| Omega Flight | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Alpha Flight #11 (June 1984) |
| Created by | John Byrne |
Omega Flight is a fictional team of superbeings appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Omega Flight is one of the fewCanadian teams published by an American comic book company. Omega Flight first appeared in the pages ofAlpha Flight as asupervillain team.[1] Some later incarnations have been composed of heroes.
Omega Flight first appeared inAlpha Flight #11–13 (June–August 1984).[2]
A new lineup of the team is assembled by theMaster inAlpha Flight #110–112 (July–September 1992).
The next version of the team, known as Omega Flight, is a group of heroes. The team made their first appearance in the one-shotCivil War: The Initiative (April 2007) and moved on to their own series,Omega Flight #1–5.
The most recent incarnation of the team was a group of heroes assembled byDepartment H, who have only appeared inAvengers vol. 5, #9–10 (June 2013).
Omega Flight is assembled with the purpose of "destroyingAlpha Flight", particularly its founder,Guardian.Delphine Courtney, the robotic assistant toJerry Jaxon, recruits superhuman operatives to Omega Flight using a device which heightens the operatives' feelings of paranoia and aggression. Jaxon had been Guardian's boss and blamed Guardian for his dismissal. All of Courtney's recruits were members of the disbanded Beta and Gamma Flights.[3] It included:
Following Jaxon's death, it is revealed that the rest of Omega Flight took "destroying Alpha Flight" to mean simply defeating them in battle, and even while four members of Alpha Flight were their captives, Omega Flight did them no lasting harm.[8] Following this second skirmish with Alpha Flight, theBeyonder defeats Omega Flight,[9] forcing them to flee. Their escape is blocked byMadison Jeffries, a former Flight trainee whom Courtney did not recruit because of his ability to control machines and his loyalty to Guardian. Jeffries destroys Courtney and turns the rest of Omega Flight over to police.[10]
The second incarnation is organized by theMaster of the World. Again the purpose of the team's creation is to destroy Alpha Flight. The membership includes:
This team emerges from the aftermath of Marvel'sCivil War crossover storyline. The lineup includes elements of the original Canadian super-team Alpha Flight, as well as American superheroes on loan fromS.H.I.E.L.D. thanks toIron Man and theInitiative. The team roster was meant to includeArachne,Michael Pointer as the newGuardian,Sasquatch,U.S. Agent,Beta Ray Bill andTalisman, but changes to the story after Omega Flight was reduced to a limited series meant that the final two never actually joined the team.[11]
Former Alpha Flight member Sasquatch acts as recruiter for the team. After his attempts at recruiting Talisman are rebuffed, Sasquatch is forced to battle the rampagingWrecking Crew alone, and is defeated. Upon learning of her friend's capture, Talisman accepts the offer to join Omega Flight, even for a temporary basis. As the Wrecking Crew carve a path of destruction towardsToronto, Talisman, driven by a series of mysterious visions, joins up with U.S. Agent and Arachne inOttawa, but not before lambasting Iron Man and blaming him for the supervillain crisis that has engulfed Canada. Somewhat concerned about the presence of Americans on a Canadian superhero team, Talisman reacts violently when she learns that Michael Pointer, the man who killed Alpha Flight as the Collective, has become the new Guardian.[volume & issue needed]
Meanwhile, the Wrecking Crew (along with the captured Sasquatch) storm into theRoyal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto, drawn there by visions. Also present in the ROM is Simon Walters, the human avatar of Beta Ray Bill, who has also been receiving the visions leading him to the ROM's exhibit on theGreat Beasts. Opening a portal to the Realm of the Great Beasts, the Wrecking Crew is further empowered by Tanaraq, who also summons a horde ofSurtur demons to aid the Crew in destroying the world. Walters unveils himself as Beta Ray Bill and engages the villains, who prove too strong for the Korbinite warrior to handle. As the Wrecking Crew and the Surtur demons spill out onto the streets of Toronto, Talisman, Arachne and U.S. Agent arrive to confront them. Tanaraq possesses and empowers Sasquatch. The team is saved by the eleventh-hour intervention of Pointer, who devastates the ranks of demons and even throws away the Wrecking Crew, but refuses to kill the possessed Sasquatch even as his life is threatened by him.[volume & issue needed]
With no other viable options left, Talisman uses the power of Shaman's medicine bag to exorcise Tanaraq's hold over Sasquatch and the Wrecking Crew, draining them of their newfound powers. Seizing the bag, Beta Ray Bill lures the demons back into the Realm of the Great Beasts. Forcing Guardian to seal the portal behind him, he effectively sacrifices himself to save the planet. With Tanaraq's plot foiled and the Surtur demons locked away, Omega Flight defeat the Wrecking Crew and bring them into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody.[volume & issue needed]
After the battle, the team begins to establish itself as a functioning unit. Guardian moves past his guilt over his role in the Collective incident. U.S. Agent retrieves his genuine shield from thePurple Man, Sasquatch helps out with the reconstruction efforts in Toronto but afterwards is still guilt-ridden over what he did while possessed and disappears. Talisman retires from active duty to serve as her tribe's shaman. Arachne remains with the team. The series ends with Beta Ray Bill locked in eternal combat with the Surtur demons in the Realm of the Great Beasts, trapped in the nightmare plane, but uncaring for his seemingly hopeless situation. However, Bill escapes from his imprisonment and aidsThor against theSkrull invasion ofAsgard.[volume & issue needed]
Marvel Comics Presents follows up on the limited series with a story regarding Pointer's powers, and his adjustment to the Guardian suit.[12]
U.S. Agent officially leaves the team in order to join the new team ofMighty Avengers, while Pointer adopts the alias Weapon Omega and joinsNorman Osborn andEmma Frost'sDark X-Men. Beta Ray Bill goes to space. Arachne reappears in Manhattan during the "Grim Hunt" storyline. Thus, this incarnation of Omega Flight appears to have disbanded.[volume & issue needed]
As part of theMarvel NOW! event, a new incarnation of Omega Flight appears under the control ofDepartment H. It consists of Validator, Boxx, Kingdom and aWendigo. Omega Flight is sent in by Department H to investigate one of the Origin Bomb sites left byEx Nihilo in Regina, Canada. Validator is changed by the Origin Bomb site while the rest of the Omega Flight members are killed in action.[13]
| Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omega Flight: Alpha To Omega | Omega Flight #1-5 | November 2007 | 978-0785124412 |
| Weapon Omega | Material fromMarvel Comics Presents (vol. 2) #1–12 | November 2008 | 978-0785134152 |
Omega Flight appears inMarvel Future Revolution. This version is an interdimensional organization that unites heroes from different realities to find a solution to the Convergence and protectPrimary Earth.