WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Rogue Sun #1, available now from Image Comics.
The world of Radiant Black has always been brimming with high-flying heroes and menacing villains, though few if any have stood as tall as Rogue Sun. Unfortunately, the blazing hero that this world knows best is no longer a part of it, though that doesn’t mean Rogue Sun is gone entirely. In fact, that mantle has just been passed on to the original Rogue Sun’s own son. And, with any luck, he will figure out how to be a superhero before he follows in his father’s tragic footsteps.
Marcus Bell, aka Rogue Sun, has left an indelible impact on the world, especially young hero Radiant Black, and his hometown of New Orleans. In the pages of Rogue Sun #1 (by Ryan Parrott, Abel, Chris O’Halloran, and Becca Carey), the flaming hero found himself locked in vicious combat with a mysterious new enemy. Unfortunately, this enigmatic villain knew all about Marcus’ powers, and how to strip him of them. In an instant, Marcus’ story came to its brutal end, and the Sun Stone which fueled his powers was soon enough inherited by the son he left behind, Dylan. As much as it seems like taking up the mantle of Rogue Sun will be Dylan and his mother’s ticket out of financial hardship, the budding young hero struggled to hold his own against even the most basic of his father’s old enemies. Not only that, but Marcus isn’t nearly as far gone as Dylan had suspected, which he learned in shocking fashion when his father appears in the aftermath of the battle only to tell Dylan how much of an embarrassment he really is.
Marcus Bell might be deceased, but that doesn’t mean he is entirely dead. At least, his consciousness isn’t quite gone, even if Marcus won’t be helping Dylan off the ground anytime soon. Much in the way Marshall, the current Radiant Black discovered Nathan Burnett’s consciousness within the depths of his Radiant after taking up the mantle, it seems as though Marcus is still somewhere within the Sun Stone itself. The powers of Rogue Sun might not be the same as those of the Radiants, yet it is clear that they exist in very much the same space in terms of what they are capable of. In fact, Dylan’s journey towards becoming a proper hero in his own right may follow Marshall’s own path in some truly unnerving ways.
When Marshall first took on the title of Radiant Black, he was faced with the same harsh learning curve that Nathan had been. Thankfully, Marshall was able to connect with both Nathan and the massive robot that inhabits the Radiant as he figured out his new powers. In the time since then, Marshall has come into his own as a superhero. He has also unlocked some truly amazing abilities that Nathan never got the chance to wield. As hard as it is to imagine that Dylan will ever push his own powers beyond what his father had mastered, the young hero has also found the kind of guiding hand that Marcus wasn’t given.
Marcus, or the facsimile of him that exists within the Sun Stone, is hardly the loving father that Dylan always needed, but his appearance does promise he will become a major part of Dylan’s new life as a hero. Hopefully, this version of Marcus will also provide Dylan some context as to why their family fell apart, if not any real sense of closure. Then again, with interdimensional and cosmic threats becoming all the more present on Earth, there may not be time for meaningful reconciliations in between preparing for the battles to come. If nothing else, Marcus will at least be able to impart upon his son the importance of knowing what he is up against. Considering how things went for his predecessor the last time Marcus was in action, there likely isn’t any lesson more meaningful.
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