Nick Peron

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Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways #2

Nick Peron

Credits

Civil War continues from Wolverine (vol. 3) #45…

SHIELD Director Maria Hill has come to the Cube super-max prison to meet with the warden. She has enlisted his aid in helping her agency track down and capture the Runaways, a group of young superhumans who have failed to register under the Super Human Registration Act (SHRA).[1] Briefed on the situation he tells her that she metaphorically needs a maggot to root out superhumans in the Los Angeles area and he has the perfect candidate. He shows her a containment chamber that contains Noh-Varr, aka Marvel Boy, a Kree super soldier enhanced with insect DNA.[2]

Meanwhile, the Young Avengers — Patriot (Eli Bradley), Hulkling (Teddy Altman), Wiccan (Billy Kaplan), Stature (Cassie Lang), Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), Vision, and Speed (Tommy Shephard) — have tracked down the Runaways — Karoline Dean, Molly Hayes, Victor Mancha, Nico Minoru, Chase Stein, and Xavin — to their hideout beneath the La Brer Tar Pits. They have come to help the youths get evade SHIELD arrest. However, they were confused as enemies by Molly, forcing the Young Avengers to knock her out. The Runaways are furious that they hurt their youngest member, but before a fight can break out the Vision phases through the wall over the injured Victor Mancha. The proximity of both in the same room cause both artificial beings to start shorting out.

As the Young Avengers try to go to the Vision’s aid, the Runaways try to block their path.[3][4][5] While the others are busy fighting, Stature manages to pull the Vision away from Victor. However, her friend doesn’t know what’s happening to either of them. That’s when Patriot stays his hand the hand of Nico and tells her that the fight is getting out of hand. He says that all the grown up heroes are fighting they should be showing a better example. Nico agrees and uses her Staff of One to cast a spell that makes everyone stop fighting.

At that moment, the warden of the Cube and Marvel Boy are being shipped east. Along the way he is in contact with Maria Hill. He explains that Noh-Varr was linked to a hive mind before his capture. While in captivity, the warden killed the intelligence because it was too dangerous and then conditioned Noh to respond to him as though he is that hive mind. Hill doesn’t care about the details she just wants results. Since there is a Skrull among the runaways and given the Kree’s hatred of them, the warden implants a Skrull scent up Noh-Varr’s nose before kicking him into a landing ship to begin his hunt for the Runaways.

Back in La Brer, the Young Avengers and Runaways have finally stopped fighting. Patriot explains that they came to help the Runaways after Victor was injured while they were fleeing SHIELD. The Vision says that something about their programming — since both the Vision and Victor were created by the evil robot known as Ultron — is causing their strange reactions to one another.[6] While the Young Avengers and Runaways try to puzzle this out, Molly wakes up and becomes infatuated with Speed. Particularly when he tells her that he has the ability to blow things up by speeding up the kinetic energy. Meanwhile, the Young Avengers suggest the Runaways return to New York with them so they can use the resources of Captain America’s “Secret Avengers” to repair Victor. The Runaways are against this idea since it was Steve Rogers who tried to split them all up in the past.[7] The idea of choosing a side in this civil war also doesn’t sit well with them.

Meanwhile, Marvel Boy crash lands in Los Angeles, wrecking a car and trapping a baby inside the vehicle. The warden tells him to save the child before going hunting down the Skrull in the Runaway’s party.

As the hunt begins, the Young Avengers and Runaways continue to bond but are not ready to trust one another. Xavin learns that Hulkling is actually Dorrek VIII the great unifier that is supposed to bring order to the Skrull empire. Teddy says that he managed to skirt taking over the Skrull Empire, upsetting Xavin whose people have been in fractured for quite some time.[8] Suddenly, they are ambushed by Marvel Boy who grabs Xavin and snaps their neck. Holding Xavin’s seemingly dead body, Noh-Varr asks who is next.[9]

… Civil War continues in Cable & Deadpool #31.

Recurring Characters

Young Avengers (Patriot, Hulkling, Wiccan, Stature, Hawkeye, Vision, Speed), Runaways (Karolina Dean, Molly Hayes, Victor Mancha, Nico Minoru, Chase Stein, Xavin, Old Lace), SHIELD (Maria Hill), Marvel Boy

Continuity Notes

  1. The SHRA is a law that requires superhumans to register with the government. It came into power after a superhuman conflict claimed hundreds of lives in Stamford, Connecticut, see Civil War #1-3. It will remain a law until Siege #4. The Runaways ran afoul of the law last issue.

  2. Marvel Boy has been imprisoned in the Cube following the events of Marvel Boy (vol. 2) #1-6.

  3. Hulkling and Wiccan confuse Xavin with the Super-Skrull (Kl’rt) who they had just recently fought in Young Avengers #9-12.

  4. Speed mentions his team includes a Skrull/Kree super-soldier and a robot from the 30th Century. He is referring to Hulkling (per Young Avengers #9-12) and the Vision (per Young Avengers #1-6). Chase counters this by saying that he was given Old Lace as a gift. He was given the mental link with the dinosaur previously shared by Gert Yorkies before her death in Runaways (vol. 2) #18. She’ll be resurrected in Runaways (vol. 5) #1.

  5. Karolina mentions that she is betrothed to Xavin. See Runaways (vol. 2) #6-7.

  6. The relationship between Ultron, Vision, and Victor is complicated. Let’s break it down:

    • Ultron is the rogue creation of Hank Pym (aka Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Golaith, and Yellowjacket) who first appeared in Avengers #54.

