Meet Hyperion, the Superhuman Powerhouse from Another Universe

With the supreme power at his disposal, Hyperion could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Avengers as one of the mightiest heroes in the Marvel Universe. While he lived up to that noble potential in some worlds, most of Hyperion’s variants followed darker paths throughout the Multiverse. In most worlds, Hyperion’s legacy with the Squadron Supreme is that of a superhuman killer or a world-destroying threat.

Just as Hyperion hurtles through space to shatter the Earth in AVENGERS (2023) #18 by Jed MacKay and Valerio Schiti, let's peer through the Multiverse to break down the history between these Hyperion variants and the Avengers.

WHO IS HYPERION?

Since his debut in AVENGERS (1963) #69 by Roy Thomas and Sal Buscema, Hyperion has remained relatively consistent across the Multiverse. In many universes, Hyperion hails from a doomed planet of Eternals but grew up on Earth, where he learned to use his powers for good. His alien name is traditionally Zhib-Ran but he usually goes by Mark or Marcus Milton on Earth. Hyperion typically serves on some version of the Squadron Supreme alongside teammates like Nighthawk, Power Princess, and Doctor Spectrum.

In all his forms, Hyperion possesses several superhuman abilities due to his body absorbing cosmic or solar radiation in a process similar to nuclear fission. To reflect these radioactive powers, his costume frequently features a logo based on an atom or a radiation symbol. 

Like the Sentry and Blue Marvel, Hyperion has Hulk-level super-strength, flies at superhuman speeds, and generates optic blasts of searing-hot “atomic vision.” In addition to his genius-level intellect, Hyperion is invulnerable enough to withstand hits from Thor, and his healing factor makes him functionally immortal. However, rare substances like argonite or Vibranium severely weaken Hyperion.

HYPERION AND THE SQUADRON SINISTER

The Avengers first met Hyperion as a member of the Squadron Sinister, a group of villains created by the Grandmaster to fight Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Inspired by the Hyperion of another universe, the Grandmaster used cosmic matter to construct Hyperion and gave him fake memories of being an explorer from the Microverse planet, Yttrium. Believing Earth responsible for his homeworld’s destruction, Hyperion served as one of the Grandmaster’s fighters in a contest against Kang, who manipulated the Avengers into fighting for him.

During a fight with Thor, the God of Thunder shrank Hyperion down and trapped him in a glass globe. Once he escaped, Hyperion and his Squadron Sinister teammates fought the Defenders and the Avengers. After falling into an interdimensional void, Hyperion emerged in a universe where the Squadron Supreme ruled, and that world’s Hyperion ultimately killed him. However, the Grandmaster restored this Hyperion a few times to take part in more of his schemes.

HYPERION AND THE SQUADRON SUPREME

Before he took over the United States with the Squadron Supreme, the Hyperion of Earth-712 was his world’s greatest hero. In his debut appearance, this heroic Hyperion teamed up with the Avengers of the Marvel Universe to take on the villainous Brainchild in AVENGERS (1963) #85 by Roy Thomas and John Buscema. However, this Hyperion and his allies fell under the control of the villains Over-Mind and Null the Living Darkness, who forced them to terrorize their world.

Once free, Hyperion and his team took over the world to try stabilize their society in SQUADRON SUPREME (1985) #1 by Mark Gruenwald and Bob Hall. Despite the deep reservations of his friend and teammate Nighthawk, Hyperion tried to forcibly turn their world into a Utopia through drastic measures such as brainwashing their old enemies. Only Nighthawk’s death convinced Hyperion to give up power.

After the death of his friend, Hyperion spent some time in the main Marvel Universe working with Project Pegasus, where he encountered the reality-hopping heroes of the Exiles. He eventually returned to his home universe only, for it to collapse and for him to perish alongside it.

KING HYPERION

After killing Galactus and countless heroes, the Hyperion of Earth-4023 took over his world and declared himself its God-Emperor, as witnessed in EXILES (2001) #38 by Chuck Austen and Jim Calafiore. When a nuclear attack targeting him destroyed his world, King Hyperion joined a team of reality-hopping heroes called Weapon X. However, instead of saving alternate realities, King Hyperion conquered them, prompting the Exiles, alongside two heroic Hyperion variants, to imprison him on his dead world.

King Hyperion did not enjoy captivity and he found his way to the main Marvel Universe in AGE OF HEROES (2010) #3 by Kevin Grevioux and M.C. Wyman. Blue Marvel defeated King Hyperion, holding him in the superhuman prison, the Raft. 

