WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Heroes Return #1 by Jason Aaron, Ed McGuinness, Mark Morales, Matthew Wilson and VC's Cory Petit, on sale now.
The world of Heroes Reborn was made in the image of one of the greatest villains of all time, and even worse, it has been unraveling from the very start. Though Mephisto's grand scheme may not have proven itself to be a permanent solution to his long-running problems with the Avengers, it did establish itself as a great place to start.
And by the end of Heroes Return #1, Marvel's darkest devil is now well on his way towards amassing the Council of Red, his own personal army from across the multiverse for the next go around, and it is undoubtedly the most frightening force that has ever been assembled.
The final battle between the Squadron Supreme and Avengers for the fate of reality was an epic one, though it didn't go as Mephisto or Phil Coulson had hoped. Left with no choice but to clear the battlefield himself to prevent the spread of any knowledge of the Avengers' existence, Coulson headed into the fray with the Pandemonium Cube in hand, only to witness his version of the world come to an end at the hands of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. After so many years of losing to the Avengers, this defeat doesn't seem to have stung Mephisto at all. In fact, once reality has been set right again, he appears to be quite pleased with his work -- as do most of the other versions of himself that have gathered around to listen to the next part of his plan.
Mephisto has been antagonizing the Avengers for thousands and thousands of years. Even during the days of the Stone Age Avengers, Mephisto was interfering in the endeavors of Earth's Mightiest Heroes by sending Thanos to attempt to annihilate them. In the centuries since then, his hatred of the Avengers and any who would act as such has festered, leading him to try time and time again to end their reign as the foremost protectors of their world. His most recent antics, as incredible as they were, seem to have only been a preview of things to come. As he towers above dozens of other versions of himself from across the multiverse, Mephisto explains that he intends to bridge the gaps between Hells, creating a Council of Red made up of only Mephistos. As hard as it seems like it would be to go over the top of his conspiracy that unfolded as Heroes Reborn, there is no doubt that an army of Mephistos will be an even bigger threat.
Even before the Avengers found themselves in the world of Heroes Reborn, they knew that Mephisto had been up to something. Now that they have emerged victorious, there may not be much reason for them to continue concerning themselves with what their nemesis might be up to. With the Squadron Supreme now languishing on an Earth they don't recognize, there is a chance that Mephisto could reach out to them in some capacity. There is also the chance that an army of Mephistos could each bring their own Squadron Supreme -- if not something far worse. While it isn't clear what exactly Mephisto has in store for Earth's Mightiest Heroes next, there is no question as to how bad it will be.
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