▲ 20 r/SquadronSupreme
Project 712: New Update
Here's a massive update to all of the character profiles I illustrated and wrote showcasing and highlighting the Squadron Supreme.
u/WittyOnion8831 — 13 days ago
Project 712: Fan Art Update
This is the next batch of characters I've done for Project 712 celebrating the legacy of Mark Gruenwald. I started sharing these on Bluesky on 8/12 and will keep sharing them through 8/12.
Thank you for letting me share them here.
u/WittyOnion8831 — 25 days ago
Fan Art: Squadron Supreme Toy Packaging
Not sure I'll take this much further than this, but I figure the action figures that young Scotty Gaines collected (in Squadron Supreme #3) had to come from somehwere...
u/WittyOnion8831 — 1 month ago
▲ 22 r/SquadronSupreme
Project 712
Over on my BlueSky, I have been sharing the Marvel Style handbook entries I have developed for the Squadron Supreme. Here are the first four.
u/WittyOnion8831 — 1 month ago
Happy Squadron Supreme Day!
For me, the Squadron Supreme has never been simply a collection of alternate-world analogues or a clever exercise in comic-book comparison. It is a story about power, responsibility, certainty, compromise, and the terrible distance between wanting to save the world and deciding that you alone know how it should be saved.
Mark Gruenwald understood that superhero stories could be intellectually rigorous without losing their sense of spectacle. He took a familiar set of archetypes and used them to examine politics, grief, idealism, authoritarianism, friendship, and moral failure. The result was not merely a darker superhero story. It was a deeply human one.
I discovered the Squadron at a formative age, alongside the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, and both helped shape the way I came to understand fictional worlds. Characters did not exist in isolation. They had histories, systems, relationships, consequences, and contradictions. Their worlds could be studied as carefully as they could be enjoyed.
That idea stayed with me. It influenced the comics I collected, the stories I wrote, the work I later did at Marvel, and ultimately the kind of writer I became.
So today, 7/12, I wanted to honor those characters, the creators who shaped them, and the readers who continue to return to Earth-712.
u/WittyOnion8831 — 1 month ago
Cameos & Other Squadron Pop-Up Experiences
The Squadron Supreme has made a handful of pop-up appearances outside their main stories. For this feature, I am noting cameos and pop-up appearances that add to their mythology and their part within the greater Marvel Universe. Their extended appearances in Quasar, Starblast, Exiles, and Avengers are not withstanding.
My first example includes Fantastic Four Unlimited #11. In that issue, Zarda tells Hyperion that she intends to investigate Atlantis for any possible connection to her homeland, Utopia Isle. Later, after Atlantis was raised to the surface, Power Princess noticed similarities between the city and Utopia Isle and immediately set out to determine whether there was a link between the Atlanteans and the Utopians.
As readers, we aren't sure if she found anything. In hindsight, she may have been better served looking toward the Inhumans, who, like the Utopians, had been genetically altered by the Kree
u/WittyOnion8831 — 2 months ago
Fan Art: America Eagle
AMERICAN EAGLE
Before the Squadron Supreme soared into the modern age, there was American Eagle.
A decorated World War II hero, James Dore Sr. fought for freedom alongside Power Princess and Professor Imam as a founding member of the legendary Golden Agency. Equipped with a remarkable pair of artificial wings of his own design, he became one of the war's greatest champions, striking from the skies with courage, precision, and unwavering patriotism.
Following the war, Dore retired from active heroics, married, and raised a son who would eventually carry on his legacy. After his death, James Dore Jr. donned his father's wings and continued the tradition, ensuring that the American Eagle would continue to soar.
Armed with specially engineered wings of his own invention, elite military training, and unmatched skill in aerial combat, American Eagle earned his place among the greatest heroes of his generation, leaving behind a legacy that endured long after his final flight.
