Family Matters, Part 2

At Avengers Tower, the Vision is passing the time playing chess with the team’s resident butler, Edwin Jarvis.[1] The Vision wonders when he will be allowed to participate Avengers missions. Jarvis explains that Tony Stark needs to be sure that the Vision passes all the rigorous testing required. He also admits that they also want to be sure he won’t be controlled by Kang the Conqueror,[2] or do something rash like his predecessor had done in the past.[3] Vision assures him that he has taken all the necessary tests and precautions.

That’s when there is a knock at the window and they see that the Young Avengers — Patriot (Eli Bradley), Wiccan (Billy Kaplan), Stature (Cassie Lang), and Kate Bishop — have come by. Invited inside, they tell Jarvis and the Vision that their teammate Hulkling (Teddy Altman) has been captured by the Super-Skrull (Kl’rt) after learning that he might be a Skrull himself![4] Not only that, but the woman they believed was Teddy’s mother has been murdered and their apartment trashed. They ask for the New Avengers help, but are told that the team is away on a mission.[5] However, Jarvis tells them that they need to wait for him to get in touch with Tony Stark to deal with this matter and leaves the Vision to keep an eye on them.

However, the Young Avengers can’t wait around for the Avengers to come back, but realize that the five of them will not be enough to deal with the crisis at hand. That’s when the Vision suggests that they recruit more Young Avengers. Looking through the original Vision’s Avengers database, he comes upon a 16 year old named Thomas Shepherd. He is not only a speedster, but he can use his super-speed to destabilize atomic matter causing it to explode. Impressed by the sounds of this, Billy suggests they go and recruit him. When the Vision reminds them what Jarvis said, they point out that the butler only asked him to watch them, not that they weren’t allowed to leave. The idea of leaving Avengers Tower makes the Vision smile. However, before they go, Cassie asks the Vision if he is anything like his creator, Iron Lad. The Vision admits that while his personality is based on Iron Lad’s mind, he is a different person. He then offers to change his appearance if this upsets her, taking on a form similar to that of the original Vision. Cassie tells him that is a great help and as she turns to go she doesn’t see that this upsets the Vision.[6]

The Young Avengers travel to Shepherd’s location by nightfall and they are shocked to see that it is a juvenile detention center. The Vision tells them that news reports say that Thomas was arrested after allegedly destroying his school, something that his lawyers insist was an accident. After incapacitating the guard at the front gate, both Vision and Wiccan disguise themselves as facility staff. Stature also shrinks down to ant-size so she can go with them. They tell Eli and Kate to wait outside in case something happens, suggesting that Bishop come up with a codename for herself finally.[7]

Inside, the Vision leads the others to Thomas’ cell which is equipped with a power dampener. He uses his phasing powers to short out the lock, causing the door to explode. Once the smoke clears they get their first look at Thomas Shepherd, who insists they call him Tommy. Billy is shocked to see that — other than having white hair — Tommy could be his identical twin.[8] As they try to escape, they find armed guards, federal agents, and Mandroids waiting for them outside. Tommy is excited for the battle since his captors were performing tests on him in the hopes of making him a living weapon and he can now turn what he learned about his powers against them. However, when he attempts to make the scientists who tested him explode, he is stopped by Kate who tells him that the Young Avengers don’t kill. After they defeat the guards, Eli makes his reservations about Tommy joining the team. They then ask him if he wants to be a hero, or a terrorist.

Meanwhile, the Super-Skrull has gone to ground at an abandoned house that he has converted into his base of operations. He reports back to his superiors and tells them that he has secured Teddy Altman, whom he calls Dorrek VIII. Ted still doesn’t believe that he is a Skrull and Kl’rt tells him what he knows. He explains that the year that Teddy was born, he kidnapped the Avengers known as the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver along with their Kree ally Captain Marvel in an effort to win the hand of Princess Anelle. However, their leader, Dorrek VII suspected the Kl’rt was attempting to usurp control of the empire and imprisoned the Super-Skrull.[9][10] Months later, Kl’rt had heard rumors that Anelle gave birth to a child out of wed-lock. However, before it could be condemned to death, Anelle’s nurse took the child and smuggled him to Earth in the hopes of finding the boy’s father.

It appears that Teddy is starting to believe when he asks who his father was. Kl’rt ignores this, saying that Dorrek needs to return to the Skrull galaxy so he can reunify their people. When Ted refuses, the Super-Skrull begins using his hypnotic powers. However, he is interrupted when the Young Avengers come crashing in. They managed to track them down thanks to Wiccan casting a locator spell to find Teddy’s location. With the added might of Tommy and the Vision, they are able to take down the Super-Skrull. However, before they leave, Kl’rt pleads with Teddy to return home with him as his empire needs him. When they as what became of Teddy’s mother, they learned that she died when the Skrull home world was consumed by Galactus years earlier.[11] Once again, Teddy asks who his father is and before the Super-Skrull can tell him, he is shot.

The blast was fired by the leader of a team of Kree soldiers. They assure Teddy that he is safe now because the Kree empire takes care of their own!

Recurring Characters

Young Avengers (Patriot, Wiccan, Hulkling, Stature, Kate Bishop, Vision), Super-Skrull, Captain Av-Rom, “Edwin Jarvis”, (in flashback) Princess Anelle, Emperor Dorrek VII

Continuity Notes

1. This isn’t really Jarvis, but a Skrull impostor as will be revealed in Secret Invasion #1. He took the place of the real Jarv prior to New Avengers #1.

2. This is not the Vision, who was destroyed in Avengers #500. It is in fact a brand new entity that gained sentience when Iron Lad downloaded the Vision’s hard drives into his neuro-kinetic armor. His purpose was to try and stop himself from becoming Kang the Conqueror, as seen in Young Avengers #1-6. This Vision has been in Avengers custody ever since. The OG Vision will eventually be rebuilt in Avengers (vol. 4) #19.

3. They reference the time that the Vision once took over all of the world’s computers to bring about world peace. This happened in Avengers #243, until he was talked out of it by the rest of the team.

4. That happened last issue. We will learn next issue that Teddy is the son of the Skrull Princess Anelle and the Kree Captain Marvel. He was conceived between the events of Avengers #92 and 93. This will be confirmed next issue.

5. This story happens around the time that the New Avengers were dealing with the Sentry circa New Avengers #7-10 and Hydra in Amazing Spider-Man #519-523.

6. Cassie and Iron Lad hit it off during the Young Avengers first mission. However, the two were forced to split when Nathaniel returned to his own time. See Young Avengers #1-6. The Vision’s reaction here is the first sign that he shares the feelings his creator has for Cassie, something that won’t be articulated until Young Avengers Presents #4.

7. Eli brings up calling Kate “Hawkingbird” again, which he suggested in Young Avengers #4. Ultimately, she will agree to calling herself Hawkeye in issue #12.

8. This is a clue that Billy and Tommy are the reincarnations of the Scarlet Witch’s children who died in Avengers West Coast #52. Something everyone will start wondering next issue. This will be confirmed in Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #6.

9. This would have been during the Kree/Skrull War which took place in Avengers #89-97.

10. The line of Skrull Emporors have all be named Dorrek, dating back to Dorrek I who ruled centuries ago as told in Avengers #133. Teddy’s grandfather was Dorrek VII who we first saw in Fantastic Four #18. He was ultimately assassinated by his wife, R’Klll in Fantastic Four #209.

11. Anelle was killed when Galactus consumed her home world in Fantastic Four #257.