I am not a Vanguard member, but I can talk from the Strikeforce side, and I strongly disagree that, once its members have been made aware that Merlin was a liar and Vanguard are good guys, they would still hunt them.
This incarnation of the Strikeforce is NOT made of soldier. They are superheroes with personal lifes and occupations, that, just like the JLA, meets on a satellite for preparing missions. It has been explained in the O issue of Strikeforce 3 the reasoning of Merlin for creating a force that was indipendent and not submitted directly to him.
It is the death of Merlin to made impractical to have the Strikeforce (this Strikeforce) be a pawn of the UN for fighting Vanguard. To do Danny's story, even without the partecipation of the Strikefocers, it would be better to have a different kind of UN coalition to attack Vanguard. But without Merlin, I really I don't see the point.
If there is no interest into having Vanguard replacing the Strikeforce, possibly taking some members of it into its ranks, I don't see a reason for which the Strikeforce should survive, personally I am sure it would be better to simply disband it.
Regarding Mxy's question, I am for Vanguard replacing Strikeforce.
Merlin's files contain the proofs that it was Vanguard to save the world from Naecken. that would be enough, in my mind, to change the mind of the majority of UN countries to gave the role that previously was of the Strikeforce to Vanguard.
The Manhattan situation, though, would still be off limits to them until the UN keep the recognition of manhattan as an indipendent nation, a fact that, unless I am wrong, was estabilished in Doc's story.
If really there is consensus over the need to do a story where THIS Strikeforce fights Vanguard, from my point of view it could only be done using the cold-blooded killing of Hero by Grimm (that was not an invention of Merlin, and it is something that went against the Geneva convention) as an excuse. Over that, the Strikeforcers should "attack" Vanguard even if they have become buddy.
But, as Grimm once suggested, it would be cool if that story would be a trial in court, and not another fight of superteams. Over that, having Danny Hearn having bypassed the UN ban would be just an additional "crime" to be addressed at Vanguard.
The outcome of that trial, with Vanguard cleared of the accusation of being the evil MBL, and the secret files of Merlin made public, revealing that the planet was saved from Naecken by Vanguard, would be the birth of the new incarnation of the team.
About the public acceptance of metahumans, that depends simply by us writers: the occasion of the trial could be the one after which meta-discrimination is banned; else, the Manhattan scenario could be used to keep the hate for metas high in the world, even with a UN founded Vanguard as a global protectorate. It really depends just from us, and from what we want.
