Rumor has it that in the upcoming second season of Loki, the infamous Squadron Supreme will make their debut. Originally conceived as Marvel’s answer to the Justice League, the Squadron Supreme have carved out their own place within the pages of Marvel comics. The team’s history can be a bit confusing, as there are several different versions spread throughout alternate universes. The core of the group usually consists of the characters Hyperion, Power Princess, Nighthawk, the Whizzer, and Doctor Spectrum. With the rumors of their MCU debut intensifying, let us take a closer look at this group of heroes. 

The Origins of the Squadron Supreme 

To understand the origins of the Squadron Supreme, we must first look back to the Squadron Sinister. This villainous group was originally created as kind of an evil version of DC’s Justice League. They fought the Avengers on a few occasions, first appearing on the pages of the Avengers #69 in October 1969. A retcon in 1971 revealed that the Squadron Sinister were actually modeled after the debuting Squadron Supreme, hence the inclusion of the same four members plus Power Princess. This team existed within Earth-712 as the primary heroes of that universe. They first appeared in The Avengers #85.  

Heroes or Villains? 

Though the Squadron Supreme were definitely portrayed as heroes, they more often than not found themselves in direct conflict with the Avengers. These conflicts eventually came to head when it was revealed that the team had been brainwashed by the villain known as Overmind. With the help of the Defenders, Hyperion was able to free the team from Overmind’s control, thus becoming heroes again. 

 

The Squadron Reigns Supreme 

In 1985, the Squadron Supreme got their very own twelve-issue series. Written by Mark Grunewald, the landmark series looked at the idea of superheroes through an entirely new lens, deconstructing them in a way that comic books like Watchmen and the Boys would later emulate. After returning to their own world, the Squadron found that it had become a very different place in their absence. To combat the new problems facing their world, the Squadron Supreme took drastic measures, eventually ruling over it as a singular world government. They employed tactics such as using mind-control to make villains into heroes. Naturally, this all led to a civil war resulting in the deaths of several heroes. This mini-series helped lay the framework for similar future titles.