Warning: SPOILERS for Avengers #18
When Marvel decided to introduce their own version of DC’s Justice League, it was clear that humor was the top priority. But now that Marvel’s version of Superman, Batman, Flash and the rest have shown where their national loyalty lies… they’re turning their back on Canada, left to fend for itself.
It may just be the most unexpectedly bleak and troubling twist in Marvel’s War of the Realms–and when your event begins with Loki being eaten alive, that’s really saying something. While this isn’t the first time that Marvel has thrown shade at DC Comics, it may be the only time that America’s northern neighbor bears the brunt of the assault–and in hindsight, it makes sense that Agent Coulson is working for the Devil. Honestly, who else would be capable of throwing Canada to the wolves?
The bulk of Avengers #18 follows the Squadron through their origin and first official deployment, demonstrating what a truly murderous Justice League would actually look like. While killing, disintegrating, dismembering, and obliterating towering Frost Giants from Washington, D.C. northward, the Squadron work their way to regrouping on the Pennsylvania shore of Lake Erie. Their herding works spectacularly, driving the Frost Giants into the body of water with the threat of murder at their backs. Of course, the Frost Giants are tall enough to not just walk into the lake, but through it. But coming out on the other side isn’t technically a problem that the Squadron Supreme of America have to worry about…
![The Justice League Hates Canada in Marvel’s Universe](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Squadron-Supreme-Canada-in-Marvel-Comic.jpg)
As devastating as the scene will be for fans of the Squadron Supreme or Avengers who actually reside on the other side of Lake Erie, it may be Superman himself being wounded most ruthlessly. After all, Superman’s co-creator Joe Shuster was born in Toronto, Ontario before moving to Cleveland and meeting Joel Siegel. The Avengers series has yet to make direct reference to that fact beyond this tossing of Frost Giants across the border, but that could still change in the future. (Fun fact: Joe Shuster’s birthplace is actually paid tribute in the form of an Ontario Easter Egg in Batman v Superman.)
Fans may also take issue with ‘The Blur’ referring to Canada’s greatest heroes as “a Bigfoot and a littler Bigfoot, I think.” The first nod is a reference to the Canadian superhero team Alpha Flight, and their famous mascot Sasquatch (a.k.a. Walter Langkowski). We’ll leave it to the readers to decide if “a littler Bigfoot” is meant to refer to the incredibly tough and hairy Puck, or a clueless reference to Wolverine himself. Either way, we expect that the Canadian heroes forced to defend Ontario from Frost Giants will have a bone to pick with the Squadron sooner, rather than later.
Avengers #18 is available now at your local comic book store, or direct from Marvel Comics.