WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Radiant Black #2 by Kyle Higgins, Marcelo Costa and Becca Carey, on sale now.
Image Comics' new series, Radiant Black, puts a refreshingly modern spin on the superhero genre. The series protagonist, Nathan Burnett, is a millennial through and through, balancing his new superhero life with his struggle to launch a writing career, his low-paid job as a driver for Uber-analog Drivr, and moving back in with his parents in his old hometown. The series takes full advantage of its modern setting, rich with characters and situations readers will find relatable, but that doesn't mean it's shying away from some old-school superhero storytelling.
Radiant Black #2 introduces the series' first supervillain, glimpsed in the closing pages of the first issue. The sinister figure robbing and destroying banks is the spitting image of Radiant Black himself, though with a costume accented in red. While yet to be identified on the page, solicitations for future issues confirm this is the inevitably named Radiant Red. And while Radiant Red is Radiant Black's first superpowered opponent, this is far from the first time a superhero has gone toe-to-toe with a villainous doppelgänger.
The notion of a villain sharing the powers and even appearance of the superhero facing off with them can be traced all the way back to 1945's The Marvel Family #1, which saw the introduction of Black Adam, a villain who shares his powers, origin and costume design with Shazam (then called Captain Marvel). Since then, Superman has battled Bizarro, the Flash has met his double in the Reverse-Flash, and Spider-Man has unwittingly helped spawn Venom and more than his fair share of clones. The trope has even become a staple of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, seen in villains such as Iron Monger, Abomination, Yellowjacket, Killmonger, and WandaVision's "White Vision." At this point, facing an evil doppelgänger has practically become a rite of passage for any superhero earning their stripes. Having Radiant Black's first supervillain fulfill this role quickly cements the series' modern reinterpretation of the genre as a true superhero story, regardless of the changing world in which it takes place.
However, with the series gladly differentiating itself from traditional superhero properties, what the future holds for this archetypal rivalry is not so clear. The series draws on creator Kyle Higgins' past experience in comics based on Japanese tokusatsu properties, such as The Rise of Ultraman and Power Rangers (the latter of which Higgins worked on with Radiant Black artist Marcelo Costa), as much as it draws on American heroes such as Spider-Man or Image's own Invincible. The Power Rangers franchise has seen its fair share of evil Rangers in the past, many of whom have ultimately changed sides to join forces with the heroes, the Green Ranger Tommy Oliver chief amongst them. Could Radiant Red take the same path and become an ally to Radiant Black?
The series could even be poised to borrow more heavily from the Power Rangers mythos - with both Radiant Black and Radiant Red already introduced, the door is open to a range of other colors coming into play, creating a cast of color-coded superhuman characters akin to the Power Rangers or DC's multicolored Lantern Corps.
Whatever becomes of Radiant Red, he is sure to play a pivotal role in Radiant Black's upcoming issues. The two characters' shared costume and power set is surely an indication that their abilities come from the same "miniature black hole" phenomenon seen in the first issue. As Nathan continues to try to understand his powers and their origin, Radiant Red could hold the answers he seeks. And while a heroic turn remains a possibility for Radiant Red, there is also the chance he could serve as a source of temptation, luring Nathan towards a more villainous path. The red-suited villain has, after all, put his powers to use robbing banks, while Nathan is struggling to make ends meet. As this new series unfolds, the juxtaposition of Radiant Black and his villainous double could prove key to not only understanding the mysteries behind the millennial superhero's origin but to understanding what makes Nathan Burnett a hero.
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