovers Xavier clinging to life on the astral plane and gathers his allies together for an unprecedented rescue mission. Too bad the same mission puts the Mutant Force back on the Squad’s radar!” it continues.
“Failure means the last mutant sigh, but success means the first sigh of something even more elusive for the Heroes Reborn mutants: HOPE.”
For longtime Marvel fans, the name Mutant Force may ring a bell. It is a name used by an obscure ’70s version of the Magneto Evil Mutants Brotherhood, which faced Captain America. Created by Jack Kirby, the team consisted of eccentrics like Lifter, Burner, Shocker and Peeper (who recently returned in SWORD # 1). No word yet if any of these characters will appear in the new title, but given writer Steve Orlando’s reputation for encyclopedic comics knowledge and his declared love for obscure characters, it’s safe to bet that someone interesting and strange will appear.
Neither title has a fixed duration, although both will be released in May alongside the limited Heroes Reborn series.
Stay tuned for all Marvel requests from May 2021 later this month on Newsarama.
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