Warning: contains spoilers for Heroes Reborn #7 and Heroes Return #1!
Norman Osborn's Dark Avengers returned in the twisted reality of Heroes Reborn, with a new roster featuring an amazing selection of heroes. Like all of the heroes in this new timeline, created by Mephisto and Phil Coulson, the members chosen were drastically different to how they appear in Marvel's mainstream reality, all the more intriguing for their dark reimagining by Jason Aaron, Aaron Kuder, and Dean White.
Osborn's original Dark Avengers were formed during Marvel's Dark Reign era. Osborn managed to wrest control of the Avengers in the aftermath of Marvel's Secret Invasion, causing most of the team to leave, with only Ares and Sentry remaining, Osborn decided to fill the rest of his roster with villains posing as heroes. Bullseye disguised himself as Hawkeye, Daken posed as Wolverine, Moonstone took over as Ms. Marvel, and so on, until the Dark Avengers were formed. The team took on many threats, but eventually fell apart due to Osborn’s disastrous invasion of Asgard. In the new timeline of Heroes Reborn, the team's formation was far different, resulting in an even cooler lineup.
After discovering that the Avengers are trying to set reality straight, the Squadron Supreme sets out to learn more about Blade's new Avengers team. Blur and Power Princess decide to question Norman Osborn about Echo's escape from Ravencroft Asylum. After a brief and bloody encounter with the deranged villain, readers are treated to a flashback from years earlier, wherein the Goblin announces his candidacy for president before introducing his own superteam, the Dark Squadron. Here, fans get a one-panel glance at the stacked team, made up of this reality's Moon Knight, Valkyrie, the Ghost Runner, Nova, and Sentry, all decked out in new costumes.
Interestingly, several members of Osborn's Dark Squadron have already been shown in the Heroes Reborn reality. Most recognizable is the Ghost Runner, who appeared racing Blur in Heroes Reborn #3. Nova, whose uniform actually appears to be that of a Supernova, or Black Nova, also received a minor shoutout in Heroes Reborn #4, when Doctor Spectrum claimed, “I'm the reason there are no more Kree Accusers! No Black Novas or Starjammer space pirates!” This suggests Osborn's Nova is likely the last of his kind and wants revenge on the man who killed off his colleagues. Similarly, Valkyrie may be seeking vengeance, as Power Princess reveals in Heroes Reborn #6 that she watched as the Asgardians were slaughtered. Moon Knight's inclusion is somewhat strange, considering his god, Khonshu, recently killed off hundreds of different versions of Mephisto in Marvel's mainline continuity, though it's possible the devilish villain is just having fun messing with his godly enemy's former servant. Sentry is the only member of the group without a known reason for joining the Goblin, but since he was in Norman Osborn's original Dark Avengers due to the villain's manipulations, his position on this team makes sense.
Though each member of the Dark Squadron has their own reasons for joining, they each also act as a direct parallel to one of the Squadron Supreme's members. As an immensely powerful, Superman-like character, Sentry fills Hyperion's role perfectly. Similarly, Ghost Runner's speedster powers make him a great counterpart to Blur. The same goes for the rest of the Dark Squadron, with Moon Knight acting as a match for Nighthawk, Valkyrie for Power Princess, and Nova for Doctor Spectrum. This makes for a nice tribute to the original Dark Avengers, who replaced the actual Avengers by putting on disguises and mimicking them.
While Heroes Return #1 saw the Avengers erase this reality, no alternate world is truly dead in comics, especially since the super-capable Nighthawk swore to find a way to recreate his adopted home. With awesome costumes, unique powers, and compelling reasons to hate the Squadron Supreme, it's likely fans will see Heroes Reborn's incredibly cool Dark Avengers roster again.