Nick Peron

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Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways #4

Nick Peron

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Civil War continues from Civil War #5…

Amid the superhero civil war, the Young Avengers — Patriot (Eli Bradly), Hulkling (Teddy Altman), Wiccan (Billy Kaplan), Stature (Cassie Lang), Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), Vision, and Speed (Tommy Sherphard) — had travelled to California to help the Runaways — Karolina Dean, Molly Hayes, Victor Mancha, Nico Minoru, Chase Stein, Xavin, and Old Lace — who had run afoul of SHIELD for being unregistered.[1] The two groups were then ambushed by Marvel Boy (Noh-Var) who had been enslaved by the warden of the Cube. He managed to capture Karolina, Xavin, Hulkling, and Wiccan and brought them back to the Cube for vivisection at the hands of his captor.[2]

The warden has started by trying to examine Hulkling, but unfortunately for him, the Skrull/Kree hybrid’s natural shapeshifting powers keep moving vital organs out of harms way. Wiccan tries to cast a spell to free everyone, but because they don’t work since the warden put on deafening headphones on him. As it turns out, his magic spells require him to hear what he is trying to cast. That’s when the warden is interrupted because there is a problem with Noh-Varr that requires his attention. When the assistant notices Xavin slumped down on the floor they are dead from a broken neck and asks if they should dispose of the body. The warden vetos that idea, as Xavin’s corpse is causing Karolina some distress, much to his glee.[3]

In the next room, the scientists tell the warden that they have been unsuccessful in removing the harm imbedded in his chest.[4] The foreign object is causing a negative reaction with the nanites in Noh’s bloodstream and they need authorization to use a phase cutter to remove it. The warden nixes this idea as well as he is more interested in seeing what will happen. Before leaving, he mocks Marvel Boy for having the audacity of vowing to take over the Cube and turning it to the capital of a new Kree Empire.[5]

Meanwhile, the rest of the Young Avengers and Runaways are outside the Cube trying to figure out a strategy to get in and rescue their friends. As Patriot, Nico, Chase, Hawkeye, and Vision scout the area, Speed keeps Molly pre-occupied. Tommy is annoyed that Old Lace — the Runaway’s pet dinosaur — keeps on trying to mark its territory on him. Molly explains that the dinosaur is mentally linked to Chase and is acting out Stein’s dislike of Speed. When asked why Chase bosses Molly around like a parent, Molly explains that he used to be fun until their friend Gert died.[6] Victor Mancha, who was injured by SHIELD, struggles to hear what the plan is. This prompts Stature to come to his side to remind him he can’t get close to the Vision or else their mutual Ultron code will cause them both to go haywire.[7] The Vision notices this and becomes visibly jealous when Victor calls her his guardian angel.[8]

Despite this distraction, the Vision figures that he can hack into the Cube’s security system using the same technique that his predecessor used to briefly take control of all the computers on Earth.[9] Before they enter, Nico bites her finger until it bleeds so she can summon the Staff of One. She then asks the Vision to be her thesaurus since the staff can only cast a specifically worded spell once and her vocabulary is limited.

While the Young Avengers and Runaways break into the Cube, the warden takes his private lab off the grid so he can work in secret uninterrupted. He continues to toy with Hulkling in front of Wiccan in the hopes of forcing the youth to abandon his morality and start trying to cast a spell to kill him instead of merely put him to sleep. When their friends smash their way into the facility the guards order Noh-Varr be reactivated to deal with the intruders. Meanwhile, back inside the private lab, the warden is still gloating about how he was able to manipulate Wiccan. What he doesn’t expect is Xavin getting up, having healed their broken neck. After freeing Karolina from her bonds, Xavin then goes into Super-Skrull form to show the warden the true face of war. However, before Xavin can kill the warden, Hulkling stays his hand, saying that the Young Avengers don’t kill. Karolina then convinces Xavin to stand down.[10]

