History YMMV / SquadronSupreme

** The Squadron Sinister's Hyperion [[spoiler: murders Power Princess's husband to win her affection, and tricks her into believing she's her world's version of Hyperion, entering into a relationship with her and committing rape-by-fraud.]]

** SupermanSubstitute Hyperion and WonderWomanWannabe Power Princess becoming a couple, long before the real Superman and Wonder Woman would hook up in ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'' and ''ComicBook/New52''.

* EvilIsSexy: Foxfire and The Mink. Especially for Foxfire, who seduces [[spoiler:Doctor Spectrum]] with a wink and a smile.

* HarsherInHindsight: As Ralph Maccio notes in the collected edition, there's an unpleasant eeriness to Nighthawk being killed by Foxfire stopping his heart, given Mark Gruenwald would himself die from a heart condition some years later.

* HilariousInHindsight: When Master Menace, the Lex Luthor expy takes off his helmet, his resemblance to Creator/AlanMoore is uncanny. Given the book's themes run very similar to ''Watchmen'', it's rather ironic.

** On a side note, peripherally similar, Power Princess doesn't seem extremely disturbed by the MindControl Rape Lady Lark endured due to Golden Archer secretly using the Squadron's Behavior Modification device on her. This may be due to her Utopian upbringing, and their views on physical sex as a society.
** Nuke's little brother seems... surprisingly calm about his brother going insane and dying, shortly after his parents have died from a prolonged battle with cancer inadvertently caused by his brother. In fact, he seems to take the whole thing far better than his brother did. (Though it might help that he's never seen or heard from again after Nuke's death.)

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation:

* WhatAnIdiot: Instead of remaining with the Squadron and trying to effect change from within, or at least mitigate the damage their Utopia proposal would create, Nighthawk decides to leave in anger, gather a small army of criminals and unknown quantities, and lead a siege against his former comrades, to force them to change their point of view. And Nighthawk is deluded enough to believe this tactic will not result in violence. Even Master Menace and Remnant lampshade this.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Thomas "Tom Thumb" Thompson is widely recognized as a heroic inventive genius and all-around NiceGuy, despite his introverted nature and tendency to be overlooked by the public at large, and even his teammates to a degree. And his struggle with [[spoiler: and subsequent succumbing to cancer]] is obviously designed to paint him in a sympathetic light. But a closer purview of his handling of the Lady Lark brainwashing situation puts his character in an entirely different light. SQUADRON SUPREME #5 made it pretty clear that Thumb knew, or at least strongly suspected, that Wyatt [=McDonald=] (Golden Archer) had used the Behavior Modification machine on [=McDonald=]'s ex-lover, and ''DIDN'T SAY A WORD'' to either the Archer, Squadron chairperson Hyperion, or any other Squadron member, even after Lark started exhibiting strange, obsessive behavior. Why on Earth would Thumb willingly conceal what amounts to betrayal and MindRape of a colleague, especially one who was depicted as being more kind and respectful to him than the rest of his teammates? When in SQUADRON SUPREME #6, the truth finally comes out through the efforts of James Dore (Blue Eagle), Thumb only offers the lame excuse that he "didn't want to betray anyone" for...''betraying Lady Lark!''' It could well be that Thompson, who for most of his life had suffered what he perceived as disrespect and disregard from the world at large, was loath to lose any of this newfound fame and general appreciation for his genius, as might have happened had this Behavior Modification scandal become known to the general public. Note Thumb's reaction (in SQUADRON SUPREME #8) when his colleague The Whizzer (Stanley Stewart) reveals that two minor supercriminals used "force field belts" (another of Thumb's innovations) to rob a bank; Thumb tells Whizzer to "keep quiet" about the incident, suggesting that the diminutive inventor is more concerned about avoiding public embarrassment than criminal activity, such as armed robbery, or ''RAPE''.
** Alternatively, we are meant to sympathize with Tom, but also see him as pathetic- his greatest wish is for the team to [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer accept him fully as one of their own,]] but due to his size and non-combatant nature, he is constantly being brushed aside or dismissed by the people he considers his friends. Though his moral compass is strong, as shown when he discusses his and Nuke's situation, his need to be included is even stronger. His refusal to 'betray' the Archer and his reaction to discovering the force field belts is meant be read as a major character failing and a betrayal of his own beliefs- and simultaneously an illustration about just how deep his inferiority complex runs. He is willing to do things he would never consider doing [[DudeWheresMyRespect just to make sure his team takes him seriously.]] This is also his stated motivation for never telling the rest of the team about his cancer, since they would treat him even more differently. His whole storyline is the tragedy of a fall and, by the end, something close to- but not quite- redemption. Of course, the real tragedy of the whole thing is that not only was the team he idolized so much totally unaware of his struggles, but also that they truly ''did'' value him every bit as much as the rest, they just did a poor job of showing it.
* AngstWhatAngst: Power Princess suffers RapeByFraud at the hands of the 712 Hyperion, and really doesn't seem terribly bothered by the whole deal. Not to mention the murder of her husband of some forty-odd years, committed in the course of said fraud. Granted, the imposture is revealed only towards the end of issue #8, and there is of course a month between issues, during which Zarda presumably had time to process the situation and react, but the next issue sees her internally ruminate about how she only fell for the fake Hyperion because she thought he was the original Hyperion, whom she'd long secretly carried a torch for.

