Potential spoilers for Heroes Reborn below.
The Marvel Comics Universe is about to change significantly, as the universe will soon shift into one without the Avengers – and the Squadron Supreme taking their place. While little details have been revealed on how this change might be possible, it seems likely that Mephisto and Agent Coulson are responsible – and here’s why.
In the comics, Agent Phil Coulson was killed after Deadpool was tricked by Hydra Captain America. He was later resurrected by the devil, Mephisto, who made the longtime Avengers’ ally his own personal pawn. In the current Marvel timeline, Coulson is in charge of the Squadron Supreme – Marvel’s pastiche of the Justice League who are insanely powerful. With Mephisto pulling the strings, Coulson has veered towards villainy. In the upcoming Heroes Reborn universe by Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness, where the Avengers never formed, Coulson has an even more prominent role as he’s running for President of the United States, while the Squadron Supreme is Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. At first glance, this all seems to be the work of Mephisto.
It seems Marvel’s Heroes Reborn universe, which features multiple changes such as Captain America never be unfrozen from ice, Iron Man never getting trapped in a cave, and a remix of familiar characters into all-new heroes, will be created by Mephisto. Currently, Mephisto is in control of Coulson – and in turn, the Squadron Supreme. Creating a reality where they are the most powerful (both politically and power-wise) would allow Mephisto to rule completely, as it could all just be one big Chess game for Marvel’s devil.
It also seems likely that is reality is created as a result of whatever happens in the current Phoenix Force tournament. Perhaps, Mephisto gets a hold of whoever wins the tourney and uses the Force’s powers to help change reality into one where he has complete control. In this scenario, Coulson would continue to be a pawn for Mephisto – with the Squadron Supreme being his own personal Avengers-esque team. Marvel released a series of trading card variants recently, where on one of them you can see the leg of someone who matches Mephisto perfectly.
It seems as though Mephisto is about to take control of the Marvel Universe and reshape it to his own will. Can the heroes and Agent Coulson snap out of the haze and remember where they originally come from before it’s too late? What’s clear is that somebody is pulling the strings, and all signs point to Mephisto. Readers will find out more when Heroes Reborn #1 hits stores in May 2021.
