| Hyperion | |
 Hyperion Art by Tom Grummett |
|
| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Villain: Avengers #69 (Oct. 1969) Hero: Avengers #85 (Feb. 1971) |
| Created by | Roy Thomas and John Buscema |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Villain - Zhib-Ran Hero - Mark Milton |
| Species | Eternal (Mark Milton), artificial lifeform ("Zhib-Ran") |
| Team affiliations | ("Zhib-Ran") Squadron Sinister (Mark Milton) Squadron Supreme |
| Notable aliases | Mr. Kant |
| Abilities | (All) Superhuman strength, speed, stamina and invulnerability Multiple extrasensory and vision powers Freezing breath Regenerative healing factor Flight. |
| Marvel Comics Alternate Universes | |
| Marvel stories take place primarily in a mainstream continuity called the Marvel Universe. Some stories are set in various parallel, or alternate, realities, called the Marvel Multiverse.
The Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe: Alternate Worlds 2005 designates the mainstream continuity as "Earth-616", and assigns another Earth-numbers to each specific alternate reality. In this article the following characters, or teams, and realities are referred to: |
|
| Character/Team | Universe |
| Zhib-Ran | Interdimensional Space |
| Mark Milton | Earth-712 |
| Mark Milton | Earth-31916 |
Hyperion is the name of several fictional characters that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. The first character debuted in The Avengers #69 (Oct. 1969), with four versions to date - two supervillains belonging to the team Squadron Sinister (from Earth-616) and two heroes from alternate universes. (See sidebar)
Contents |
Publication history
Original Hyperion : Zhib-Ran (villain)
The first Hyperion in Marvel Comics debuted in the final panel of The Avengers #69 (Oct. 1969), by writer Roy Thomas and penciller Sal Buscema. This story arc introduced the supervillain team the Squadron Sinister, whose four members were loosely based on heroes in DC Comics' Justice League of America, with Hyperion based on Superman.[1]
The Squadron Sinister are assembled by the cosmic entity the Grandmaster to battle the champions of the time-traveling Kang - the superhero team the Avengers. The Avengers defeat the Squadron and thwart the Grandmaster, with the Thunder God Thor minaturizing Hyperion and trapping him in a glass sphere.[2] The alien Nebulon frees Hyperion and restores the abilities of the Squadron Sinister in exchange for the planet Earth. The villains create a giant laser cannon in the Arctic and plan to melt the polar ice caps, thereby covering the entirety of the Earth's surface in water. The Squadron Sinister and Nebulon, however, are defeated by the superhero team the Defenders.[3]
After this defeat Hyperion and his team mates are teleported off world by Nebulon, and later return to Earth. Acquiring an energy-draining weapon, the villains plan to threaten the Earth once again but are defeated by the Defenders and the Avenger Yellowjacket.[4]
Hyperion has another brief encounter with several members of the Avengers, seek a way to separate the Power Prism of Dr. Spectrum from fellow Avenger the Wasp.[5] The character battles Thor once again and encounters the Earth-712 version of Hyperion from the Squadron Supreme.[6] Hyperion is also involved with the warrior woman Thundra, with the relationship ending when she discovers a means of returning to her own dimension.[7] In the Earth-712 universe Hyperion is told by the villain Master Menace that he is an inorganic duplicate created by the Grandmaster modeled on the Hyperion from that universe. A bitter Hyperion then impersonates the Squadron Supreme's version of Hyperion for several weeks before dying in battle against the original.[8] The Grandmaster briefly resurrects the character as part of the Legion of the Unliving, a group created to combat the Avengers.[9]
A new version of the character appears and at the request of the Grandmaster begins to reform the Squadron Sinister to "save the world". Hyperion and the new Dr. Spectrum (Alice Nugent, former lab assistant of Henry Pym) find and try and coerce Speed Demon (the new alias of the Whizzer) and Nighthawk into joining, but both -current members of the superhero team the Thunderbolts - are initially reluctant. When Speed Demon is ejected for committing robberies and Nighthawk quits in protest when master villain Baron Zemo joins, both rejoin the Squadron Sinister. Courtesy of a phenomenon known as the Wellspring of Power - an interdimensional source of superhuman abilities - the Grandmaster increases the Squadron Sinister's powers and they then battle the New Thunderbolts, as Zemo also wishes to have control of the Wellspring. The Grandmaster and in the ensuing chaos the Squadron Sinister scatter and escape. Hyperion has yet to reappear.[10]
Second Hyperion : Mark Milton (hero)
Thomas and penciller John Buscema also created an alternate universe team of heroes called the Squadron Supreme in Avengers #85 (Feb. 1971), using characters that shared names with those of the Squadron Sinister (this caused confusion in Marvel's production department, as the covers of Avengers #85 and #141 (Nov. 1975) claimed the issues featured appearances by the Squadron Sinister, when in fact it was the Squadron Supreme that appeared in both issues). The last known Eternal left on Earth-712, the character is a founding member of the Squadron Supreme and has a civilian identity, Mark Milton.