    • Ultron created the Vision by repurposing the body of the original android Human Torch, however the Vision betrayed Ultron and became an Avengers ally ever since. See Avengers #56-57 and 134.

    • During one of Ultron’s battles with the Avengers (Avengers West Coast #89-91), his body was dumped in a landfill where his severed head was found by Marinaella Mancha. In thanks for helping rebuild his body, he used a combination of her DNA and cybernetics to give her a son, as will be explained in Runaways (vol. 2) #6.

    • More recently, when the original Vision was destroyed (Avengers #500), his data was downloaded into Iron Lad’s neruo-kinetic armor to help gather the Young Avengers to stop his future self, Kang the Conqueror. In the end, Iron Lad had to return to his own time, but he left the armor behind which had become sentient in this current incarnation of the Vision, as seen in Young Avengers #1-6. The original Vision will eventually be repaired in Avengers (vol. 4) #19.

  7. After the Runaways defeated the Pride (a criminal organization consisting of their own parents), Captain America tried to have them all placed in foster homes. They, as their names suggest, ran away. See Runaways #18.

  8. The Skrull Empire has been fractured since Galactus consumed their home world back in Fantastic Four #257. More recently, the Skrull galaxy is laid to waste by the Negative Zone’s Annihilation Wave. See Annihilation: Prologue #1 and Annihilation #1-6.

  9. Xavin isn’t killed as a Skrull can easily bounce back from a broken neck as we will see in Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways #4.

Topical References

  • Nico sarcastically refers to Cassie as Paris Hilton. Hilton was a blonde haired media personality who was at the height of her popularity at the time this series was published. She was best known for being the heiress to the Hilton hotel chain, her role in the reality TV show The Simple Life (which aired from 2003-2007) as well as an infamous sex tape. Attitudes were critical of her at the time, ranging from believing she was a vapid nepo-baby or judging her on her sex life, hence why Nico is evoking her name in a disparaging fashion here. That said, this should be considered a topical reference as this kind of gross celebrity gossip endures and a more contemporary person could be used in Hilton’s place.

  • When commenting on Nico’s “just chill” spell, Chase says that she turned their hideout into Hoth and that he was looking at Old Lace like she was a Taunton. These are references to the Star Wars franchise, specifically the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back. This film features a scene where the series protagonist, Luke Skywalker (played by actor Mark Hamill) spent time on the frozen planet called Hoth. Trapped outside during a blizzard, he cut open his Taunton (a domesticated creature that is ridden like a horse) in order to climb into its body to keep warm for the night. This would be considered a topical reference, however, since Disney owns both Marvel and Star Wars this would now be an instance of brand synergy.

Errors

  • Hawkeye states that the Vision’s technology comes from the 60th Century, he actually originated from the 30th, she likely misspoke or was being hyperbolic.

  • Xavin refers to Teddy as Dorrek VII, that’s actually the name of his grandfather. Teddy is actually the 7th in the line of Dorreks.

Civil War Reading Order

Road to Civil War: Amazing Spider-Man #529, 530, 531, Fantastic Four #536, 537, New Avengers: Illuminati #1

Main Event: Civil War #1, She-Hulk (vol. 2) #8, Wolverine (vol. 3) #42, Amazing Spider-Man #532, Civil War: Front Line #1

Civil War #2, Thunderbolts #103, Civil War: Front Line #2, X-Factor (vol. 3) #8, New Avengers #21, Wolverine (vol. 3) #43, Amazing Spider-Man #533, Fantastic Four #538, Civil War: Front Line #3, Thunderbolts #104, Civil War: X-Men #1

Civil War #3, Cable & Deadpool #30, Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways #1, Civil War: Front Line #4, X-Factor (vol. 3) #9, New Avengers #22, Wolverine (vol. 3) #44, Amazing Spider-Man #534, Fantastic Four #539, Civil War: Front Line #5, Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #6, Civil War: X-Men #2, Heroes for Hire (vol. 2) #1, New Avengers #23, Wolverine (vol. 3) #45, Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways #2, Cable & Deadpool #31, Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #7, Civil War: X-Men #3

Civil War #4, Wolverine (vol. 3) #46, Heroes for Hire (vol. 2) #2, Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways #3, Civil War: Front Line #6, Captain America (vol. 5) #22, Cable & Deadpool #32, Amazing Spider-Man #535, Civil War: Choosing Sides #1, Fantastic Four #540, Civil War: Front Line #7, Civil War: X-Men #4, Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #8, Wolverine (vol. 3) #47, Heroes for Hire (vol. 2) #3, Captain America (vol. 5) #23, New Avengers #24

Civil War #5, Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways #4, Iron Man (vol. 4) #13, New Avengers #25, Punisher: War Journal (vol. 2) #1, Civil War: Front Line #8, Amazing Spider-Man #536, Black Panther (vol. 4) #22, Captain America (vol. 5) #24, Civil War: War Crimes #1, Civil War: Front Line #9, Iron Man (vol. 4) #14, Fantastic Four #541, Black Panther (vol. 4) #23, Punisher: War Journal (vol. 2) #2

Civil War #6, Civil War: Front Line #10, Amazing Spider-Man #537, Fantastic Four #542, Civil War: The Return #1, Punisher: War Journal (vol. 2) #3, Black Panther (vol. 4) #24

Civil War #7, Amazing Spider-Man #538, Civil War: Front Line #11, Black Panther (vol. 4) #25, Civil War: The Initiative #1, Iron Man: Director of SHIELD #15, Mighty Avengers #1, Captain America (vol. 5) #25, Civil War: The Confession #1, Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Fantastic Four #543-544, Avengers: The Initiative #1