The Marvel Universe has no shortage of iconic superhero teams – the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and more. But believe it or not, Marvel Comics also has its own version of the Justice League, which features borderline carbon copies of DC’s most popular heroes, including Batman, whose Marvel equivalent goes by the name of Nighthawk.
The Origin of Nighthawk in Marvel Comics
Marvel’s iteration of the Justice League actually first debuted as a team of super-villains called the Squadron Sinister in Avengers #69, who were created by the Grandmaster as part of a feud between him and Kang the Conqueror. When Kang chooses the Avengers as his champions, the Grandmaster creates the Squadron Sinister to oppose them. The team consists of Hyperion, Doctor Spectrum, the Whizzer, and Nighthawk, who represent Superman, Green Lantern, the Flash, and Batman, respectively. After losing to the Avengers, the Grandmaster abandons the Squadron Sinister, but their days of terrorizing the Marvel Universe had only just begun.
Set adrift in the cosmos, the Squadron Sinister is eventually reunited by Nebulon, an alien in search of worlds to destroy and harvest for minerals. Hyperion leads Nebulon to Earth, where he and the other members of the Squadron will help him enact his plan of melting the polar ice caps, effectively flooding the entire planet. However, Nighthawk has reservations. Not wanting to see all those innocent people die, Nighthawk contacts the Defenders to help him foil Nebulon’s evil plot. They succeed, after which Nighthawk becomes a regular member of the team and part of the larger Marvel Universe. He plays a role in the famous Civil War storyline and even starred in his own mini-series called Nighthawk in 1998 by Jim Krueger, Richard Case, and Bob Wiacek, in which Nighthawk is tricked by Mephisto into killing Daredevil. The two are then transported to Hell, where Nighthawk manages to fight off Hell’s demons and revive Daredevil so the two can escape together.
It was later revealed that the Grandmaster actually modeled his villainous team on an existing team of superheroes from an alternate Earth called the Squadron Supreme. The Squadron Supreme features all the same characters as the Squadron Sinister, but as heroes instead of villains, making them even more similar to the Justice League. When some of the Avengers are transported to an alternate Earth and come face to face with the Squadron Supreme, they believe them to be the evil Squadron Sinister, and a fight ensues. However, the heroes all soon realize they are actually on the same side and wind up working together to get the Avengers home. Later on, Nighthawk runs for President as Kyle Richmond, his secret identity, and gets elected to office. Richmond briefly retires from hero work, believing he can do more good as President, but eventually rejoins the Squadron while still serving as Commander in Chief.
The Squadron Supreme may be a team of heroes, but even they aren’t immune to internal conflict. After an attack from the villain called Overmind devastates their planet, the Squadron Supreme decides to recreate the world as a utopia governed only by them. However, Nighthawk is against this plan, believing that it would essentially turn the Squadron into dictators. This creates a conflict between Nighthawk and Hyperion very reminiscent of DC’s Injustice series where Batman opposes Superman creating a regime to “protect” the Earth. The conflict eventually escalates into a full-on battle, during which Nighthawk is killed. Seeing his friend’s sacrifice causes Hyperion to have a change of heart and give control back to the government. Nighthawk’s mantle is subsequently taken up by Neal Richmond, Kyle’s adopted son.
The New Nighthawk in Marvel’s Universe
More recently, Kyle Richmond has appeared as part of the Squadron Supreme of America in Avengers #700, reimagined as an African American superhero. In this storyline, the team was brought together by Agent Phil Coulson to safeguard the United States after the Avengers go international. The team helped fight off Malekith’s invasion in the War of the Realms series, but their interests don’t always align with Marvel’s other heroes. Nighthawk even went up against Black Panther when T’Challa broke into the Pentagon to interrogate Coulson.
Nighthawk’s Powers & Abilities Explained
As mentioned earlier, Nighthawk was essentially created to be Marvel’s version of Batman, so it makes sense that the two have plenty in common. Both Bruce Wayne and Kyle Richmond are heirs to their family enterprises, making them the wealthiest members of their respective teams. Both are skilled athletes and martial artists who have a wide variety of gadgets they use to fight crime – usually at night. However, Nighthawk’s reasoning for operating in the nighttime is due to his special ability derived from a serum that enhances his strength, agility, and durability from dusk until dawn.
Despite a few subtle differences, the similarities between Batman and Nighthawk are undeniable. In fact, the Nighthawk of the main Marvel universe chooses a man named Joaquin Pennysworth as his successor, which is eerily similar to the name of Batman’s butler, Alfred Pennyworth. There was also a reference to a Nighthawk vs Hyperion movie in a Deadpool comic, clearly poking fun at Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. At this point, it wouldn’t be surprising if Nighthawk’s arch-enemy turns out to be a villainous clown called the Jokester. Still, it’s nice to see that Marvel has taken characters initially intended to be parodies of DC heroes and actually integrated them into the universe. Chances are we haven’t seen the last of Nighthawk or the Squadron Supreme just yet.