The Earth-712 Hyperion appears on every occasion with the Squadron Supreme, and the group first encounter beings from the Earth-616 universe when four Avengers - the Vision; Scarlet Witch; Quicksilver and the second Goliath - accidentally arrive. The Avengers first battle and then assist the Squadron Supreme against the global threat posed by the mutant Brain-Child, before returning to their own universe.[11]
Hyperion and the Squadron Supreme fall under control of the artifact the Serpent Crown and battle the Avengers in the Earth-616 universe before being freed;[12] encounter Thor when he battles the evil Hyperion [13] and enlists the aid of the Defenders against the the villain the Overmind and his ally Null, the Living Darkness when they threaten the Earth-712 universe.[14]
Hyperion and other Squadron members then resolve - against the advice of Nighthawk - to assume control of the government of the United States on Earth-712. Hyperion helps establish the behavior modification program;[15] defeats and brainwashes the Institute of Evil; [16] and is trapped in an inter-dimensional zone by the evil (Zhib-Ran) Hyperion. Forced to ally himself with Master Menace to escape, Hyperion battles Zhib-Ran to death and while victorious in blinded.[17] After a battle to the death with Nighthawk and the Redeemers, a team formed to stop the domineering Squadron, Hyperion relents and relinquishes power.[18]
The character and the surviving members of the Squadron Supreme travel into space to protect their planet from the expanding Nth Man, and are exiled to the Earth-616 universe.[19] The team encounter the hero Quasar, and take up residence at the government facility Project Pegasus.[20] Hyperion regains his eyesight, and with Quasar and the Eternal Makkari rescue the Squadron when captured by the cosmic entity the Stranger.[21] Aided by team mates the Whizzer and Doctor Spectrum, the character battles the entity Deathurge,[22] with the entire Squadron then assisting the Avengers against the villain Imus Champion before finding the means to return to their universe.[23] The team then disband but are reunited by Hyperion once learning a corrupt government has filled the power vacuum left by the Squadron.[24] With the aid of inter-dimensional adventurers the Exiles, Hyperion and the Squadron expose the government to a global audience.[25]
Third Hyperion: Mark Milton (Earth-31916)
A series published with the mature-audience Marvel MAX imprint detailed the adventures of a Hyperion from yet another alternate universe.[26]
Powers and abilities
All versions of Hyperion possess superhuman strength, stamina, speed, and durability. Each also has greatly enhanced sensory perceptions, which extends to being able to perceive the entire electromagnetic spectrum and "atomic vision" - the equivalent of heat vision. The heroic Earth-712 version of Hyperion also possesses the ability to use cosmic energy to augment his life force granting him great longevity and regenerative abilities, courtesy of his Eternal heritage. The character is also capable of the projection of infrared heat via his eyes, and the ability to levitate. The Earth-712 Hyperion's powers and vitality are diminished when he is exposed to argonite radiation. The Earth-712 Hyperion also has a college degree in journalism.
Other versions
Paradise X
In the Earth-9997 universe, a version of Hyperion is recruited by the robot X-51 for his squadron of interdimensional heralds. This Hyperion kills the master villain Kulan Gath who is responsible for the deaths of many of Earth's heroes.[27]
Exiles
This version of Hyperion is a member of a team known as Weapon X, who travel between dimensions to repair the time/space continuum. This character is revealed to be psychopathic and commits mass genocide on several worlds before finally being stopped and banished to his original dimension.[28]
References
- ^ Interview with Roy Thomas and Jerry Bails in The Justice League Companion (2003) pp. 72–73
- ^ Avengers #69 - 71 (Oct. - Dec. 1969)
- ^ Defenders #13 - 14 (May - June 1974)
- ^ Giant-Size Defenders #4 (1974)
- ^ Avengers Annual #8 (1978)
- ^ Thor #280 (Feb. 1979)
- ^ Marvel Two-In-One #67 (Sep. 1980)
- ^ Squadron Supreme #8 (Apr. 1986)
- ^ Avengers Annual #16 (Dec. 1987)
- ^ New Thunderbolts #15 - 16 (Jan.- Feb. 2006) & Thunderbolts #102 - 108 (July - Nov. 2006)
- ^ Avengers #85 - 86 (Feb. - Mar. 1971)
- ^ Avengers #141 -144 (Nov. 1975 - Feb. 1976)
- ^ Thor #280 (Feb. 1979)
- ^ Defenders #112 - 115 (Oct. 1982 - Jan. 1983)
- ^ Squadron Supreme #2 (Oct. 1985)
- ^ Squadron Supreme #5 - 6 (Jan. - Feb. 1986)
- ^ Squadron Supreme #8 (Apr. 1986)
- ^ Squadron Supreme #12 (Aug. 1986)
- ^ Squadron Supreme: Death of a Universe (June 1989)
- ^ Quasar #13 (Aug. 1990)
- ^ Quasar #14 - 16 (Sep. - Nov. 1990)
- ^ Quasar #25
- ^ Avengers vol. 3, #5 - 6 (June - July 1998) & Annual 1998
- ^ Squadron Supreme: New World Order (Sep. 1998)
- ^ Exiles #77 - 78 (Apr. - May 2006)
- ^ Squadron Supreme (Supreme Power) (Oct. 2003 - Oct. 2005)
- ^ Paradise X #0 - 12 (Apr. - 2002 - Aug. 2003)
- ^ See Exiles #38 - 40 (Feb. - Apr. 2004) & 63 - 65 (June - Aug. 2005)
External links
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