It's worth noting that American Eagle's costume greatly resembles Steve Trevor's Patriot uniform:
u/WittyOnion8831 — 2 months ago
Kneel Before Grom: Thoughts on Overmind, Eternals, Zod, and Darkseid
https://i.redd.it/prkvpu876q9h1.gif
Hyperion and Overmind are both Eternals, yet it recently occurred to me that Hyperion never received a truly definitive analogue to General Zod. The more I considered it, the more I came to see Overmind, whose given name is Grom, as occupying that narrative space, albeit filtered through the lens of Darkseid.
Unlike most of Hyperion's adversaries, Grom shares his protagonist's origins. Both are Eternals: members of an ancient race whose civilizations predate humanity by millennia and whose abilities render them functionally godlike. That common ancestry immediately establishes the "one of my own people" dynamic that has long defined Superman's relationship with Zod. The conflict becomes more than hero versus villain; it becomes an argument over what their shared heritage ultimately signifies.
This connection also raises an intriguing continuity question that, to my knowledge, Marvel has never addressed. Since both Hyperion and Grom are Eternals, could they participate in a Uni-Mind together? The Uni-Mind represents the ultimate communal expression of Eternal society, a temporary fusion of consciousness into a collective intellect. The question becomes especially compelling in Grom's case, given that he is himself the product of a civilization whose surviving consciousnesses were consolidated into a single being. Is the Overmind simply another manifestation of the Eternal impulse toward collective identity, or has Grom's transformation rendered him fundamentally incompatible with the Uni-Mind? The distinction, for me, is philosophically fascinating.
Their ideological divergence is equally compelling. Hyperion generally regards extraordinary power as carrying a corresponding obligation to protect others, even if Mark Gruenwald deliberately complicates that ideal through the Squadron Supreme's Utopia Program. Grom reaches the opposite conclusion. To him, superiority does not impose responsibility; it confers legitimacy. "Those who possess the greatest power possess the greatest right to govern."
It is here, I think, that the comparison shifts from Zod toward Darkseid. Like Darkseid, Grom is less concerned with conquest as an end in itself than with the elimination of individual autonomy in favor of imposed order. His most significant victories are psychological rather than physical. When he subjugates the Squadron Supreme, he does not merely defeat them in combat; he negates their agency, replacing independent thought with absolute obedience.
Seen through this lens, Overmind functions as a hybrid archetype. He occupies the narrative role that General Zod serves for Superman: a member of the hero's own race whose interpretation of their shared legacy stands in direct opposition to the protagonist's.
At the same time, he embodies Darkseid's authoritarian philosophy that peace is achieved only through the abolition of free will. Read this way, Grom emerges not simply as one of Hyperion's most powerful opponents, but as his most profound ideological foil, a character whose existence invites fundamental questions about the responsibilities, and dangers, of godlike power.
What do you think?
u/WittyOnion8831 — 2 months ago
Fan Art: The Mink
Julie Steel had everything money could buy, but found life among the wealthy unbearably dull. Seeking excitement, she reinvented herself as the Mink, an agile cat burglar who stole for the thrill rather than the reward. Her daring robberies and uncanny ability to evade capture made her one of the world's most elusive criminals, bringing her into frequent conflict with the vigilante Nighthawk.
Although she possesses no superhuman powers, the Mink is an exceptional athlete with lightning-fast reflexes, world-class acrobatic skills, and extensive training in judo, much of it learned from Nighthawk himself. She complements her natural abilities with razor-sharp wrist-mounted claws and canisters of her trademark "Mink Stink," a powerful incapacitating gas that has helped her escape countless impossible situations.
A fun bit of trivia: Julie Steel's name is a wink to actress Julie Newmar, television's iconic Catwoman, while "Steel" is a play on the word "steal." Like Master Menace and Professor Imam, the Mink first caught my attention in Dragon Magazine.
u/WittyOnion8831 — 2 months ago
Fan Art: Brain-Child
BRAIN-CHILD
Born the mutant son of two radiation-exposed parents, Arnold Sutton possessed a superhuman intellect before he could walk. By age nine, he was serving as a scientist for the military. But while the world valued his genius, it feared his grotesquely enlarged brain and treated him as an outcast.
