Summary
The latest incarnation of theAvengersareabout to fight Hyperion, the Marvel Multiverse’s evil equivalent of Superman, but luckily, they have a secret weapon: the X-Men’sStorm. With the Omega-level weather controller joining the roster of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Hyperion may find that he’s bitten off slightly more than he can chew.
David Marquez’s new variant cover forAvengers#18 teases the all-out brawl between Hyperion and the Avengers’ newest member, Storm.
Variant Covers:
David Marquez
STORM VS. HYPERION FOR THE FATE OF THE PLANET IN AVENGERS #18! After joining the team in next month’s AVENGERS #17, Storm must prove herself Earth’s Mightiest Mutant by defending the planet from the all-powerful HYPERION in AVENGERS #18!
After officially joining the team inAvengers#17, Storm will immediately jump into the spotlight, as she isone of the few character’s powerful enoughto go up against Hyperion, who essentially has the power-set of DC’s Superman. David Marquez’s cover forAvengers#18 shows her up for that exact task, depicting the two taking their fight into orbit above Earth.
Who is Hyperion? Marvel’s Version of Superman Explained
Hyperion is Marvel’s version of Superman, an Eternal with roots in the Silver Age - and almost as many retcons as the Man of Steel himself.
X-Men’s STORM Joins The Avengers In Time To Take On HYPERION
Avengers (2023)#17 – Written By Jed MacKay; Art By Valerio Schiti; Color By Federico Blee; Lettering By VC’s Cory Petit
Battling Hyperion gives Storm the opportunity to step right into her new role as the mutant powerhouse of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
The original Hyperion first appeared as an Avengers villain inAvengers vol 1 #69(by Roy Thomas, Sal Buscema, and Sam Grainger). Designed as a parody of Superman, the character is most famous as a member of the Squadron Supreme, the authoritarian superteam of Earth-712, aka Earth-S. Since then, multiple different Hyperions have appeared, from theheroic Hyperion of Jonathan Hickman’sAvengersto thedespotic King Hyperion who fought theExiles, though interestingly there’s no mainstream Earth-616 version of the character.
Storm
In other words, the appearance of Hyperion as the latest antagonist of the Avengers is a curious new turn for the character, one that can be expected to have larger implications moving forward. That said, in the very short term, battling Hyperion gives Storm the opportunity to step right into her new role asthe mutant powerhouse of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. In turn, this also raises the question ofhow Storm’s membership in the Avengers will reflect theX-franchise’s new status quo.
Fighting Marvel’s Superman-Analogue Is A Great First Test For Storm’s Avengers Tenure
How It Will Impact X-Men’s New Era Is A Major Question
Storm’s presence on the Avengers could be a boon for mutants, but it’s far from a guarantee.
It will be fascinating to see how Storm’s presence on the Avengers affects the larger perception of mutants in the Marvel Universe, especially if she’s going to be saving the world very publicly. This version of the Avengers is more sympathetic to the X-Men than some prior teams, having fought anti-mutant coalition Orchis inAvengers (2023)#12-13, but the previews coming out of the X-Men’s latest status quo,From the Ashes, suggest that this still isn’t a good time for mutants. Storm’s presence on the Avengers could be a boon for mutants, but it’s far from a guarantee.
While it will be interesting to find out Storm’s presence on the Avengers improve human/mutant relations, especially after her fight with Hyperion, it would be even more interesting if it didn’t do anything.So manyX-Menstorieshave shown that the X-Men’s attempts to appease, and appeal to, the general public just don’t work, because some people never want to hear it. It might be cynical. though realistic,ifStorm’sheroicAvengersbattle against Hyperion saved the world from the Superman analogue, but ultimately did little for her public standing, or that of mutants.
