In the preview for Marvel’s new limited series Devil’s Reign: Villains for Hire, by Clay McLeod Chapman and Manuel Garcia, former crime Kingpin Wilson Fisk has traded in his violent, underworld machinations for legitimate methods, tightening his grip on New York in an echo of what happened to Gotham in DC's Future State.
Fisk’s first order of business was to take out all the superheroes who had previously dared to challenge him. Declaring “superhero vigilantism” a threat to the public’s safety, Fisk orders the arrest of any superhero within city limits. However, rather than relying on the police force, Fisk is creating a new Thunderbolts team of his personally selected enforcers that includes Electro, Agony, Whiplash, the Rhino, and others. A recent preview of Devil's Reign: Villains For Hire #1 shows these villains will now have free reign to combat New York's heroes.
When considered side-by-side, Devil’s Reign: Villains for Hire reads a lot like the Future State's version of Gotham in comics such as Future State: The Next Batman, Future State: The Dark Detective, and Future State: Harley Quinn. In Future State, Gotham elects a new mayor, Christopher Nakano, who declares all masked individuals illegal. Of course, Nakano was a former cop, and Fisk is the former leader of a transnational criminal organization, so Nakano only comes to understand the corrupt forces his mandates have unleashed too late, as the fascistic Magistrate seize the city, drafting villains like Scarecrow into their organization. Nakano banned heroes and villains alike, but the practical impact of the policy overwhelmingly targets superheroes. Kingpin is a little more direct, targeting heroes and actively protecting those villains who fall in line. Enjoy the preview below.
In both comics, while the police are officially tasked with enforcing their mayor’s ban on superpowered vigilantism and criminal activity, real enforcement is conducted by teams outside of the official law enforcement hierarchy. In Villains for Hire, the Thunderbolts perform this enforcement role. In Future City, Nakano bolsters the efforts of the police with Simon Saint's Magistrate. Like the Thunderbolts, the Magistrate is not an ordinary private security organization. Rather, it is one equipped with cutting-edge technology, staffed with battle-hardened veterans, and commanded by individuals with superhero-like skills. It’s a group that shoots first, shoots often, and never asks questions. The one difference here is that the Thunderbolts seem under the strict command of Fisk, while the Magistrate operates under their own discretion, effectively seizing power.
The clear consequence of Nakano and Fisk’s policies is to “flip the script” for any superheroes operating inside their respective city. Whereas before they were using their powers and abilities in the fight for truth, justice, and a safer community, they now must use those powers to survive being hunted down by villains who have stolen their role. But while Batman and his family have seemingly avoided the fate depicted in the potential future of Future State, Devil's Reign: Villains for Hire is the present of Marvel's mainstream reality, and any losses for the heroes battling Fisk and his Thunderbolts are going to have real consequences when the comic hits retailers January 19.
