Each generation must make a name for themselves, sometimes that’s by taking inspiration from the one before it. The Young Avengers were originally made when things were at their worst for the Avengers. Sometimes it takes the next generation to remind us why we do what we do. So who are the Young Avengers and what’s this about a dark time for the Avengers? Let’s find out!
The Avengers has disbanded, one of their villains had used their own dead members against them and they lost more members because of this. The Avengers Mansion was left empty, more as a graveyard than anything else. No Avengers meant there was a vacuum of who could take up the role of a heroic team carrying on the title. So a time traveling kid-who-would-be-Kang decides to take advantage of this time to make a new life for himself.
Kang the Conqueror is a long-time foe of the Avengers, a despot from the future who wanted to take over the past. He thought of a new plan, to rescue his younger self from an attack that would set him on his path of villainy and instead show him of the great works he would be capable of. This did the opposite of inspiring himself, he terrified his younger self, but he kept it quiet. The elder Kang gave the younger his own time travel tech, wishing him to start their life of villainy sooner than he originally had. Young Kang, Nathaniel Richards, would take this tech and his own education and travel to when he knew the Avengers could help him.
There were no Avengers in the year he had gone, though. Knowing that there were young people, like him, with powers and a desire to do good, Nathaniel got to work. He would gather the grandson of the first Captain America to become Patriot, one of the sons of Scarlet Witch to become Wiccan, a shapeshifter child of the Super Skrull to take on the appearance of a young Hulkling. Nathanial took on the moniker, Iron Lad, using his tech to look like a young Iron Man. They would eventually be joined by the highly skilled and wealthy new Hawkeye and the daughter of Ant-Man, to become the size changing Stature.
The team would draw the attention of the former Avengers who thought a group of teens fighting crime without any adult supervision was a problem waiting to happen. Even though the kids would actually be able to take down Kang the Conqueror who would return to stop his younger self but be killed by Nathaniel. Only once the team realized that some other threat was stopped by Kang at some point, one that would kill most heroes, he would be forced to quit the team and return to ensure Kang would happen. Time went back to normal but the Young Avengers were down a teammate.
The team would continue to fight crime even with the original Avengers wishing they would stop or get their parents’ permission first. It would take many more adventures for the elder Avengers to finally accept that these kids weren’t going to go away easily and even offered them gifts such as the original Hawkeye’s bow. Fun fact, the bow Clint Barton uses is supposedly a 250 lbs. pull bow, to give a comparison, the world record holder in our world for heaviest draw pull is 200 lbs. Strong archers in the Marvel universe.
Many of their adventures who have the kids learning more about their own family histories and even gaining new members and team ups. During the hero civil war, they would get arrested for working against registration. They’d eventually be let go and get caught up in the Skrull invasion and the attack of Asgard. Things would go badly when Doctor Doom would end up killing Stature, causing the team to disband in despair but before they do, are all made official Avengers members.
It would be a few years before some of the team would reunite. This time because of Kid Loki, a young reborn Loki who needed to work together with young heroes. Honest. Gathering Hawkeye, Hulkling, Speed, and Wiccan as well as new members Marvel Boy, Miss America, and Prodigy, the team would end up facing off against several foes. The main threat being an extra-dimensional entity who could transform adults into monstrosities of the team ever went near them. Kid Loki would use their powers to help fuel a ritual to age himself to that of a twenty something who had to leave the team to protect them. They were on the run and trying to figure out a way to stop their enemy and would be able to bring in help to finally put an end to the danger and with that, they would disband, no longer needing the team for this mission. Instead, staying in touch as friends with one another.
There you have it! The Young Avengers have been a strong show for Marvel to having their own teen hero team to rival the Teen Titans. While it’s not nearly as active or big a roster, they do bring a lot to the table. Some of the team have been animated or appeared in films without powers, but who knows what the future may bring? See you next time!
Suggested Reading
Young Avengers
Civil War: Young Avengers/Runaways
Young Avengers: The Children’s Crusade
Dr. Bustos
drbustos@comicattack.net
