WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for “The Pageant of the Masters of Nocturnal Artistry” by Jason Aaron, R.M. Guera, Giulia Brusco and VC’s Cory Petit, from the pages of Heroes Reborn #5, on sale now.
When Earth’s Mightiest Heroes were replaced by the Squadron Supreme in the world of Heroes Reborn, it didn’t just create a Marvel Universe devoid of many of its most iconic characters. For every classic storyline that fans know and love, some drastic change was created by the butterfly effect of the Avengers’ complete absence. One of these shocking alterations came in the form of Peter Parker, who was never bitten by a radioactive spider in his youth. A world without Spider-Man doesn’t mean a world without his tormentors though, and so it seems that all of Peter Parker’s most famous tragedies have instead fallen on the shoulders of the Squadron Supreme’s own Nighthawk.
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While quelling a riot that has broken out at the Ravencroft Institute, Nighthawk comes across almost every supervillain and madman that he has put there over the years. Among them is this world’s version of Johann Schmidt who has bonded with the Venom symbiote, becoming the Black Skull. Venom isn’t interested in staying put, however, and upon seeing Nighthawk, the symbiote begins peeling itself away from the Red Skull in an effort to return to its favorite host. Much like its first appearance in the primary Marvel Universe during 1984’s Amazing Spider-Man #252 by Tom DeFalco, Roger Stern and Ron Frenz, the Venom symbiote premiered in this reality as an alien suit. Instead of attaching itself to Peter Parker, as there never was a Spider-Man in this reality, it was Nighthawk who brought the symbiote back with him from an interstellar adventure. Presumably caused by the lack of Spider-Man’s existence, Venom never found Eddie Brock either, leaving it with the sort of deep bond that those two have established in the main timeline to instead form between Venom and Nighthawk. Unfortunately for the symbiote, those feelings only go one way.
After making his way past the Black Skull and Deadpool, Nighthawk is finally confronted with the orchestrator of this horror show. Standing on a ledge above him and clutching the innocent Doctor Gwen Stacy is the Green Goblin, he threatens to recreate another of Spider-Man’s worst days. 1973’s Amazing Spider-Man #121 by Gerry Conway and Gil Kane saw the tragic death of Gwen Stacy at the Green Goblin’s hands. Taken captive by the Goblin as a means of luring Spider-Man into a trap, Gwen was thrown from high atop the George Washington Bridge by the villain. When Spider-Man caught her with his webbing, the sudden jolt broke the unconscious Gwen’s neck in what has become one of the most memorable and shocking moments in comic book history. The reality of Heroes Reborn has a far different take on this piece of history, though, and in Gwen’s place all those years ago is Nighthawk’s longtime partner, Sam Wilson, aka the Falcon. Once again, Green Goblin drops his victim from the top of a bridge, this time the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, and Sam Wilson loses his life in the process.
Heroes Reborn has proven itself to be a far darker version of the Marvel Universe than many readers might have expected, but the ways it has reframed many iconic Marvel moments drives home just how twisted this new reality. More than the absence of the Avengers and any mash-ups of popular characters, there is a sadism that runs through this timeline and has corrupted almost every single aspect of it. Nighthawk isn’t just this world’s Batman or Spider-Man, he is likely also its most tragic figure. The traumas he has lived through have only further instilled in him that same sort of corruption. There is no question that this is all part of Mephisto’s grand scheme for this version of reality, and with any luck, it won’t stay this way much longer.
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