Young Avengers
| Young Avengers | |
|---|---|
 Cover to Young Avengers Special #1. Art by Jim Cheung. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Young Avengers #1 (April, 2005) |
| Created by | Allan Heinberg Jim Cheung |
| In-story information | |
| Base(s) | An abandoned warehouse which formerly housed Bishop Publishing |
| Member(s) | Hawkeye Hulkling Patriot Stature Speed Vision Wiccan |
Young Avengers is a comic book published by Marvel Comics. Written by Allan Heinberg, best known for writing several episodes of the television program The O.C., it follows the events of the Avengers Disassembled storyline. The series follows the story of a group of young superheroes, each of whom pattern themselves after a member of previous Avengers. The four founding members of the team were gathered together as a result of the Vision's plan for the reformation of the Avengers in the event the team disbanded. In the series, newspapers refer to the young heroes as "super-powered fanboys" and label them the "Young Avengers," a name the team members initially disliked but which stuck nonetheless.
In a rare example of restraint, the exact premise of the series was kept hidden by Marvel; this immediately led to much fan speculation and many statements from the company allaying fears that this would merely be a copy of DC Comics' Teen Titans, particularly after the recent successful revival of that series.
Team members
Founders
The Vision's contingency plan for reforming the Avengers in an emergency hints that each of the three original team members brought together by Iron Lad has a significant tie to an existing Avengers member or the team's history:
- Iron Lad (resembles Iron Man) is a teenage version of Kang the Conqueror, armed with a bio-metal suit that responds to mental commands.
- Patriot (patterned after Bucky) is Elijah "Eli" Bradley, grandson of Isaiah Bradley, an African American former Captain America. His original costume resembled that of Bucky Barnes, and he once had something of a hatred for Steve Rogers (Isaiah Bradley's predecessor and still current Captain America).
- Wiccan (formerly Asgardian, patterned after Scarlet Witch and Thor) is Billy Kaplan, who may be the son of the Scarlet Witch and the Vision. Billy uses magic, casting spells for flight, lightning generation, locating people, and to various other effects. Thomas Shepherd (Speed) may be his twin brother. Billy is currently romantically involved with Hulkling.
- Hulkling (resembling the Hulk) is Teddy Altman. He is a shape-shifter, who also possesses enhanced strength and healing. He is the son of Kree hero Captain Mar-Vell and the Skrull princess Anelle, and is thus a Kree-Skrull hybrid. Teddy is currently romantically involved with Wiccan.
Other members
- The Vision (combination of Iron Lad and the original Vision) is the original Vision's operating system animating Iron Lad's futuristic armor. Iron Lad uploaded Vision's "operating system" into his armor to execute the android's contingency plan. After Iron Lad was forced to leave the team, he activated the software, causing his armor to become a new version of the Vision - albeit one with none of the memories or life experience of his predecessor.
- Stature (patterned after Ant-Man/Giant-Man) is Cassie Lang, daughter of the late Scott Lang. She has the power to change size at will.
- Hawkeye (combination of the original Hawkeye/Mockingbird/Swordsman), whose real name is Kate Bishop, is a civilian who forcibly introduced herself into the Young Avengers, saving them from a botched rescue. While Kate has no inherent powers, she is competent with a bow and arrow as well as a sword. She later adopted the codename Hawkeye with the blessing of Captain America, who bestowed to her the original Hawkeye's bow and arrows as a gift.
- Speed (patterned after Quicksilver) is Thomas Shepherd, a boy the team rescued from imprisonment. He may be the son of the Scarlet Witch and Vision and thus the twin brother of Wiccan. Though he was part of the Vision's contingency plan, he was not an original team member.
Recurring characters
Storylines
"Season One"
In "Sidekicks" (issues #1-#6), reporters Jessica Jones (former Avenger known as Jewel) and Kat Farrell of The Daily Bugle and heroes Captain America and Iron Man investigate a new group of teenage heroes. The story is set in the time between the "Avengers Disassembled" storyline and the beginning of New Avengers. The team defeats Kang the Conqueror, still Captain America and Iron Man take away their gear and refuse to train the team without their parents' consent. Despite the heroes' warnings, the team continues with a new headquarters, new costumes, and new names.
In "Secret Identities" (issues #7-#8), the Young Avengers must decide how much to tell their parents after the members decide to continue acting publicly. None of their parents find out. During a fight with Mr. Hyde in Young Avengers #8, Wiccan discovers Eli abusing MGH a drug that gives people powers for short periods of time in order to appear to have superpowers. Eli confesses that he deceived the Vision who meant to recruit his missing uncle Josiah in order to join the team. Overwhelmed with emotion he quits the team.