Outside, the Young Avengers and Runaways clash with the guards when they are suddenly attacked by Marvel Boy again. Molly gets injured protecting Old Lace from Noh-Varr, prompting Chase to rush to her side. She is fine but Chase promises that he will always look out for her. She knows this, saying that Chase is like a big brother to her. Furious at Noh-Varr for hurting his friend, Chase stands his ground against the Kree soldier. To give him the necessary firepower to fight Marvel Boy, the Vision uses his neuro-kinetic body to encase Stein in a suit of armor. As the two fight it out, Victor Mancha crawls into the Cube, now that his legs are functional again. When Stature tells him to stay away from Vision so their Ultron code doesn’t screw each other up, he tells her that’s exactly what he wants to do.

Sure enough, when Victor gets close enough to the Vision both start to go haywire. This also causes Noh-Varr agony since the Vision’s arm is still imbedded in his chest. This knocks Marvel Boy out and allows the Vision to finally recover his missing appendage. With their friends now free, the Young Avengers and Runaways make their retreat. Soon, the warden gets the Cube back under control, but when he issues orders to Noh-Varr, he discovers that the Kree is no longer under his control.

Meanwhile, when the Young Avengers and Runaways get to safety they begin saying their goodbyes. Speed tells Chase to go easier on Molly in the future, since she looks up to him. As Stature is saying goodbye to Victor Mancha, Chase suddenly finds her incredibly attractive all of a sudden. The Vision says that this is psychic feedback from their brief union and Chase suddenly realizes that the Vision loves Cassie and just how lonely he is inside. While Hulkling and Xavin have a moment together. While watching Karolina, Xavin thanks Teddy for talking him out of killing the warden, as it would have lost them the love of the one they hold dearest to their heart. Xavin then admits that perhaps Dorrek VIII will be the savior of his people after all. Lastly, the Patriot asks Nico if she and the rest of the Runaways want to return to New York with them to join the anti-registration movement. She turns it down, saying that her group is in no hurry to become grown-ups. In her experience it tends to make you lose sight of what’s right and wrong. In the end, her team will do what they always do: run away.

Back at the Cube, SHIELD Director Maria Hill tries to get in touch with the warden but he won’t answer her calls. This is because has become the footstool to Noh-Varr who, now that he is in full control of himself, intends to continue his plans to make this prison the capital of the new Kree empire.[11]

… Civil War continues in Iron Man (vol. 4) #13.

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), Marvel Boy, SHIELD (Maria Hill)

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.

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

  3. Xavin’s neck was snapped by Marvel Boy in issue #2. The reason Karolina is so upset over this is because she is betrothed to marry Xavin as told in Runaways (vol. 2) #6-7.

  4. This arm belongs to the Vision, who had it snapped off his body when he tried phasing his hand through Noh-Varr’s chest last issue.

  5. Noh-Varr made this bold claim in Marvel Boy (vol. 2) #7.

  6. Gert Yorkes, a founding member of the Runaways, was killed in battle in Runaways (vol. 2) #18. However, she will be resurrected in Runaways (vol. 5) #1.

  7. 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.

  8. The Vision is jealous here because he shares the memories of his creator Iron Lad, who was romantically interested in Cassie upon their meeting, as seen in Young Avengers #1-6. The Vision shares these same feelings and will not articular them to Cassie until Young Avengers Presents #4.

  9. The original Vision once took over Earth’s computers back in Avengers #243 and had to be talked out of it by his teammates. This Vision is not the original, but downloaded his memory as told in Young Avengers #3. Here, the new Vision states that he was creating fail safes to prevent himself from doing the same thing, as revealed in Young Avengers #9.

  10. Xavin refers to Teddy as the savior of the Skrull race. As per Young Avengers #9-12, Hulkling is the son of Skrull Princess Anelle and the Kree Captain Marvel. He is also next in the royal line of the Skrull throne, a responsibility he does not want.

  11. Noh-Varr’s ambitions will be interrupted by the Skrull invasion of Earth. For how that impacts him see Secret Invasion #1, 6-8, Secret Invasion: Who Do You Trust? #1, and Mighty Avengers #19.

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