Merge:Young Avengers

Young Avengers is a comic book published by Marvel Comics. Written by Allan Heinberg, who is best known for writing several episodes of The O.C., it follows the events of Avengers Disassembled. It is the story of a group of young superheroes, each of whom pattern themselves after a member of the 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. The newspapers refer to the young heroes as "super-powered fanboys" and label them the "Young Avengers," a name the team members initially disliked.

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.

Founders
The Vision's contingency plan for reforming the Avengers in an emergency hints that each of the four original team members 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 on Captain America) is Elijah "Eli" Bradley, grandson of Isaiah Bradley, the first (and African-American) Captain America. His costume resembles Bucky's, and he has something of a hatred for Steve Rogers (the current Cap).
 * 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 is a witch, who casts spells for flight, lightning generation, locating people and various other things. Thomas Shepherd is his twin brother. Billy is currently romantically involved with Hulkling.
 * Hulkling (resembles 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 on 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 and her namesake's bow and arrows as a gift.


 * Speed (patterned on 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

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

Storylines


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 Mar-Vell 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".

Civil War
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 Resistence movement. In issue 3, the team follow Captain America into a trap set by Iron Man. Wiccan along with Cloak are knocked out via tranquiliers and the rest of the Young Avengers join the fight against Iron Man and the pro-registration heroes.

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.