In
Part 1 of the Defenders tale which introduces the character of Nebulon, the Celestial Man, and returns to comics the Squadron Sinister (a team of criminals which includes, notably, the future Defender, Nighthawk), we learned of a bargain made by the Squadron with Nebulon that would "sell" him the planet Earth, on the condition that its entire surface be underwater before he would take possession of it. To that end, Nebulon supplied the Squadron with a laser device which would facilitate melting the polar ice caps, resulting in a sudden and massive rise in global sea levels which would inundate the world's land masses and cause widescale death and destruction. Upon hearing the insane proposal by his partners, Nighthawk rejected any involvement with their plan and eventually made his way to the Defenders to enlist their help in stopping it, only to be retrieved and imprisoned by Nebulon.
The Defenders mobilized and responded, taking their fight to the Arctic where the Squadron had already begun constructing the laser device. But though they did well at meeting the threat of the Squadron, it was Nebulon who again acted to curtail their interference, capturing them in the same type of energy globe that also held Nighthawk. And now, with the Squadron poised to fulfill their part of this mad bargain, Nebulon is prepared to destroy the Defenders--the first casualties in a wave of death soon to cover the entire world!
Continued »»»
