Captain America #314
Aslyum
This story continues from Squadron Supreme #6…
Nighthawk has sought out the powerful wizard Professor Imam in the hopes of finding allies to stop the Squadron Supreme and their dangerous Utopia Program.[1] As his world had been saved by the heroes of another dimension he asks Imam to use his magic to send him there to recruit the the Avengers to his cause. Imam agrees to do so, telling Nighthawk that his spell will return him to their reality once he finds the allies he seeks.
Nighthawk materializes in the middle of the Avengers training room as Captain America is going through his exercise routine. Thinking this is an ambush, Captain America attacks Nighthawk until they realize that this was all a big misunderstanding. Explaining that he’s the Kyle Richmond of another reality,[2] Nighthawk tells Captain America that his world is in danger and is seeking the help of the Avengers since they helped save his world on two other occasions.[3] He explains that, after their world was decimated by the Overmind,[4] the Squadron Supreme decided to rebuild the world as a Utopian society. While most of the Squadron agreed with Hyperion’s goal, Nighthawk was the lone dissenter because he believed that they would be committing the same evils as the Overmind. At first, the Squadron did a lot of good, by restoring order to their war torn planet and began providing food for the needly. However, they started overstepping by taking away everyone’s guns. However, the group started becoming a real danger when they rolled out their Behavior Modification device which they used to mentally recondition criminals so they would no longer break the law. With the B-Mod machines, the Squadron Supreme started brainwashing their old foes, swelling their ranks.[5]
While Captain America is sympathetic over Nighthawk’s situation, he tells Kyle that he needs to confer with his fellow Avengers to see if this is a cause they wish to get involved in. Cap calls a meeting with the Wasp, Hercules, the Black Knight, Captain Marvel, as well as the Fantastic Four’s Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman.[6] They all debate the issue, but they all agree that getting involved is out of their scope since they only tackle threats to their own world but avoid entangling themselves in the autonomy of worlds outside of their own.[7] When the request is turned down, Captain America goes to tell Nighthawk the news. However, still wishing to help in some way, he allows Kyle to access the Avengers computers so he can contact someone who might be willing to help.
As Kyle unsuccessfully tries reaching out to the West Coast Avengers, the X-Men, and Alpha Flight, Captain America checks the messages on his hotline.[8] Captain America decides to investigate strange reports about a man on a flying carpet. When he tells this to Nighthawk, it sounds an awful like his old enemy Remnant and insists on tagging along. As Captain America goes to interview eye witnesses, Nighthawk comes across mink fur that is scented with the same perfume as another one of his foes, the Mink. When Captain America notices that Nighthawk has taken off on his own, he decides to call off the search for now because he is due to drop off his finished artwork on the latest issue of Captain America. When he hands over his work to editor Mike Carlin, he is very impressed with the work. However, Steve Rogers had some issues with the way Captain America was characterized in the story and Mike arranges to put him in touch with the writer.[9]
Meanwhile, Nighthawk scours the city for his foes, wondering if they were also sent here by Professor Imam or if they were sent by the Squadron Supreme to stop him.
By this time, Steve Rogers has returned home to find his fiancée, Bernie Rosenthal, in a celebratory mood because she got a high score on her LSAT test and can now go to any law school she wants. While Steve is proud of her, he quickly goes back out as Captain America after receiving a number of reports about Nighthawk stalking the city. His abrupt departure upsets Bernie who has begun feeling neglected due to Steve’s double-life as Captain America.
