Nighthawk

Nighthawk
The cover of Nighthawk #1 (Sep. 1998), showcasing the first Nighthawk (Earth-616 Nighthawk).
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	(Kyle: Earth-616) Avengers #69 (Oct. 1969) (Joaquin: Earth-616) Last Defenders #1 (May 2008) (Kyle: Earth-712) Avengers #85 (Mar. 1971) (Neil: Earth-712) Squadron Supreme: New World Order #1 (Sep. 1998)
Created by	(Kyle Richmond) Roy Thomas (writer) Sal Buscema (artist) (Joaquin Pennyworth) Joe Casey (writer) Keith Giffen (writer & artist) Jim Muniz (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	- Kyle Richmond (616) - Joaquin Pennysworth (616)
Team affiliations	(Kyle: Earth-616) Squadron Sinister Defenders Thunderbolts (Joaquin: Earth-616) Defenders (Kyle: Earth-712) Squadron Supreme America Redeemers (Neil:Earth-712) Squadron Supreme
Abilities	(Kyle: Earth-616) Enhanced strength, agility, reflexes, and stamina when night (Joaquin: Earth-616) Highly trained S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, Olympic-level athlete, wearing special high tech suit (Kyle: Earth-712) (Neil: Earth-712) Olympic-level athletes, geniuses and advanced weaponry

Nighthawk is the name of several fictional characters that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. There have been five versions of the character to date - one supervillain turned hero from the mainstream Marvel Universe belonging to the team Squadron Sinister (Earth-616); and two heroes from different alternate universes. The two heroes each belong to a version of the team Squadron Supreme, (the Squadron Supreme of Earth-712 and the Squadron Supreme of Earth-31916 respectively).

Publication history

Kyle Richmond (Earth-616)

The first villainous version appears in the final panel of The Avengers #69 (Oct. 1969), the first chapter of a three-issue storyline by writer Roy Thomas and penciller Sal Buscema. The 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 Nighthawk based on Batman.^[1]

The Squadron Sinister are created by the cosmic entity the Grandmaster to battle the champions of the time-traveling Kang - the superhero team the Avengers. Nighthawk battles the Avenger Captain America. who outfights the villain. The Avengers eventually defeat the Squadron and are they in turn are abandoned by the Grandmaster.^[2] Nighthawk appears in a solo adventure in the title Daredevil, before reappearing with the Squadron reappear in the title Defenders.

Reunited by the alien Nebulon, the villains receive greater power in exchange for the planet Earth, and create a giant laser cannon in the Arctic to melt the polar ice caps, thereby covering the entirety of the Earth's surface in water. Despite being asked to join the venture, Nighthawk asks for the aid of superhero team the Defenders, who prevent the scheme and defeat the villains and Nebulon.^[3] Nighthawk then reforms, and after adopting a new costume joins the following issue.^[4]

Nighthawk appears on a regular basis in the Defenders and a number of other Marvel titles, including Giant-Size Defenders;^[5] Marvel Team-Up;^[6] Hulk;^[7] Marvel Two-In-One;^[8] Avengers;^[9] Doctor Strange;^[10]Amazing Spider-Man;^[11] Captain America^[12] and with other heroes in the graphic novel The Death of Captain Marvel ^[13] and the humorous Fantastic Four Roast.^[14]

The character has several setbacks in the title Defenders, including being charged with tax evasion and fraud by the United States government^[15] and arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for operating as a hero while charges were pending.^[16] This stipulation was waived^[17] after being forced to reveal his secret identity in the title Marvel Team-Up.^[18] Nighthawk's cumulative wounds from battle eventually leave him paralyzed.^[19] Recovering to the point that he can move at night,^[20] Nighthawk continues to aid the Defenders, until deciding to resign from the team.^[21] The character is advised he is to be cleared of all charges, if a predetermined amount is repaid to the government.^[22]

Nighthawk aids the Defenders in the final battle with the demonic Six-Fingered Hand;^[23] has a solo adventure in the second volume of Tales To Astonish involving old Defenders foe Cyrus Black^[24] and sacrifices his life to destroy an organisation planning to attack the Soviet Union.^[25] The villain Dead Ringer briefly impersonates Nighthawk in the title Captain America, but is captured by hero the Falcon.^[26]

In the self-titled limited series Nighthawk^[27] the character is revealed to be in a coma and brain dead. Kyle Richmond has a vision of an angel that facilitates his healing and bestows on him a "second sight", which enables the character to see criminal acts before they are committed. In return, Richmond must punish criminals. Once healed, Richmond becomes Nighthawk once again and punishes criminals until forced into a confrontation with Daredevil, whom he kills. The "angel" then reveals itself to be the demon Mephisto, who transports Nighthawk and Daredevil's corpse to Hell, intending to claim Daredevil's soul. Nighthawk battles the demons of Hell and manages to revive Daredevil, and together they escape.

