The Squadron Supreme has defeated the Avengers and begin their extremist means on New York.
Or so they thought.
While Thor is held captive, the rest of the Avengers must rely on stealth to find a weakness in the Squadron and prepare a counter-offensive.
- Continuity Nod: Hulk's still a little sore with Speed Demon over what happened in "Terminal Velocities".
- Earth-Shattering Kaboom: Nighthawk's plan if the Squadron get defeated; destroy Earth in a Rage Quit. He's aware this will kill the rest of the Squadron, and doesn't care.
- Evil Will Fail: The Squadron splinters even without the Avengers around. Their conflicting bad tempers and egos mean that once they've won, they can't stand each other and split up, making them easy picking for the Avengers.
- False Friend: In the previous episode, Nuke liked Nighthawk, but here it turns out Nighthawk only revived him just in case Hyperion was depowered so he could use him as a power source.
- Felony Misdemeanor: Under the Squadron's regime, drones enforce the rules. No-one's safe, including old men walking their dogs after curfew, or children accidentally hitting them with a stray baseball.
- Heroic Willpower: Cap is able to overpower the Power Prism and use it for himself, though he acknowledges it's taking a lot of work.
- Hero of Another Story: Red Hulk, who was defeated by the Squadron, and Spidey, who seems to have better luck avoiding Nighthawk's drones.
- Lured into a Trap: Speed Demon is defeated by Hawkeye luring him into an alley, where a specially designed energy cube is waiting, leaving him face-to-face with the Hulk.
- Spare a Messenger: At the episode's beginning, a bunch of Atlanteans assume with the Avengers gone the world is theirs for the taking. Hyperion disagrees. He flings one back into the ocean with a warning for Attuma... and as for the rest...