* MoralEventHorizon: Golden Archer brainwashing his girlfriend, which earns him a few well deserved WhatTheHellHero remarks from his teammates though not as many as we'd hope.

** A SupermanSubstitute and his cohorts becoming tyrants while the Batman expy forms his own SuperTeam to serve as a resistance group dedicated to ending their rule has been explored in DC media such as ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'', ''Franchise/{{Injustice}}'', ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' and ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague''. The 1985 miniseries was the first comic to explore this concept.

** A SupermanSubstitute and his cohorts becoming tyrants while the Batman expy forms his own SuperTeam to serve as a resistance group dedicated to ending their rule has been explored in DC media such as ''Franchise/{{Injustice}}'', ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' and ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague''. The 1985 miniseries was the first comic to explore this concept.

** A SupermanSubstitute and his cohorts becoming tyrants while the Batman expy forms his own SuperTeam to serve as a resistance group dedicated to ending their rule has been explored in DC media such as ''Franchise/{{Injustice}}'', ''Film/BatmanVSSupermanDawnOfJustice'' and ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague''. The 1985 miniseries was the first comic to explore this concept.

** A SupermanSubstitute and his cohorts becoming tyrants while the Batman expy forms his own SuperTeam to serve as a resistance group dedicated to ending their rule has been explored in DC media such as ''Franchise/{{Injustice}}'', ''Film/BatmanvsSupermanDawnOfJustice'' and ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague''. The 1985 miniseries was the first comic to explore this concept.

** A SupermanSubstitute and his cohorts becoming tyrants while the Batman expy forms his own SuperTeam to serve as a resistance group dedicated to ending their rule has been explored in DC media such as ''Franchise/{{Injustice}}'', ''Film/BatmanVsSupermanDawnOfJustice'' and ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague''. The 1985 miniseries was the first comic to explore this concept.

* FirstInstallmentWins: The 12-issues limited series was the first series with the Squadron Supreme as lead characters. But it was not the only one, "Death of a Universe" and "New World Order" were released years later, but not so acclaimed as the original. Possibly because both were one-off specials and didn't have the pages or the panels to equal the character development and twists of the maxi-series.

