After years without a proper reunion the beloved team of superheroes Young Avengers, now much older and more established in the Marvel Universe, are finally being reunited by their original leader Iron Lad, a variant of Kang the Conqueror, in the pages of Marvel's Voices: Young Avengers Infinity Comic. The new 6-part limited series written by pop critic Anthony Oliveira will delve deep into past and future Marvel Cosmic lore as Iron Lad uses the intense power of the M'Kraan Crystal to rewrite reality and save the universe from a future Doctor Doom.
The Young Avengers, first introduced in 2005 in the wake of the Avengers Disassembled event, are some of Marvel's most popular heroes of all time, and fans of the team have been clamoring for their reunion since their official disbandment at the end of Kieron Gillen's Young Avengers Vol. 2. If anyone is wondering why the Young Avengers story is part of the "Marvel's Voices" line, it is because the Young Avengers team written by Kieron Gillen was made up almost entirely of LGBTQ+ heroes: Hulkling, Wiccan, Noh-Varr, Speed, Prodigy, America Chavez, and Kid Loki, with Kate Bishop's Hawkeye being the "token straight" teammate.
Marvel's Voices: Young Avengers Infinity Comic #5 - written by Anthony Oliveira with gorgeous art by Jethro Morales and coloring by the talented late artist Dijjo Lima - begins with the reintroduction of Iron Lad, a character with deep and confusing continuity lore who is the younger self of the villainous Kang the Conqueror, returned to the past to stop himself from ever becoming Kang, who was last seen as part of the multiversal Exiles team, but also potentially became evil himself as Kid Immortus. Regardless, the story follows Iron Lad in the far flung future, which references a long term galactic alliance between the Shi'ar Empire and the X-Men's planet of Arakko, as he fights against a future version of Doctor Doom who has just destroyed the Council of Kang's base of Chronopolis. Just as Iron Lad is going to be killed by Doom he manages to get close enough to steal the M'Kraan Crystal, a powerful object connected to the Phoenix capable of rewriting reality, to send a message to the only people in the universe he trust: The Young Avengers. When asked by Marvel what fans and readers can expect from this already exciting story Oliveira and Morales had this to say:
ANTHONY OLIVEIRA: Events transpire! Protagonists and antagonists clash! Scenes follow, one after another, though not always in order! And we will learn what power cannot do, and what forgiveness can. People are certainly very excited for the Young Avengers to be back, and absolutely no one more than me! But the years since have changed them, I think. These characters have been off on their own adventures for a while, and I wanted to really get to know them again. So for each of the characters we got, I tried to think really hard about the story each of them needs right now, and did my best to give it to them. If you don’t know these heroes this is a great chance to befriend them; if you do, I think it will feel like catching up with an old best friend.
JETHRO MORALES: The fans can expect a lot of heartfelt moments with tons of action and fun in every panel and page throughout the arc. And, as one of the artists, I gave it my all to convey visually all the emotions and excitement masterfully written by Anthony that I hope the fans will appreciate.
Marvel's Voices: Young Avengers Infinity Comic #5 utilizes the Marvel Infinity Comics vertical scroll to great effect, with Oliveira stating in an interview with Marvel that the format aligned with the theme of the series, "What if something wonderful and powerful and terrifying were hurtling ever downward, across space and time, towards a destination as uncertain as it is inevitable?" As Iron Lad throws the M'Kraan into the time stream a gorgeous scrolling panel highlights the members of the Young Avengers who will feature in the upcoming issues, with Hulkling, Wiccan, Speed, Prodigy, America, Kate, and Nadia Pym (The Wasp) all being impacted, with Kid Loki, Patriot, and Cassie Lang being notable absent. The new Doom, a man named Kristoff Vernard - who calls himself "the rightful heir of Victor Von Doom - warns Iron Lad that the Crystal will "pierce and cauterize their lives like a hot needle," already evident by the fact that the M'Kraan has appeared to Wiccan and Hulkling and brought forth a tragic and vulnerable from Teddy's past.
Fans of the Young Avengers had not had a proper reunion of the beloved team in ages, but because of the machinations of the young Kang the Conqueror the team may finally be forced to team up again, and save the fate of the multiverse from the future's Doctor Doom.
Marvel's Voices: Young Avengers Infinity Comic #5 is now available for readers who subscribe to Marvel's Unlimited app.
Source: Marvel