Bitter and isolated, the young prodigy turned against humanity. From his private island fortress, Brain-Child devised a plan to destroy the world by launching a rocket into the sun and triggering a catastrophic supernova.
In one of the Squadron Supreme's earliest battles, Brain-Child's scheme drew the attention of both the Squadron and the visiting Avengers. After overcoming his army of robots and scientific defenses, the heroes defeated the boy genius. Using the power of Doctor Spectrum's Prism, Brain-Child's memories and vast intellect were removed, restoring him to a normal child. The Squadron Supreme then gave Arnold the chance for something he had never known before: a normal life.
u/WittyOnion8831 — 2 months ago
Fan Art: Lamprey
LAMPREY
Donald McGuiggin was a career criminal and member of the Institute of Evil before becoming entangled in the Squadron Supreme's controversial Utopia Program. After being behavior-modified into joining the Squadron, Lamprey later regained his free will and joined Nighthawk's Redeemers.
Lamprey can absorb energy from living beings and machines, using it to enhance his own strength, speed, durability, and flight. He can also temporarily duplicate portions of a superhuman's powers, making him a dangerous and unpredictable opponent.
I went back and forth on the colors for him. I ultimately chose his color scheme from Parasite in Superman the Animated Series. I replaced the frilly gloves with shark-finned gloves. I may post the design outakes below, but of the Institute of Evil characters, I think he had some of the greatest moments, especially with Tom Thumb
u/WittyOnion8831 — 2 months ago
▲ 28 r/SquadronSupreme
Fan Art: The Shape
Little is known about Raleigh Lund’s early life or his history as the Shape before he joined the Institute of Evil. As a member of that criminal team, he repeatedly battled the Squadron Supreme.
After the Institute’s defeat, the Shape was subjected to the Squadron’s behavior-modification process and reformed. He later joined the Squadron, where his gentle nature helped him fit in surprisingly well. He formed a close bond with Arcanna and her children, and looked up to Ape X as a trusted friend and mentor.
The Shape possesses a highly malleable body. He can shift up to 80% of his mass from one part of his body to another, allowing him to stretch, elongate, flatten, or reshape himself at will. He can form hammer-like fists, trampoline-like surfaces, and other non-human shapes.
The Squadron's Shape appears to echo an earlier public-domain Charlton character of the same name and created by Roy Thomas, who debuted in Charlton Premiere in 1967. That Shape was an artificial lifeform created by Professor Scuba S. Duba through experiments involving “super hyperintensity white aura-light” and “ultra-ebonized light.” Like Raleigh Lund, he had a childlike mind and shape-changing powers, though his adventures were much stranger and more comedic in tone.
u/WittyOnion8831 — 2 months ago
Mod Help: Can We Do Respect Threads Here?
I think there's an opportunity to broaden the understadning of the Squadron my addressing some of the nuances of the Squadron and their feats.
u/WittyOnion8831 — 2 months ago
▲ 14 r/SquadronSupreme
Fan Art: Foxfire
For years, Olivia Underwood operated as the villainous Foxfire, using her destructive "Dryrot" energy powers as a member of the Institute of Evil. After her defeat by the Squadron Supreme, she was subjected to behavioral modification and became one of the team's allies. Foxfire can generate bio-illuminated energy that rapidly accelerates the decay of matter, allowing her to disintegrate objects ranging from small targets to entire buildings. Combined with her agility and street-fighting skills, her powers make her a formidable combatant.
I also made a version with full pants, but she looked way to much like a cross between 90s Storm, Elvis, and Lord Shazam! One of the things I love about the Institute of Evil is how incredibly 'punk rock' and 'new wave' their vibe is. You can see the Grace Jones style Max Max vibe that Storm was also rocking around the same time.
u/WittyOnion8831 — 2 months ago
▲ 25 r/SquadronSupreme
Fan Art: Inertia
Fan Art: Inertia
A mysterious kinetic-energy manipulator from Earth-712, Edith Freiberg infiltrated the Squadron Supreme as a double agent for Nighthawk's Redeemers.
