Marvel's Lex Luthor once manipulated a war between the Ultimate Marvel universe to cover up his own schemes. In the Squadron Supreme, Dr. Emil Burbank is a genius with multiple degrees and is considered one of his Earth's greatest intellects but his accomplishments are constantly overshadowed by his version of Superman, Hyperion. Employed by the government to kill him, Burbank concocts a horrible plan but doesn't want the infamy that comes along with it so they use a probe from the Ultimate universe to make it seem like they are responsible, prompting the ongoing battle of the Ultimate Power crossover.
While the Squadron Supreme are pastiche's of DC's Justice League, Emil Burbank appeared in Thor #280 as Master Menace, repeatedly clashing with Hyperion and the Squadron Supreme as one of the foremost criminal intellects in his world encased in his signature enhanced battlesuit. The Supreme Power version of Emil was also a genius but one with a sadistic streak, constantly getting revenge against anyone who wronged him in his past. Appearing in Supreme Power #18, Emil was eventually commissioned to create plans to successfully neutralize any members in the Squadron Supreme along with other superhuman threats should they turn rogue. This Squadron Supreme appeared on the Ultimate Marvel world, an parallel modern Marvel dimension separate from its mainstream counterpart dedicated to taking its characters in new directions, looking for Reed Richards. After a brief battle, the Squadron accused Reed of destroying their world with one of his unauthorized interdimensional probes that he sent as their proof.
In the Ultimate Power series by Brian Michael Bendis, J. Michael Straczynski, Jeph Loeb and Greg Land, Emil supervises Reed who returned to the Squadron's world to stand trial and hopefully find a cure for the alien organism his probe brought to this world. After his taunts and comments instigate Reed to attack him, Emil electrocutes him to prove his untouchable status and later knocks him out with a special sleeping gas when the Ultimate heroes arrive to fight to bring Mr. Fantastic home. Standing over Reed's unconscious body, Emil reveals that the guilt-stricken Reed was not responsible for the organism that wrecked the world and killed tens of millions, it was all his doing and the war with his homeworld was simply a convenient cover story.
As revealed in a series of flashbacks in Ultimate Power #7, Emil's similarities to Lex Luthor are apparent as his intellect and ego cannot stand him not receiving the proper praise and attention for his accomplishments. His Master Menace counterpart also shared Lex's animosity with his world's Superman, donning a suit that gave him enhanced abilities similar to Lex's iconic green and purple battle armor. The Defense Department, fearing Hyperion's current direction, hired Emil to create something that would kill him. Emil created an organism that would spread rapidly when in contact with oxygen while emitting a radiation that would hurt and possibly kill Hyperion. Due to the predicted high body count, Emil didn't want to be remembered as a genocidal madman with Reed's probe already in the Defense Department's possession as the logical patsy.
Unfortunately for Emil, he shares Lex's downfall of his arrogance allowing him to underestimate his enemies as Reed was faking unconsciousness, capturing Emil as proof of his innocence. Alongside Nick Fury and Doctor Doom, Emil was considered responsible for the events in Ultimate Power with Hyperion stating that he would be held accountable for his crimes. Despite these promises, Emil continued to be a threat to the Squadron Supreme and their efforts until their world was destroyed. Although Emil has yet to make a reappearance in the Squadron Supreme dominated Heroes Reborn, this Ultimate Marvel crossover proves that Lex Luthor's threat is serious regardless of any world he occupies.
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