Moments later, Nighthawk has tracked down his foes to the Magic Carpet night club. After paying the bouncer the cover charge he quickly spots Remnant and Mink as well as a third foe, the rotund Pinball. Spotting Nighthawk in the crowd, the three villains try to escape through the back alley. However, Richmond continues pursuing them and the resulting battle sends them all crashing into the Industrial Display Company. There they battle among the giant props, including a massive typewriter. Nighthawk is forced on the defensive until Captain America arrives to lend a hand and the trio of villains from Kyle’s home dimension are quickly defeated. They soon learn that this trio of villains came to this reality to find refuge from the Squadron Supreme and were transported here by Master Menace.[10]
Hearing how the trio are afraid for their lives helps convince Captain America that he should offer his aid. He also suggests that the three villains might just be the allies Nighthawk has been looking for. After the four agree to work together, Professor Imam’s spell kicks in and returns them all back to their proper dimension. Only Captain America doesn’t go with them, he wishes them the best of luck and hopes that he was able to help in his own little way.
… This story is continued in Squadron Supreme #7.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Nighthawk, Mink Remnant, Pinball, Bernie Rosenthal, Professor Imam, Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Edwin Jarvis, Avengers (Wasp, Captain Marvel, Black Knight, Hercules), Michael Carlin, Mike Higgins
Continuity Notes
The Squadron Supreme’s parallel universe has been indexed as Reality-712, per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Realities 2005.
Here it is mentioned that the Kyle Richmond on Earth-616 is dead. He seemingly died in Defenders #106. He will be resurrected in Nighthawk #1.
The Avengers saved the Squadron’s Earth from the destruction of their sun in Avengers #85-86. They later helped save that world from the influence of the Serpent Crown in Avengers #147-148.
The Overmind conquered the Squadron Earth until it was liberated with help from the Defenders. See Defenders #112-115.
This is, of course, a recap of the first six issues of Squadron Supreme.
At the time of this story, the Fantastic Four had been staying at Avengers Mansion following the destruction of their headquarters, the Baxter Building. They will remain here until construction begins of the Four Freedoms Plaza. See Fantastic Four #278 through 289.
The incidents cited here are when the Avengers recently got got involved with a conflict in the Skrull galaxy (Avengers #259-261 and Annual #14) and when the Fantastic Four ventured to Other-Earth (Earth-6311) to find Reed’s father. (Fantastic Four #272-273)
Richmond tries to get in touch with the following superhero teams:
First he wants to contact the Defenders since they helped liberate his world from the Overmind. However, Captain America informs him that the team had recently disbanded. This happened in Defenders #152 when the team was decimated during their battle against the Dragon of the Moon.
The West Coast Avengers tell him that they have to discuss the issue, likely for the same reason the East Coast team did.
Kyle is unable to reach Alpha Flight. That’s because at the time of this story the team was in back-to-back battles with Scramble and Deadly Ernest. See Alpha Flight #30-31.
He was also unable to reach the X-Men who, at the time of this story, were involved in a life-or-death battle with the Beyonder as seen in Uncanny X-Men #202-203.
Why yes, Steve Rogers is drawing the artwork for a Captain America comic book. Marvel Comics exists within their own fictional universe. Here they don’t write fiction, but are officially licensed to adapt the adventures of their world’s superheroes. This has been the case as far back as Fantastic Four #10.
Master Menace transported Remnant, Mink, and Pinball to Earth-616 in Squadron Supreme #6.
Topical References
Captain America refers to the computer that he uses to access his hotline as a “monitor-modem” and plugs it into a computer to access the phone line. This incredibly dated technology should be considered topical.
One of the bystanders who saw Remnant and his allies materialize on Earth-616 says it looked like something out of Ghostbusters. This should be considered a topical reference as that film came out the summer prior to this story being published and was very much part of the cultural zeitgeist at the time. While someone today might liken such an encounter to 1984’s Ghostbusters that’s a really deep cut when other, more current, science fictions would be better examples.
There are marquee advertisements for an old Flash Gordon serial and what could be references to the original Mad Max and An American Werewolf in London (the full titles are obscured on panel) these might not necessarily be considered topical since the theater appears to play second run or older movies.
What absolutely isn’t a topical reference are the appearances of Marvel staffers Mike Carlin and Mike Higgins. While appearances by real life people are usually considered topical references, Marvel staff members are exempt by this rule. They all exist in the Modern Age of the Marvel Universe in their relative prime.