Able to absorb and redirect tremendous amounts of momentum, Inertia turned even the power of heroes like Hyperion and the Whizzer against their allies. After helping end the Squadron's Utopia Program, she gave her life battling the cosmic threat known as the Nth Man, sacrificing herself to save her universe.
I always liked her, even though was got to spend very little time with her character.
u/WittyOnion8831 — 2 months ago
Squadron Supreme rpg
Earlier today, I ran my Squadron Supreme rpg. We had a spectacular time with the Squadron saying the day in the Days of Future Past setting. We had a lot of highlights, but watching them fighting Sentinels, goes toe-to-toe with Starbrand, Marvelwoman, and Nimrod.
It was a tremendous amount of fun
u/WittyOnion8831 — 2 months ago
▲ 3 r/Roll20
Script Help: @target in Token Mod doesn't work in Jumpgate
I moved my gamr and maps to Jump Gate, but token mod's target feature also affects the selected token. It's hard breaking because I have a game next week ... and it's frustrating.
u/WittyOnion8831 — 3 months ago
The Tower of Isolation
Continuing what is essentially Hyperion Week:
Squadron has had their share of headquarters... from their Mansion to Rocket Central to mountain HQ in Nothern Moreland, Squadron City and eventually Utopia Isle, but did you know that Hyperion had his own Fortess of Solitude based in the arctic?
What do you imagine that it looked like? For me, just to lean into his Eternal roots, I think it resembled Ship from X-Factor and was Kirby-Fourth World-like, but I'd love to hear what you think. Keeping in mind too that Superman's Fortress of Solitude is heavily-borrowed from Doc Savage's own Fortress of Solitude.
u/WittyOnion8831 — 3 months ago
Fan Art: Lonni Lattimer (Hyperion's Ex-Girlfriend)
Lonni Lattimer was a reporter for a growing newspaper in the shining city of Cosmopolis, New Troy. While working there, she met fellow staffer Mark Milton, a talented cartoonist who secretly lived a second life as the paranormal hero known as Hyperion.
The two gradually fell in love and began a relationship built on quiet trust, shared ambition, and the fragile hope of something normal in an increasingly unstable world. That hope was shattered when the Serpent Cartel seized control of Earth, twisting the Squadron Supreme into their personal enforcers. In time, Hyperion and Nighthawk turned against the Cartel alongside heroes from another reality and ultimately helped bring the regime down. Victory came at a terrible price. Their world was left politically fractured, economically devastated, and struggling to rebuild itself from the ashes.
In the aftermath, the Squadron Supreme began developing their controversial “Utopia Program,” a sweeping effort to reshape society through direct superhuman intervention. As part of the initiative, the team agreed to publicly reveal their secret identities to the world.
On the eve of that announcement, Hyperion visited Lonni in the middle of the night. He confessed that the life they dreamed of together could never truly exist. He admitted that he would never be able to have children with her and that he could no longer cling to the fantasy of an ordinary life. Heartbroken, Lonni tearfully asked him to leave.
Shortly afterward, Hyperion and the Squadron Supreme formally launched the Utopia Program, forever altering the course of their relationship and the world.
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* Fandom [Source] has her first appearance as Thor #280 in 1978, but we see her for the first time in Avengers #147 in 1976, with a friend who looks strangely like Lois Lane.
** She's had about three total appearances. I took the hair color from her first appearance in Avengers, the green color scheme from her Thor appearance, and the short hair from her exchange with Hyperion in Squadron Supreme #1, with a splash of Nancy Drew.
*** Part of me wants to believe she joined the Global Directorate or Blue Eagles, but... not confirmed, that's just speculation on my part
*** Lonni does appear as part of the Heroes Reborn storyline in Marvel Double Action as a brunnette, but that's not canon to 712.
u/WittyOnion8831 — 3 months ago
Nighthawk's Powers
For years, I thought Earth 712's Nighthawk didn't have powers, but in Avengers 86, while fighting Brain Child's Watchdog, he admits that his powers are greatest when the moon is out, which is shades of 616's Nighthawk to be sure.
u/WittyOnion8831 — 3 months ago