Comic Book Spotlight: Squadron Supreme

by Captain Briton – May 30, 2001


	The Squadron Supreme

Everybody knows superheroes. They have abilities that set them apart from the lowly normal human being. Possessed with incredible powers that enable them to move faster than speeding bullets, be more powerful than locomotives, or leap tall buildings in single bounds, superheroes dress in garish costumes and use their powers to stop the odd random criminal that stumbles across their path, fighting the never ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way. But imagine for once that these superheroes suddenly realized how much power they had at their fingertips, and just how much more they could really do. Imagine that these heroes still wanted to make the world a better place, but they suddenly had a better idea than just chasing down would be world conquerors and petty criminals. What if these heroes decided that the best way to make the world a better place was to take over and force it?

This is the premise of Marvel's 1985 limited series, Squadron Supreme. The characters might seem somewhat familiar to you. Here's a few descriptions: An almost godlike alien superman; a man who can make objects out of solid light using an alien artifact; a whizzing self-proclaimed fastest man alive; a grim dark avenger of the night; a female warrior from an isolated utopia. No, this isn't DC's Justice League of America. In the 1970's, Marvel's premier team of superheroes, The Avengers, faced a team of superbeings that was their every equal. That team was the Squadron Supreme, and they were Marvel's playful jab at their publishing rival's own premier team of superheroes. All the significant members of the Justice League had their Squadron counterpart, and after the Avengers squarely defeated them they went off into happy comic book limbo.

The Squadron was evidently popular, and after a few years they returned, this time in the pages of The Defenders. The Squadron had come from an alternate dimension than the rest of the Marvel Universe. In this story, they found themselves mind controlled by an alien presence known as the Overmind. Under that control, they conquered their world and turned it into a near fascist regime. With the help of the Defenders, the Squadron was able to free themselves and defeat the Overmind, but the damage to their world remained and they began the daunting task of rebuilding.

Their self-titled series begins at this point. Their world is in shambles and the Squadron can only stand by helpless, their incredible powers useless to stop the worldwide rioting and hunger that has ensued from the collapse of their totalitarian rule. It is then that Hyperion, the Superman modeled character, proposes a plan to his teammates to use their powers to their fullest effect, to not just stop the random act of crime or natural disaster, but to truly institute global reform and help the world reach a new Utopia. In order to do this, the Squadron must retain control of the world, but this time, free from mind control, they will be able to truly institute reform. They will put their Utopia plan into effect for 12 months, after which they will give control back to the governments of the new Earth.

The rest of the Squadron agrees to the plan except for Nighthawk, the Batman modeled character. He trusts Hyperion and his teammate's good intentions, but he fears the repercussions of imposing their wills upon the rest of humanity. Unable to convince his comrades, he quits the team and sets out on his own quest to stop the Squadron before they bring humanity to an even worse disaster.

The 12 issue series that follows is the story of The Squadron Supreme's Utopia Program. Using this story, author Mark Grunewald weaves his examination of the realistic effects of super powers. The issue of superhuman government control is the topic of the whole series, obviously, but Grunewald doesn't stop himself there. Technological advances abound as the common super geniuses of the superhero genre turn their attentions to solving world problems rather than catching super criminals. Certain superpowers are depicted with nasty side effects, most notably in the case of the nuclear energy wielding hero, Nuke, who inadvertently causes the terminal cancer of his parents. Grunewald also pays attentions to minute trivia of superpowers, as there are little touches throughout the series that highlight small side effects, such as the superhumanly fast Whizzer's voice becoming a high pitched whine when he moves at the speed of sound.

The most dynamic effect of super powers that Grunewald examines are the fights. Combat between super powered individuals barely able to control the vast energies at their fingertips is depicted as brutal, lethal affairs with devastating consequences. Death often results from the battles in the series, and the victor rarely emerges unscathed either. The confrontation between Nighthawk's forces and the Squadron that ends the series is particularly noteworthy, as it's probably one of the most realistically violent and graphic battle I've ever seen in a comic book. The fighting is never gratuitous, however, and logical repercussions are always shown. Indeed there are several issues with little or no fighting whatsoever.

That's probably because Grunwald's primary focus of the series is his study of superpowers and their effects upon the people who wield them, as well as an ethical debate about the rightness of the Squadron's Utopia Program. He uses the series as a morality play, a discussion of the responsibility and boundaries of power. The ethical ambiguities of what the Squadron is doing is also examined, most notably in issue 6, which debates the team's use of a brainwashing machine to reform criminals. Throughout the series the Squadron engages in questionable behavior and small abuses of their power, abuses which are quickly righted but nonetheless troubling in their implications. These missteps are echoed in a speech Nighthawk delivers a near the end of the series that describes what he feels is wrong with the Squadron's program. Grunewald doesn't let any of his characters off easily, however, as Nighthawk also engages in morally ambiguous actions for the greater good, most notably in consorting with criminals in order to form a fighting force capable of equaling the Squadron and, in issue 11, resorting to certain Squadron practices he most reviles for the sake of his mission. Ultimately, The Squadron emerges from the series as a collection of people, not above the rest of their peers, but just regular flawed mortals endowed with powers beyond their wildest imaginations.

The series is available in its entirety in one trade paperback volume, released in 1998. In accordance with his final wishes, the ink of early printings of the book was mixed with the ashes of writer Mark Grunewald, who died in 1997 of a heart attack. An epilogue graphic novel, Squadron Supreme: Death of a Universe, was published in 1989, in which the team battles a cosmic entity swallowing their solar system. This follow-up is in much the same style as their limited series and is greatly recommended for anyone who wants to read more of the adventures of The Squadron Supreme.

-	Captain Briton is protector of Earth 515. He doesn't know what the hell he's talking about, either.

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