Young Avengers

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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.

[edit] Team members

[edit] 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 Captain America) 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Recurring characters

• Jessica Jones
• Kang the Conqueror
• Katherine "Kat" Farrell
• The New Avengers

[edit] Storylines

Cover to Young Avengers #2, showing the four founding Young Avengers, with their counterparts in the background. Art by Jim Cheung.

[edit] "Season One"

In "Sidekicks" (issues #1-#6), reporters Jessica Jones 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, and 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 speeds 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, and then he 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.

[edit] Civil War

This article or section contains information about a scheduled or expected comic book release, or a series already in progress. It is likely to contain tentative information and the content may change dramatically as the product release approaches and more information becomes available.

See also: Civil War: Young Avengers/Runaways

In Civil War #2, the Young Avengers are captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. for not registering. Captain America and the Falcon rescue them and they escape to Captain America's secret base, with the Young Avengers joining the Resistance movement, the so-called Secret Avengers. In issue #3, the team follow Captain America into a trap set by Iron Man. Wiccan, along with Cloak, are knocked out via tranquilizers and the rest of the Young Avengers join 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 are forced to retreat from battle, leaving Wiccan behind. However, shortly after, a rescue attempt is staged on Yancy Street, where the Secret Avengers succeed in rescuing Wiccan, and other captured superhumans.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] "Season Two"

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

[edit] 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 either February or March of 2007 as a bi-monthly title.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Bibliography

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Young Avengers

• 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)