Marvel heroHyperionhas long been seen as a pale imitation of DC’sSuperman, but his latest upgrade makes him even more powerful than the Man of Steel.Leader of the Squadron Supreme, Hyperion debuted in 1969 as a way for Marvel to pit heroes like the Avengers against DC heroes without running into copyright issues. Unlike the Kryptonian Superman, Hyperion is an Eternal with origins on Earth, and yet it’s actually an alien upgrade that just made him so powerful.
InVenomverse Reborn #4, fans get to see Hyperion’s horrifying power-up. In the story,Marvel’s Batman pastiche Nighthawktakes on Hyperion in a parody of ‘Batman vs Superman’ stories. Nighthawk quickly reveals that he’s used his vast fortune to collect a symbiote from deep space, using it to augment his powers.While Hyperion fights as hard as he can, he’s eventually infected by the symbiote, joining the rest of the Squadron Supreme in their symbiote hivemind and declaring,“We are all Venom! We are legion!”
The issue promises to introduce the most powerful version of Venom in the entire multiverse, and a hivemind Justice League definitely fits the bill. Hyperion is the last member of the Squadron that Nighthawk venomizes, with their symbiote gestalt already including the superspeed of Blur, the immense strength of Warrior Woman, and the energy constructs of Doctor Spectrum. What’s more, their symbiote connection creates perfect unity among the former heroes.
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.
Marvel’s Justice League Unite Thanks to an Ultra-Powerful Venom
Even Hyperion Can’t Fight Off This Version of the Symbiote
Venomverse Rebornhas been sharing various realities in the Marvel multiverse where symbiotes exist, with issue 4 focusing on themost powerful versions of Venom. Narrator Eddie Brock contrasts two types of power - that of a Wakandan leader who bonds with the Venom symbiote, and the raw physical might of Nighthawk’s Squadron Supreme.Having bonded with Venom, each of the Squadron gets a haunting symbiote redesign, with Hyperion getting a black and white version of his costume, complete with Venom’s intimidating teeth.
Hyperion is immensely powerful, and at his height he’s been able to kill the Hulk with his heat vision andblast through Galactus' headthanks to his speed and strength. However, because he’s generally treated as a parody character and shown in a negative light, Marvel doesn’t usually truly try to match Superman’s immense feats. In this case, however,Hyperion definitely outstrips the hero who inspired him.
Thor & Hyperion’s Final Battle Reveals Marvel’s Stronger Hero
Thor and Hyperion faced off in an epic final battle between two of Marvel’s strongest heroes, with the winner’s reality on the line.
The Venom symbiote’s potential to bind multiple hosts together creates a version of the Squadron Supreme who are perfectly in sync - Superman might still be capable of taking down the Venomized Hyperion, but not the entire Venomized Squadron Supreme working in concert. Fans knew it would take something truly special tomake this version of Venom the strongest in the entire multiverse, but Nighthawk uniting a Venomized Squadron fits the bill.
As the Venom Hyperion unlocks immense power, the mainstream Hyperion is also being recognized as a godlike being.
Marvel Is Done Downplaying Hyperion’s Power
Marvel’s Mainstream Incarnation Is Capable of Destroying the Planet
Hyperion recently appeared in one of his most ambitious stories in Marvel history - the event comicHeroes Rebornfrom Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness. In that story, Mephisto rewrote Marvel’s timeline, turning the Squadron Supreme into Earth’s premier heroes. Once reality was corrected, Hyperion was bereft, remembering a world where he was adored for his power and heroism, but never able to return.Avengers #18from Jed MacKay and Valerio Schiti saw Hyperion return, flying towards Earth at immense speed with the intention of cracking the planet in two.
Ultimately, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes realized that Hyperion was trying to force them to kill him, since he could no longer face a world where he wasn’t needed. In a potentially short-sighted move, the Avengers insteadteleported Hyperion to a worldravaged by multiversal villains where all the superheroes had been killed,giving him a world to call his own. It was an impressive story that finally treated Hyperion as a Superman-level hero capable of destroying an entire world, but also one with dark potential.
Turning these two versions of Hyperion into enemies could give both a new life in Marvel canon.
Juggernaut vs Hyperion: Who’s Stronger in Marvel Comics
Hyperion is Marvel’s deadly equivalent to Superman, while Juggernaut’s magic momentum is literally unstoppable, making for an earth-shaking match-up.
These Two Versions of Hyperion Could Be a Match Made in Heaven
Marvel Has a Long Tradition of Hyperion vs Hyperion Rivalries
Hyperion’s most iconic story - 1985’sSquadron Supremeby Mark Gruenwald and Bob Hall - is specifically about a well-meaning Hyperion becoming a dictator after attempting to take control of a world ravaged by disaster. The Avengers unleashing Hyperion on a world in similar disarraycouldgive this world a hero… or it could give it a superpowered dictator. This theme has appeared in many Hyperion stories, with evenVenomverse Reborn’s version essentially becoming an invasive force within his own reality as the symbiote attempts to spread.
Marvel has multiple versions of Hyperion from different realities, and they fighta lot, in everything from 1985’sSquadron Supremeto 2001’sExiles. Their fights tend to follow the logic that the only person who can defeat Hyperion is another Hyperion.
Characters from the Venomverse have already received their own series thanks tothe Manga-inspired Kid Venom, and hopefully the Venomized Hyperion will return, especially given he now (collectively with the Squadron Supreme) has the title of the multiverse’s most powerful Venom. Indeed,his team would make pretty great villains for the mainstream Hyperionwho just took responsibility for an entire world. Hopefully, Marvel’s writers and artists see the potential, because it would be a shame forHyperionto disappear just as Marvel is finally treating him as a trueSupermanstand-in.
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Superman
The icon who launched the entire world of superheroes, the last son of Krypton escaped his dying world to crash land on Earth and be raised as Clark Kent. The world knows him better as Superman, the Man of Steel, the leader of the Justice League, and the most well-known hero in the DC Comics Universe. Blessed with the powers of a demigod, Kal-El of Krypton fights enemies both small and cosmic in his endless pursuit of truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.