* OlderThanTheyThink: Some of the themes of ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' such as the morality of KnightTemplar measures to ensure world peace were played with by ''Squadron Supreme'' before ''Watchmen.''
* UnintentionallySympathetic: At the end of the first limited series, we're clearly supposed to side with Nighthawk in that the Squadron Supreme has gone too far in trying to build an utopia. And while it's true that some of their actions were clearly wrong, a lot of them can actually be seen as far more benevolent than how Nighthawk's side views them. For example, while the personality modification used to rehabilitate criminals can be seen as brainwashing, it's also made clear that criminals were given a free choice whether they want to go through the process or not, and many of the criminals who chose the modification view it as a positive change. Also, one of the other things the Squadron does is get rid of all guns and nukes and halt their production, which to many readers would be a ''good'' policy. But at the end of miniseries, [[spoiler:the Squadron promises to return everything to way it was]], which apparently means bringing guns back too. For readers who are not libertarian nor pro-firearms, this is hardly a happy ending.

* CompleteMonster: [[TheGeneralissimo John M'Butu]], from the June and July 2006 issues by Creator/JMichaelStraczynski, is a metahuman general in Uganda who leads brutal purges of civilian populations, with rape and murder all too common. Allying with foreign interests to [[WarForFunAndProfit keep a civil war going]], M'Butu initiates a [[FinalSolution genocide]] of rival tribes to strengthen himself and uses his CompellingVoice to control others, boasting he can use it to rape women or force men to die for him in the process.

* DoubleStandardRapeSciFi: When Golden Archer is exposed for using Tom Thumb's Behavior Modification Machine on Lady Lark to make her love him, the Squadron have to actually '''take a vote''' as to whether or not [=McDonald=] should be expunged from the group for this offense. Blue Eagle, Arcanna, Tom Thumb and later Hyperion vote to expel the Archer, while [=McDonald=]'s best friend Doctor Spectrum, the Whizzer and Amphibian vote for the opposite, and Power Princess TakesAThirdOption by positing that Golden Archer, in line with the precepts of the Utopia Initiative, should be Behavior Modified for his crime. Only the Eagle and Arcanna see [=McDonald=]'s crime for what it is: '''RAPE''', and call it such. The Archer, by mechanically induced means, changed Linda Lewis' brain patterns so that she would be inclined to love him totally and unconditionally, which by inference would mean she would be unable to refuse any request or even suggestion of having sexual intercourse. In the end, [=McDonald=] is merely kicked out: he is not prosecuted for this sex crime, and he is allowed to '''LEAVE''' with the victim, who is still at the mercy of his whims! Sure, Archer professed regret and remorse for his crime, but who's to say that later on he won't have a change of heart, and figure he might as well continue to take advantage of Lark?

