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Update: Marvel has released a slew of Luca Pizzari's character designs for the roster of Heroes Reborn 2021 one-shot Squadron Savage, including designs for Elektra, Cloak (whose partner Dagger is absent in the story so far), Crossbones, and of course brand new character Murder Hornet, whose design sheet describes her as "a very 2020 villain."
(Given it's now 2021, the "2020" assumedly points to when the character was designed/when the invasion of so-called 'Murder Hornets', properly named Giant Asian Hornets, was in the news).
Here's the gallery of designs - and of course more information on the Squadron Savage title and other Heroes Reborn 2021 one-shots follows.
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Original story follows:
Hot on the heels of revealing Luke Cage's place in Marvel's 2021 summer event Heroes Reborn, which revives the branding of its 1996 event, the crossover's second month is expanding with the announcement of three new Heroes Reborn one-shots scheduled for release in June.
First up, there's Squadron Savage, a team book from writer Ethan Sacks and artist Luca Pizzari which focuses on a black-ops hit squad taking care of the work that's too dirty even for the Squadron Supreme – with a roster that includes characters such as Crossbones who are about as far from heroic in the mainstream Marvel Universe as it gets.
"The twisted canvas that Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness created for 'Heroes Reborn' gave our team a rich opportunity to explore one of the shadowy corners of that world where the Squadron Supreme are keeping the peace," Sacks tells ComicBook, who announced Squadron Savage #1.
"We wanted to explore the type of 'heroes' that would be needed to defend that world's existence from threats that require a more savage solution than Hyperion could stomach. How do they live with the killing that they do?
"And there's nobody you'd want to paint our corner of the big canvas than artist Luca Pizzari, who makes an epic that much more epic!" Sacks concludes.
The solicitation for Squadron Savage spells out the team's full roster, including a brand new character going by the ominous codename of Murder Hornet.
"Elektra leads a team of the world's deadliest heroes and villains – with all of reality hanging in the balance! There are some threats that require a more savage approach than the Squadron Supreme of America can offer," the solicitation reads.
"For those missions, the Department of Defense has put together a team consisting of Elektra, the Punisher, Crossbones, Cloak, and the enigmatic Murder Hornet," it continues. "They must fight their way through a team of super-powered terrorists known as the Redeemers—if they don't kill one another first! Prepare for twists, turns, double-crosses, and action aplenty!"
Then there's Weapon X and Final Flight #1 from writer Ed Brisson and artist Roland Boschi, which follows the Heroes Reborn version of Wolverine as he leads the only remaining members of Alpha Flight in seeking revenge on their enemies, the Squadron Supreme of America.
"After a battle between the two, Canada is left in ruins. Alpha Flight's roster has been decimated and millions of Canadians killed," Brisson tells AiPT, who announced Weapon X and Final Flight.
"Logan here is much like the Logan we all know and love. He's the best at what he does and what he does in this book is seeking revenge. The Squadron has killed everyone Logan cares about and he's not about to let it lie," Brisson continues.
"This book has been a great deal of fun to work on. I get to play around in the moral grey area of superhero battles and their fallout and don't think folks are prepared for what we have in store for them."
The official solicitation for Weapon X and Final Flight sheds some more light on the tension between Canada and the Squadron Supreme, describing the Squadron devastating and essentially conquering Canada.
"In a world without the Avengers, the Squadron Supreme protects and defends the interests of America! But where does that leave a country like Canada?" reads the solicitation. "The Great White North is now a wasteland. Their forests are scorched. Their provinces annexed. Their people barely surviving. Who will stand up and protect them from the supremacy of the Squadron? Weapon X and Final Flight, that's who!"
And finally, there's Heroes Reborn: Marvel Double Action #1 from writer Tim Seeley and artist Dan Jurgens, which pays homage to the classic story Amazing Spider-Man: The Night Gwen Stacy Died, replacing Spider-Man with Nighthawk of the Squadron Supreme and Gwen Stacy with his sidekick Sam Wilson/Falcon, who is murdered by the Green Goblin in the timeline of Heroes Reborn 2021.
"I grew up on the Squadron Supreme maxi-series Marvel put out in the '80s. It was my Watchmen before I was old enough to read Watchmen," Seeley tells CBR, who announced Heroes Reborn: Marvel Double Action #1. "What Jason has created here takes a lot of those themes and updates them for 2021, while reaching back and creating new stories out of Marvel history. I get to dive into the 1970s with Dan Jurgens and tell a new/old tale of Nighthawk that I think will shock and wow fans."
Interestingly, Sam Wilson's replacement as Falcon in the new Heroes Reborn universe has already been revealed, with Miles Morales taking the role as part of the Young Squadron one-shot.
"A tale from the Squadron's past! Years ago, Nighthawk and his trusted partner, the Falcon, patrolled the streets of Washington, DC, from the vile criminals that lurked in the dark," reads the official solicitation, which takes the interesting tactic of framing the story itself as a 'reprint' of a classic story from the continuity of Heroes Reborn 2021. "But that all changed one fateful night… Re-presenting for the first time ever: the Night Sam Wilson died!"
All three one-shots are due out in June. Watch for Marvel's full June 2021 solicitations later this month on Newsarama.
The original Heroes Reborn was one of the most impactful Marvel Comics events of all time.
