- —Nova
Appearing in 1st story
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Justice (Vance Astrovik) (Mentioned)
- Arnold Astrovik (Mentioned) (Deceased)
- Wither (Kevin Ford) (Mentioned)
- Trevor Ford (Mentioned) (Deceased)
- Jose (First appearance)
- Lola (First appearance)
- Jamilah
- Chicago Police Department
- Xavier King
- Thor (Odinson) (Drawing)
- N.A.T.A.L.I.E. (Mentioned)
- Wasp (Nadia Van Dyne) (Mentioned)
- Iron Man (Tony Stark) (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Earth
- United States of America
- Illinois
- M.I.T., Cambridge, Massachusetts (Mentioned)
- C.R.A.D.L.E. Re-education Center
- United States of America
- Hell (Invoked)
Items:
- Kamala's Law (Mentioned)
- Biokinetic Polymer Suit
- Nova Helmet
- Spider-Man's Suit and Web-Shooters
- Mjolnir (Drawing)
Synopsis for 1st story
Fernanda Rodriguez (Locust), Amka Aliyak (Snowguard), Lana Baumgartner (Bombshell), Tiana Toomes (Starling) who are arrested by C.R.A.D.L.E. are in a classroom in a Re-education Centre with other presumably-powered teens with cuffs also-presumably to neutralize their powers. A teacher is trying to indoctrinate them to become 'safe' citizens.
She mentions C.R.A.D.L.E. Lieutenant Vance Astrovik (Justice) and mutant Kevin Ford (Wither) who killed their own fathers with their powers. She claims that it wasn't their fault. It was society that didn't do enough to protect them from using their powers. She tries to get everyone to chant a mantra "Safety is everyone's responsibility" but gets no response. Teacher tells them that their next assignment will be an essay on the subject "Most teen super-heroes unintentionally murder their loved ones. But Tiana responds with an insult and Fernanada laughs.
The teacher tells them they'll never be let out until they learn respect. Inuit Amka says her people know about places like this called Residential Schools. Lana says her great-grandmother was murdered in a Re-education And Rehabilitation Camp. Amka breaks her bonds and manifests her wings so the teacher calls in help. Timeslip arrives with some C.R.A.D.L.E. troops. Teach asks for Butterfly Protocol for Level 10 Adjustment for Bombshell and Snowguard. Suddenly the pair are gone. Fernanda asks what happened to them. Timeslip explains that she went back in time to before Amka went super and removed them both. Teacher says they're all here until they learn how not to be dangerous and resistant.
In Downtown Chicago there's a protest against Kamala's Law. One protester tells a reporter that the Law is being used as an excuse for a crackdown on teens that as usual is aimed disproportionately at minorities. A spokesperon takes up the same theme and says she fears oppressive authority more than superheroes. But then rival protesters supporting Kamala's Law butt in. Their speaker is against the romanticizing of vigilantism and the creation of child soldiers. He introduces Jamilah who has come from New York to tell the crowd that she witnessed the Coles disaster too close for comfort. The gathering degenerates into a scuffle and the police try to break it up. Carolina Washington arrives with C.R.A.D.L.E. troops to arrest the anti-Law ringleaders for inciting vigilante violence.
Ms Marvel (Kamala Khan), Nova (Sam Alexander) and Spider-Man (Miles Morales) are watching from a rooftop. Ms. Marvel brought them here to watch for trouble like this. Nova thinks they should go down and stop them arresting people. Spider-Man doesn't know what they can do which won't make things worse. Ms. Marvel rings Chicago's teen heroine Ironheart on the secure Champions phone but gets no answer. Sam can't wait and rockets down and the others reluctantly follow him to keep him out of trouble. Nova tells everyone to vacate the area but a pro-Law protester throws a can at him. C.R.A.D.L.E. move in to arrest the Champions.
Ironheart's Champions phone is in her deserted and cleaned out lab. Riri Williams herself is at home eating cereal and ignoring the news about the riot. Her mother Ronnie is about to leave for work but tries to get her daughter to go to the lab. The Law may stop her being Ironheart but it can't stop her being a scientist. Riri says there's no point, but we notice she can't stop tinkering with household gadgets. A bit later her friend Xavier King comes to the house to ask her out to a free movie in the park but she turns him down.
Then the doorbell rings again and it's the Champions on the run from CRADLE. Riri tries to get them to leave but they tell her that the meeting she sent her AI NATALIE to was raided. Someone ratted on them and Ms. Marvel suspects Riri, who responds that she's figured out that Ms. Marvel is Kamala. And she also blames her for not being there to make the leadership decisions when Riri had to organize the operation which killed her friend Viv. Kamala apologizes.
Sam says they still need to do something, but Riri says her own public identity means that she can't risk getting her mom into trouble. Also being Champions has already got Bombshell, Locust, Snowguard and Wasp taken who knows where. Sam reminds Riri that she could be exempt from the Law if she had an approved mentor, ie Iron Man. So he figures she just doesn't want to be Ironheart and a Champion. After all she can just be Riri Williams, girl genius. But she still asks them to leave. However her tablet beeps a warning that C.R.A.D.L.E. are here and she activates something on her wrist that armors her up, putting the lie to Nova's idea that she given up being Ironheart.
Miles away Viv Vision in a holographic disguise remotely urges them to surrender and be safe. But she sees them come out fighting. Then she gets back on a bus to somewhere else. She's made friends with a woman and child on the journey, and the woman hopes she's running to something rather than away from things because otherwise the running never stops.
Solicit Synopsis
• When clashing protests over the teen vigilante ban break out across Chicago, the Champions risk their freedom to protect the young protestors from overzealous C.R.A.D.L.E. agents — but Chicago’s own hometown hero, Ironheart, is nowhere to be seen.
• Where is Riri Williams? Why has she abandoned the Champions? And could it have anything to do with the mole in their ranks…?