Needing extra firepower, the Thunderbolts then drafted King Hyperion to help the team of semi-reformed villains battle giant monsters. When he attacked his teammates, the Thunderbolts activated nanites that sent argonite radiation coursing through his body, weakening him. The Juggernaut, Moonstone, and Man-Thing seemingly killed the tyrant.

SUPREME POWER

On Earth-31916, Hyperion grew up in a government facility that secretly trained and studied him through the illusion of an idyllic childhood. Despite his frustrations over his upbringing, Hyperion operated as a secret government agent on behalf of the Squadron Supreme. This government-sponsored group publicly carried out heroic acts, but also executed secret operations starting in SQUADRON SUPREME (2008) #1 by J. Michael Straczynski and Gary Frank.

Believing they were under threat, Hyperion and his Squadron Supreme launched an attack on the 1610 Ultimate Marvel Universe in ULTIMATE POWER (2006) #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Greg Land. The battle moved to the Squadron’s world, where the Ultimate Universe Nick Fury temporarily stayed to form a rival Squadron Supreme to Hyperion’s team. 

However, Nick Fury’s team did not deliver the final blow. A band of reality-traversing villains called the Cabal killed Hyperion and the rest of this world’s heroes. They destroyed this reality in an attempt to save the Multiverse from collapsing on itself in the lead-up to SECRET WARS (2015).

HYPERION JOINS THE AVENGERS

After the destruction of his reality during the collapse of the Multiverse in the lead up to SECRET WARS (2015), the heroic Hyperion of Earth-13034 ended up in the main Marvel Universe, where he joined the Avengers in Jonathan Hickman and Jerome Opena’s AVENGERS (2012) #1. During his time on the team, Hyperion grew particularly close with Thor, mentoring the Children of the Sun in the Savage Land with this teammate and friend. Hyperion died alongside Thor while fighting the Beyonders shortly before the final Multiversal incursion wiped the main Marvel Universe from existence.

After SECRET WARS (2015), the rebirth of the Multiverse restored Hyperion. He joined the survivors of several other dead realities to form a violent new Squadron Supreme in SQUADRON SUPREME (2015) #1 by James Robinson and Leonard Kirk. This Squadron faced threats like Namor, traveled to Weirdworld, and took on the superhuman Children of Liberty.

Hyperion struggled to reconcile his morality with the lethal Squadron Supreme, then faded into the background of the Marvel Universe after helping the Avengers take down Captain America’s evil counterpart. In his civilian life, Hyperion worked as a truck driver.

MEPHISTO’S SQUADRON SUPREME

Once one of the Avengers’ biggest fans, former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson grew to hate the heroes after his death and resurrection. In AVENGERS (2018) #10 by Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness, he worked with Mephisto to create a new Hyperion that served their interests.

As a member of the Squadron Supreme of America, this Hyperion and his allies answered directly to the American government and a shadowy group of leaders called the Power Elite. This iteration of the Squadron Supreme was designed to be a nationalist answer to the Avengers, who took a more global focus under the leadership of Black Panther.

Hyperion and his team led many battles, including one against Namor and his Defenders of the Deep when the Sub-Mariner declared war on the surface world. Despite being considered to wield the Phoenix Force, Hyperion rejected its cosmic power when he realized how much it would expand his mind.

HEROES REBORN

Agent Coulson sold his soul to Mephisto and used the reality-warping Pandemonium Cube to erase the Avengers from history. Rewriting reality, he turned Hyperion and the Squadron Supreme of America into Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in HEROES REBORN (2021) #1 by Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness.
 
In this new reality, Galactus destroyed Hyperion’s homeworld, resulting in him honing his powers as a teenager with the Shi’ar Imperial Guard. Blade realized the world changed and assembled the Avengers of this reality to defeat Hyperion and his allies.

With the Marvel Universe restored, the Mephisto-created Hyperion absorbed the memories of his counterpart from the HEROES REBORN reality. Confused by his conflicting memories and Coulson’s mental conditioning, Hyperion turned to the Red Widow for help, but her efforts to undo his mental conditioning only made him worse.

Unsure which parts of his life are real, Hyperion feels desperate, lost, and purposeless. Now, he threatens to end his life by colliding with the Earth, shattering the planet in the process.

Will the Avengers and their Impossible City stop Hyperion in time? Find out in AVENGERS (2023) #18, available now!

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