Nighthawk reappears in the second volume of the Defenders, and finds a sorcerer who purges him of Mephisto's gift. The character has several adventures with the Defenders against old foes Yandroth and the Headmen; the Greek god Pluto; MODOK and Advanced Idea Mechanics (AIM) and the creature Orrgo; with the series ending with the original Defenders (Doctor Strange; the Hulk; Namor the Sub-Mariner and the Silver Surfer) under the magical effects of a curse.^[28] which is eventually lifted with the aid of Nighthawk and the other Defenders in the title The Order.^[29]

After an adventure with Fantastic Four member the Thing^[30] Nighthawk discovers his abilities are increasing, and tracks a theft from his organisation back to former Squadron Sinister team mate Speed Demon, who has joined superhero team the New Thunderbolts. After a confrontation and unexpected skirmish with an apparently resurrected Hyperion and a new Doctor Spectrum (Alice Nugent, former lab assistant of Henry Pym), and Speed Demon's defection to the Squadron, Nighthawk is asked to join the New Thunderbolts.^[31] When Baron Zemo joins as team leader and Nighthawk discovers he is being used for his fortune, he leaves and rejoins the Squadron Sinister.^[32]

Courtesy of a phenomenon known as the Wellspring of Power, an interdimensional source of superhuman abilities, the Grandmaster - guiding force behind the return of the Squadron Sinister - has been increasing the Squadron Sinister's powers. He directs Nighthawk and the Squadron to prevent Zemo from finding and using the full power of the Wellspring. Although concerned about the Grandmaster's motives, Nighthawk aids the Squadron against Zemo. After a final battle against the New Thunderbolts, Zemo defeats the Grandmaster, and in the ensuing chaos Nighthawk and the members of the Squadron Sinister scatter and escape.^[33]

Nighthawk features in the limited series Civil War,^[34] and is initially opposed to the Superhuman Registration Act. When Bill Foster is killed in battle by a Thor clone, Nighthawk defects to the pro-registration side,^[35] but is defeated in a skirmish with anti-registration heroes the Falcon and Storm.^[36] The character also appears sporadically in the series Avengers: The Initiative, and decides to reform the Defenders as part of the Initiative.^[37]

Nighthawk is at first forced by Iron Man to team with the mutant Colossus; Blazing Skull and heroine She-Hulk, but they fail to work as a team and there is considerable property damage in their first outing. With She-Hulk and later the Atlantean warrior Krang, Nighthawk battles the group the Sons of the Serpent, which culminates in a confrontation with old Defenders foe Yandroth. Yandroth manipulates time and forces Nighthawk to battle a twisted version of his old team the Squadron Sinister, before being rescued by a future incarnation of the Defenders, who with Yandroth disappear once the threat is over. Noting that one of the future members is Joaquin Pennyworth, currently an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the son of the one-time leader of the Sons of the Serpent, Kyle Richmond asks him to commence training to become the new Nighthawk.^[38]

Kyle Richmond (Earth-712)

Roy Thomas and penciller John Buscema created an alternate-universe team of heroes called the Squadron Supreme, who debut in The Avengers #85 (Feb. 1971). After an initial skirmish with four Avengers, the teams unite to stop a common threat.^[39] The characters (including Nighthawk) were identical in name and appearance to the Squadron Sinister, which caused confusion in Marvel's production department, as the covers of The Avengers #85 and #141 (Nov. 1975) "cover-blurbed" appearances by the Squadron Sinister, when in fact it was the Squadron Supreme that appeared in both issues.

The heroic Nighthawk and the Squadron Supreme have another series of skirmishes with the Avengers engineered by the group the Serpent Cartel, but eventually team together and prevent the use of the artifact the Serpent Crown.^[40] The character and his teammates briefly feature in the title Thor, when the evil version of Hyperion attacks the Earth-712 version and then Thunder God Thor.^[41] The Squadron are mind-controlled by the entities the Over-Mind and Null the Living Darkness, but are freed by the Defenders and aid the heroes in defeating the villains.^[42]

The Squadron Supreme feature in a self-titled 12-issue miniseries (Sept. 1985 - Aug. 1986) by writer Mark Gruenwald.^[43] The series reveals each character's origin and explains why the Squadrons Sinister and Supreme are similar: the Grandmaster creates the Squadron Sinister modelled on the already-existing Squadron Supreme of the Earth-712 universe.^[44] Led by Hyperion, the Squadron believe they have the knowledge and power to recreate the world and create a Utopia. Nighthawk resigns in protest, believing that the Squadron should serve and not rule. The Squadron assume overall control of the government of the United States and remake the nation into a virtual utopia. The team implement a series of sweeping changes, including revealing their secret identities; instituting a program of behavior modification in prisons; enforcing a strict gun control policy, and developing medical technology to resurrect the dead. Despite the economic and technological advances, there are setbacks.

