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Avengers Academy

Writer: Christos Gage
Artist: Mike Mckone

The Avengers Initiative was a great idea. Camp Hammond was a place where young or undisciplined heroes could go to hone their powers and become forces for good. Except when it was being run by Norman Osborne and Taskmaster! Now that the Initiative has been dissolved, a new institution has been put in its place. Avengers Academy, where young, new heroes will be trained by veteran Avengers such as Justice and Quicksilver, is a step in the right direction for the new Heroic Age. The team of new recruits for the academy are brand new characters, save Reptil. They will be the trainees in the program, each having their own reason and purpose for joining the academy.

Here is a list of the new trainees, and the tag-line that followed their teaser pictures, released by Marvel:

-Veil : “I know my powers will kill me… if I live that long.”
-Fortress: ” I don’t want your pity. I want your respect.”
-Striker: ” I don’t want the spotlight. I am the spotlight.”
-Finesse: ” I can do anything you can do better.”
-Reptil: “I refuse to let the past hurt me.”
-Hazmat: ” I am a weapon of mass destruction.”

Now, a school isn’t complete without its instructors, so here is a list of the teachers:

Henry Pym: Donning his new Wasp costume, Hank runs the academy from his secret “Infinite Mansion.” Having been one of the long time senior members of The Avengers, Hank is a perfect fit to be teaching the next generation of Avengers. Although he has had plenty of mental breakdowns in the past, it seems that as soon as Janet Van Dyne had died, he became a lot more focused, and is ready and willing to teach these young heroes. Hopefully he can keep his mind together, because his wealth of scientific knowledge and crime-fighting experience will be an asset to this academy.

Tigra: Having served as a senior member at Camp Hammond and leading the Arkansas Initiative team, Tigra is a great fit as an instructor. Also having served as a member of the East and West Coast Avengers in the past, Tigra’s seductive soft side and ferocious feline side will make a great fit as an instructor. Having recently being impregnated by the Skrull version of “Yellowjacket,” her focus to create a better world for her son is the perfect motivation for her being on the team. It will also be interesting and awkward to see how her relationship with Hank Pym plays out, seeing as she was into the Skrull version of him.

Quicksilver: Pietro was one of the stranger instructor decisions. Although he has been one of my favorite speedsters in the Marvel U, he has had a rocky past, and that is putting it lightly. His father is Magneto, he has battled against heroes just as many times as alongside them, and has instigated a war between Earth and The Inhumans. Many would consider him trouble, but with his revelation of wanting to distance himself from the image of his father Magneto, training young and inexperienced heroes to not be like his past self may make him an amazing mentor.

Justice: Justice is one of the most natural fits for his role as a teacher. Although he is young, he has spent many years fighting the good fight. He started out as a New Warrior, and graduated to Avenger. As a New Warrior he knew his role as leader, and as an Avenger he allowed himself to be taught by the senior members. During the Initiative, he was one of the first to join the cause against Norman and Camp Hammond, recruiting many other heroes to fight on his side. Hopefully his youth doesn’t hamper his ability to develop these young heroes.

Speedball: Robbie Baldwin. Speedball. Penance. Speedball again. Hopefully this disillusioned youth will finally be able to find himself while helping others. I think the fact that Robbie is now back in his Speedball outfit rather than the Penance one needs to have a little more emphasis put on it. His history with the Civil War and The Initiative are perfect life lessons for him to be teaching the young heroes, but will his formerly fractured psyche stay together in order for him to be a good leader and teacher?

One of the more “secret” titles to come out of the Heroic Age is the Secret Avengers. Next segment will look at the new team, and its members.

Mike Parente
mike@comicattack.net