* WhatAnIdiot: Instead of remaining with the Squadron and trying to effect change from within, or at least mitigate the damage their Utopia proposal would create, Nighthawk decides to leave in a self righteous huff, gather a small army of criminals and unknown quantities, and lead a siege against his former comrades, to force them to change their point of view. And Nighthawk is deluded enough to believe this tactic will not result in violence. Even Master Menace and Remnant lampshade this.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Thomas "Tom Thumb" Thompson is widely recognized as a heroic inventive genius and all-around NiceGuy, despite his introverted nature and tendency to be overlooked by the public at large, and even his teammates to a degree. And his struggle with [[spoiler: and subsequent succumbing to cancer]] is obviously designed to paint him in a sympathetic light. But a closer purview of his handling of the Lady Lark brainwashing situation puts his character in an entirely different light. SQUADRON SUPREME #5 made it pretty clear that Thumb knew, or at least strongly suspected, that Wyatt [=McDonald=] (Golden Archer) had used the Behavior Modification machine on [=McDonald=]'s ex-lover, and ''DIDN'T SAY A WORD'' to either the Archer, Squadron chairperson Hyperion, or any other Squadron member, even after Lark started exhibiting strange, obsessive behavior. Why on Earth would Thumb willingly conceal what amounts to betrayal and MindRape of a colleague, especially one who was depicted as being more kind and respectful to him than the rest of his teammates? When in SQUADRON SUPREME #6, the truth finally comes out through the efforts of James Dore (Blue Eagle), Thumb only offers the lame excuse that he "didn't want to betray anyone" for...''betraying Lady Lark!''' It could well be that Thompson, who for most of his life had suffered what he perceived as disrespect and disregard from the world at large, was loath to lose any of this newfound fame and general appreciation for his genius, as might have happened had this Behavior Modification scandal become known to the general public. Note Thumb's reaction (in SQUADRON SUPREME #8) when his colleague The Whizzer (Stanley Stewart) reveals that two minor supercriminals used "force field belts" (another of Thumb's innovations) to rob a bank; Thumb tells Whizzer to "keep quiet" about the incident, suggesting that the diminutive inventor is more concerned about avoiding public embarrassment than criminal activity, such as armed robbery, or '''RAPE'''.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Thomas "Tom Thumb" Thompson is widely recognized as a heroic inventive genius and all-around NiceGuy, despite his introverted nature and tendency to be overlooked by the public at large, and even his teammates to a degree. And his struggle with [[spoiler: and subsequent succumbing to cancer]] is obviously designed to paint him in a sympathetic light. But a closer purview of his handling of the Lady Lark brainwashing situation puts his character in an entirely different light. SQUADRON SUPREME #5 made it pretty clear that Thumb knew, or at least strongly suspected, that Wyatt [=McDonald=] (Golden Archer) had used the Behavior Modification machine on [=McDonald=]'s ex-lover, and ''DIDN'T SAY A WORD'' to either the Archer, Squadron chairperson Hyperion, or any other Squadron member, even after Lark started exhibiting strange, obsessive behavior. Why on Earth would Thumb willingly conceal what amounts to betrayal and MindRape of a colleague, especially one who was depicted as being more kind and respectful to him than the rest of his teammates? When in SQUADRON SUPREME #6, the truth finally comes out through the efforts of James Dore (Blue Eagle), Thumb only offers the lame excuse that he "didn't want to betray anyone" for...''betraying Lady Lark!''' It could well be that Thompson, who for most of his life had suffered what he perceived as disrespect and disregard from the world at large, was loath to lose any of this newfound fame and general appreciation for his genius, as might have happened had this Behavior Modification scandal become known to the general public. Note Thumb's reaction (in SQUADRON SUPREME #8) when his colleague The Whizzer (Stanley Stewart) reveals that two minor supercriminals used "force field belts" (another of Thumb's innovations) to rob a bank; Thumb tells Whizzer to "keep quiet" about the incident, suggesting that the diminutive inventor is more concerned about avoiding public embarrassment.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Thomas "Tom Thumb" Thompson is widely recognized as a heroic inventive genius and all-around NiceGuy, despite his introverted nature and tendency to be overlooked by the public at large, and even his teammates to a degree. And his struggle with [[spoiler: and subsequent succumbing to cancer]] is obviously designed to paint him in a sympathetic light. But a closer purview of his handling of the Lady Lark brainwashing situation puts his character in an entirely different light. SQUADRON SUPREME #5 made it pretty clear that Thumb knew, or at least strongly suspected, that Wyatt [=McDonald=] (Golden Archer) had used the Behavior Modification machine on [=McDonald=]'s ex-lover, and ''DIDN'T SAY A WORD'' to either the Archer, Squadron chairperson Hyperion, or any other Squadron member, even after Lark started exhibiting strange, obsessive behavior. Why on Earth would Thumb willingly conceal what amounts to betrayal and MindRape of a colleague, especially one who was depicted as being more kind and respectful to him than the rest of his teammates? When in SQUADRON SUPREME #6, the truth finally comes out through the efforts of James Dore (Blue Eagle), Thumb only offers the lame excuse that he "didn't want to betray anyone" for...''betraying Lady Lark!''' It could well be that Thompson, who for had suffered what he perceived as disrespect and disregard from the world at large, was loath to lose any of this newfound fame and general appreciation for his genius, as might have happened had this Behavior Modification scandal become known to the general public. Note Thumb's reaction (in SQUADRON SUPREME #8) when his colleague The Whizzer (Stanley Stewart) reveals that two minor supercriminals used "force field belts" (another of Thumb's innovations) to rob a bank; Thumb tells Whizzer to "keep quiet" about the incident, suggesting that the diminutive inventor is more concerned about avoiding public embarrassment.