Member the Golden Archer abuses the behavior modification technology by forcing fellow member Lady Lark to love him, resulting in his eventual removal from the team. Fellow member Amphibian resigns in protest over the misuse of the behavior modification technology while Nuke inadvertently kills his own parents (via unnoticed and uncontrollable release of radiation) and after a rampage dies battling Doctor Spectrum. Predicting a nightmarish outcome, Nighthawk attempts in vain to solicit the aid of the Avengers in the title Captain America^[45] and is eventually forced to confront his old teammates with a new team. A brutal battle ensues in which several members of both teams are killed, including Nighthawk. A horrified Hyperion realizes Nighthawk was in fact right and ends the battle, and the Squadron disband and release control of the United States to the government.

Neil Richmond (Earth-712)

When the remnants of the Squadron Supreme returns to their home universe^[46] in the one-shot Squadron Supreme: New World Order, they encounter a new version of Nighthawk, who is the son of old Kyle Richmond foe The Huckster. Earth-712 is now dominated by corporations using the Squadron's own Utopia technologies, with the characters eventually reinstating democracy. Nighthawk joins the Squadron, acting as the team's conscience.^[47] Nighthawk and the Squadron also come into conflict with a new government when interdimensional team the Exiles, traveling from the Earth-616 universe, reveal that the government had rigged the election with a worldwide vote fraud. The Squadron and the Exiles depose the new government, and attempt to allow society to progress without superhuman involvement.^[48]

Kyle Richmond (Earth-31916)

The mature-audience Marvel MAX imprint showcases the adventures of the Earth-31916 version of the Squadron Supreme. An African-American, this version of Kyle Richmond first appears in the limited series Supreme Power, and utilizes his wealth to train and develop advanced weaponry and devices to aid in his campaign on crime as a vigilante.^[49] Although the character aids the loose formation of heroes that eventually become the Supreme Power, Nighthawk choose to remain aloof and only interacts when necessary. The character also has a solo adventure, featuring in the six issue Supreme Power: Nighthawk. The character investigates an epidemic of drug addict in the city of Chicago, and discovers it is the work of serial killer Whiteface, who has circulated a shipment of poisoned drugs. Nighthawk apprehends and then executes Whiteface, but not before the criminal kills the Mayor and his family.^[50]

Ultimate Nighthawk (Earth-1610)

The Ultimate Marvel alternate universe title The Ultimates features a non-powered version of Nighthawk who is the leader of a version of the Defenders. Nighthawk's only attempt at heroics involves leaping from the shadows at a group of petty criminals - only to break his ankle and be severely beaten.^[51]

Powers and abilities

The original Earth-616 Nighthawk is a superb athlete, who courtesy of an alchemical potion possesses mild super-strength and increased agility and durability from dusk till dawn. This version also had several costume aids, such as a jet-powered artificial wing system; artificial claw tips; lasers and projectile weapons. The Earth-712 versions lack powers but possess extensive training and use a variety of advanced weaponry.

Bibliography

• The Avengers #69-71, 167, 182, Annual #16
• The Avengers: The Initiative #2, 5 8, 10-12
• Captain America #268, 315
• Daredevil #62
• Defenders #13-124, Annual #1, Giant Size #1-5
• Defenders vol. 2, #1-12
• Doctor Strange vol. 2, #29
• Last Defenders #1-6
• Marvel Team-Up #33-34, 101
• Marvel Treasury Edition #12
• Marvel Two-In-One #34
• New Thunderbolts #16-17
• The Order #1-6
• Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #41
• Power Man #22
• Savage She-Hulk #12
• She-Hulk vol. 2 #3
• The Thing vol. 2 #8
• Thunderbolts #57, 105-106
• Wolverine vol. 3, #42
• Nighthawk #1-3

Notes

References

• Revolving Door of Death 13 - The Peculiar Resurrection of Nighthawk
• Nighthawk III at The Unofficial Handbook of the Marvel Universe
• Nighthawk I at The Unofficial Handbook of the Marvel Universe

External links

• http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix4/nighthawkrichmond.htm