In Young Avengers Special #1, Jessica Jones interviews the Young Avengers about their pasts at the insistence of Kat Farrell. Cassie Lang had a troubled home life, especially after her father died. She and her mother constantly fought and she hated her mom's new boyfriend. Had the Young Avengers not formed, Cassie planned to join the Runaways. Teddy Altman abused his shape-shifting powers to hang out with a more popular kid. He realized that he had gone too far when his "friend" tried to force him to steal artifacts from the destroyed Avengers Mansion. Billy Kaplan had a problem with being accepted. He met the Scarlet Witch, who explained that being different isn't bad. Kate Bishop was attacked in a park. Eli Bradley took the Mutant Growth Hormone because felt powerless against some thugs and wanted to prove that his grandfather truly was the black Captain America.
In "Family Matters" (issues #9-#12), K'Lrt the Super-Skrull tries to take Teddy to the Skrull homeworld. K'Lrt reveals that Mrs. Altman is not Teddy's mother and kills her. In the aftermath, K'Lrt kidnaps Teddy. The Vision offers to locate more "Young Avengers" using his prior incarnation's contingency plan. The Young Avengers break Thomas Shepherd out of a super-human prison and recruit him. Tommy can move at superhuman speed and accelerate matter destabilizing it enough to cause an explosion. The Super-Skrull tells Teddy of his true origin as the son of the Kree hero Captain Marvel and the Skrull princess Anelle, he then claims that Tommy and Billy are the Scarlet Witch and Vision's lost twin sons. Billy believes him but Tommy does not. Kree and Skrull combat forces arrive and fight each other and the Young Avengers until Teddy, realizing his importance to both sides, calls for a ceasefire. The Avengers intervene and a Kree warrior fires at Captain America. Patriot intervenes and is gravely wounded. Hulkling and K'Lrt end the fighting by secretly shape-shifting into each other's forms. Captain America and K'Lrt, disguised as Hulkling, broker a shared custody between the races.
At a hospital, Eli's grandfather donates his blood to Eli. Captain America again tells the Young Avengers to stop what they're doing. Kate blames their trouble on the Avengers for not training them. The Young Avengers repair the statues of fallen Avengers at Avengers Mansion. Eli now has superpowers as a result of the blood transfusion. Kate receives Hawkeye's bow and quiver from Captain America, and she takes the mantle of Hawkeye. Tommy arrives in costume and calls himself Speed.
Civil War
In Civil War #2, the members of Young Avengers are captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. for not complying with the registration act. Captain America and the Falcon help them escape. Once in Captain America's secret base, the Young Avengers joins the resistance movement called Secret Avengers. In issue #3, the team follows Captain America into a trap set by Iron Man. Wiccan, along with Cloak, is knocked out via tranquilizers while the rest of the Young Avengers joins the fight against Iron Man and the pro-registration heroes. Stature leaves the resistance after Goliath is killed by a clone of Thor and the Secret Avengers is forced to retreat from battle leaving Wiccan behind. However, shortly afterwards Stature registers and begins super hero training. The remainder of the team remained with Captain America. Stature is seen alongside Iron Man & other pro-registration heroes as they ambush the Anti-Reg heroes in an attempt to break into the Negative Zone prison, whilst the other Young Avengers (Except for Hulking & the still-incarcerated Wiccan) are amoung those that are ambushed. Hank Pym is revealed to be a disguised Hulkling, who has managed to free the incarcerated heroes, including Wiccan.
"Season Two"
Template:Spoiler-solicitation Allan Heinberg has said that he plans to introduce a young Masters of Evil in the second "season", among other new antagonists, but does not plan to introduce any new Young Avengers at this time. The "season" will be broken up into three four issue arcs. Heinberg has said that the teenage Kang will show up, but will not be Iron Lad anymore. He will be part of a love triangle with Vision and Cassie. Source
Relaunch
Allan Heinberg was chosen to write Wonder Woman #1-5 One Year Later. Due to this and his large Hollywood schedule Young Avengers was plagued by constant delays in 2005 and 2006 and its third arc, "Family Matters", completed in June 2006, was cut by two issues. The title is scheduled to relaunch in 2007 as a bi-monthly title, preseumably after Jim Cheung finishes work on The Illuminate (Marvel Comics) miniseries.[citation needed]
Bibliography
- Young Avengers #1 - 12 (April 2005 - June 2006)
- Young Avengers Special #1 (December 2005)
- Civil War: Young Avengers/Runaways #1 - 4 (July 2006 - October 2006)
- Young Avengers Season 2 (tentative) #1 - (starting February/March 2007)
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