Riri Williams arrives in the MCU in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Her story carries over into the upcoming Ironheart Disney+ streaming series and probably beyond. Marvel Comics fans know Ironheart joined the revamped Champions team in 2016 alongside other iconic young superheroes in a likely preview of things to come in live-action.
Ironheart joined forces with new rising stars like Miles Morales and Ms. Marvel but The Champions' legacy goes back much further. The original team first appeared in the 1970s with a different roster but one that could still come into play in the MCU thanks to another recent screen debut in Hercules.
The Champions Started As An Unusual Team
Most superhero teams in Marvel Comics come together around an organizing principle, like the X-Men or Fantastic Four. The original Champions mostly include characters who had been displaced from other books at the time. This includes Angel and Iceman, among the most powerful X-Men on the original team, Ghost Rider, Black Widow, and Hercules.
Comic book fans know Hercules started as a Thor villain in the Silver Age but became a hero relatively quickly. He ostensibly led the original team at the outset, though this didn't last long. Black Widow took over leadership duties in issue #5.
The First Champions Issue Was Going To Be Giant-Size
The letter column printed in The Champions #6 reveals that the first issue, published in 1975, was originally intended to be in the Giant-Size format. These larger, magazine-sized issues proved popular in the mid-1970s, perhaps none more so than Giant-Size X-Men #1, among the most important comic books ever. Printing difficulties relegated The Champions to standard comic book size.
Production delays plagued the original Champions run, interrupting its momentum with fans and playing a part in its relatively quick cancelation after only seventeen issues in early 1978.
Black Goliath Unofficially Joined The Champions
Several Marvel heroes stood a chance to join the team when writer Tony Isabella and artist Don Heck assembled the roster. Black Goliath counted among them but didn't make the cut. The giant superhero appeared in issue #11, unofficially joining the team and adding another important milestone to Marvel's increasing diversity in the 1970s.
At the time, few Black superheroes existed in comics, though that was changing. Isabella also co-created Black Lightning with Trevor von Eeden. Comic fans know Black Lighting became DC Comics' first major Black superhero.
The Champions Broke Up In 1978
The Champions survived their title ending, but not for long. The team disbanded in Spectacular Spider-Man #17 in 1978, with the comic seeming to take some digs at the group's premise. Angel recounts their breakup to Spider-Man, saying that the idea they fought for the 'common man,' their stated intent, never made any sense.
The group included Hercules, who stands with the most powerful Olympian gods, as well as the millionaire Angel. The team's lack of identity and poor interpersonal dynamics doomed them.
A New Champions Team Formed In 2016
A new Champions team formed in 2016 following the disastrous fallout from Civil War II. These heroes, including former Avenger Ms. Marvel, decided to fight on their own terms after losing faith in their older idols. The team initially included Viv Vision, Nova, a young Cyclops, Amadeus Cho as the Hulk, and Miles Morales, a powerful Spider-Man variant from Earth-1610.
Their early adventures included participating in the Monsters Unleashed storyline, where they fight giant monsters who descend upon the entire world seemingly from out of the sky.
Ironheart Joins The Champions
Ironheart initially flies solo from her first appearances in Marvel Comics. She joins the team after they extend an invitation in Invincible Iron Man #6. She quickly becomes an essential member, providing firepower, ingenuity, and hopeful optimism that the former Avengers Ms. Marvel and Nova sorely need.
With Ms. Marvel and Ironheart both in the MCU, the odds favor a Champions Disney+ series or movie going into production in the near future. Viv Vision, The Vision's android daughter, could potentially appear in the rumored Vision Quest series.
Could The Champions Fight Blackheart In The MCU?
The Champions could form in live-action as soon as the Ironheart streaming series. A chance exists at least as they fought Blackheart, Mephisto's son, and a powerful demon, in the comics. Rumors indicate Sasha Baron Cohen will play Mephisto, among the most powerful magical beings in Marvel Comics, in the Ironheart series.
Blackheart potentially makes a great foil for The Champions to face in an early screen outing. The villain sows dissension and doubt among people, and those conflicts could help explore character and also form strong bonds.
The Champions Appeared In The Secret Empire Crossover Event
The Champions get their first major test in Secret Empire, a massive crossover event that saw Hydra take over the United States. They did this thanks to a shocking Marvel Comics retcon that revealed Steve Rogers had been a Hydra agent all along. Black Widow enlisted The Champions to help her take him down.
Black Widow intends to kill the evil Steve Rogers, but The Champions, keeping to their original mandate, waffle on the violence and warfare that their older peers demand.
Thanos Demolished The Champions In Infinity Countdown
The Champions face an even greater threat in Thanos during the Infinity Countdown storyline. Thanos, perhaps the most powerful Marvel Comics villain when at his peak, demolishes the team with little effort. He shatters Ironheart's armor after he uses the team to help him defeat the Warbringer, his enemy.
The violent encounter with Thanos left Ironheart traumatized. The team splintered in many ways after this battle, but she helped bring them back together to keep fighting for others.
The Champions Became Outlawed
In Ms. Marvel, Damage Control harassed Kamala Khan and her community. The ingredients for Outlawed, a significant Champions comic book storyline, appear to be in place as a result. This story saw teenage superheroes outlawed in the United States after a battle leaves Ms. Marvel injured.
The team refuses to go along with the law, leading to an epic battle with C.R.A.D.L.E., the government agency dedicated to monitoring and mitigating underage superhuman activity. This storyline brings together many elements and characters in a way that seems ripe for the MCU.