Tuesday, March 15, 2011

The Puppet Master's Master

So who's behind the creation of the new Heroes for Hire? After the first issue I was sure it was Puppet Master, since he was talking about how Misty was going to clean up the streets for him. Issue 4 has him on the phone with someone else, though. Someone who supplied him with technological components to make his control of Misty more effective. Which suggests it's that person's interests Misty is being used to aid. Puppet Master has likely taken to hiring himself out, and this mysterious person is his current client.

OK, so who else would want the streets cleaned up? My cynical, ridiculous take was Steve Rogers, having truly gone evil after being placed in charge of basically all heroes. Like I said, ridiculous. I hope. I don't know a lot about Misty's past, so I'm not up on old enemies that might enjoy using her for their own ends. I read about a Master Khan in Byrne's Namor work, but he was out to conquer the world (and kill Iron Fist), so this is a bit small scale for him. Her Wikipedia page mentions a couple of crime lords. John Bushmater's supposed to be dead, and his brother was a member of the Serpent Society, which doesn't seem quite right for this.

So far, they've dealt with a dealer of Atlantean narcotics, mystical firearms, and a Savage Land-based slavery ring and animal fighting operation. What do they have in common, besides being criminal activities involving exporting things into the U.S.? It sounds like it could be the work of some isolationist type, trying to keep the country free out what they would deem evil outside influences. Possibly well-meaning, but misguided and overzealous. Or they could be a complete group of looney-toons, and this is just the start. Like the Sons of the Serpent, perhaps.

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