Family Matters, Part 3

The Young Avengers — Patriot (Eli Bradley), Wiccan (Billy Kaplan), Stature (Cassie Lang), Kate Bishop, the Vision, and new recruit Tommy Shepherd — have come to the rescue of their teammate Hulkling (Teddy Altman), who had been captured by the Super-Skrull (Kl’rt). It is during this rescue that they learn that Teddy is actually the son of the late Skrull Princess Anelle. Before they can find out who his father was, the Super-Skrull is shot by Captain Av-Rom, the leader of a team of Kree soldiers who have also come for Teddy, explaining that the Kree Empire looks after their own![1] Av-Rom reveals that Teddy’s father is the legendary Kree soldier known as Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell).

Teddy finds this incredible and asks how it was possible. Av-Rom explains that the Kree and Skrull Empires had been at war for centuries. In the year before Teddy’s birth the conflict had finally reached Earth and Mar-Vell was captured by the Skrulls. It was during this time that he met Princess Anelle and the two conspired to overthrow Emperor Dorrek VII so Anelle could establish peace between the two empires.[2] Not long after this, the Supreme Intelligence learned that Anelle gave birth to a half-breed child. However, as far as the Kree are concerned, Teddy’s Skrull heritage is irrelevant as they view him as Kree. As such, Teddy is to be conscripted into the Kree military, effective immediately.

When Teddy refuses to go with them, the Kree open fire on Teddy at point blank range. Shocked by this turn of events, the Young Avengers — with the aid of Super-Skrull — fight back. Kl’rt tells the youths to grab Teddy and run. However, despite the fact that the Super-Skrull murdered the woman Teddy believed was his mother and kidnapped him, he can’t stand by and leave Kl’rt to die at the hands of the Kree. The Young Avengers provide cover while Hulkling pulls Super-Skrull out of the fight. Soon, the team takes down all of the Kree soliders. When Tommy suggests killing them, he is quickly vetoed because that’s not what the Young Avengers do.

Instead, they load their prisoners up in the Kree ship and the Vision takes control of the vessel. They then debate where they should go and Tommy suggests that they flee to some far corner of the universe where nobody can find them. The Patriot turns down this idea and suggests they go to Avengers Tower as the New Avengers are the only ones who can help them with this situation. Eli tells the others that they can’t just run because that means fighting alone and tells whoever disagrees with him that they can leave.

In the back, Wiccan is trying to use his magic to heal Kl’rt but it wasn’t working. While talking to the Super-Skrull, they discover that he has shamed himself by killing Teddy’s guardian. His mission wasn’t to cause harm to the youth he calls Dorrek VIII. Instead, he wanted to save Teddy just as his father once saved Kl’rt’s life. He recalls that during the Kree/Skrull conflict that led to Teddy’s creation, he found himself a prisoner in exile for going against the Skrull Emperor. When Captain Marvel and Princess Anelle were working together they attempted to free the Super-Skrull so he can join them, Mar-Vell even went so far as to call Kl’rt a hero. However, Super-Skrull was duty bound to remain and took on the form of Mar-Vell in order to cover their escape. This confirms to Teddy that Captain Marvel was his father. Kl’rt confirms this and says that had his mother not been killed by Galactus, she would have become the next Empress and Teddy the next in line of leadership.[3] He says his mission was to bring Teddy home so he could rule the Skrulls. He says the Kree want to prevent this because they view Dorrek VIII as a genetic curiosity and a potential weapon, and that they will kill him if he proves useless.

Back in the cockpit, the Vision provides a possible explanation for why Billy and Tommy look alike and why they are tied to the Avengers. According to the files he copied from the original Vision,[4] he suspects that they are somehow the children of the Vision and the Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff). He explains that there was once a time when the Scarlet Witch wished to have children and used her magic to make herself pregnant using two lost souls.[5] However, it was later discovered that that these souls were part of the demon Mephisto and both of the children ceased to exist when they were reabsorbed by the demon.[6] Wanda, for a time, even forgot about the existence of these children until she recently remembered. The knowledge drove her mad leading her to attack and decimate the original Avengers.[7] This convinces Billy that they are somehow the reincarnations of Wanda’s children. To him that is an explanation for why they look identical, have the same first names, and that Billy has the powers of Scarlet Witch and Tommy the powers of her brother Quicksilver.[8]

When they ask the Vision who their father was, he is about to tell them his predecessor was when he suddenly shorts out. Kl’rt says that they are being attacked by the Skrulls as they think they are Kree and that their only means of avoiding death would be for Dorrek to show himself. Since Kl’rt is injured, Teddy goes out alone but Wiccan follows him to try and convince him not to surrender because the Skrulls aren’t his people, not in the ways that matter. However, as Teddy tries to get the Skrulls to hold their fire another Kree ship arrives and shoots it out of the sky. Growing wings, the Skrulls abandon ship and engage in an infantry battle with the Kree over New York City. However, when Teddy orders both sides to cease fighting — to his amazement — they stop.

However, it might not have been his words that caused the battle to stop, but the arrival of the New Avengers — Iron Man (Tony Stark), Captain America (Steve Rogers), Luke Cage, Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Wolverine (Logan), Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew),[9] and the Sentry (Bob Reynolds) — who have just arrived on the scene.

Everyone meets on the roof of Avengers Tower where both the Kree and the Skrulls make their claim of ownership over Teddy. The Young Avengers refuse to let their friend go with either. Captain America ultimately decides that Altman is to stay on Earth under the Avengers protection. This angers the Kree and one of their soldiers opens fire on Cap. However, Patriot quickly dives in the way, taking the hit. Captain America catches the injured boy in his arms as the battle begins anew!

Recurring Characters

Young Avengers (Patriot, Hulkling, Wiccan, Stature, Kate Bishop, Vision, Tommy Shepherd), Super-Skrull, Av-Rom, New Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Luke Cage, Spider-Man, Wolverine, “Spider-Woman”, the Sentry), (in flashback) Princess Anelle, Captain Marvel

Continuity Notes

1. Teddy was kidnapped by the Super-Skrull in Young Avengers #9, leading to the team trying to rescue him last issue.

2. This would have been during the Kree/Skrull War of Avengers #89-97. Teddy’s conception would have happened between issues #92 and 93 of that series.

3. Anelle was killed when Galactus consumed the Skrull home world in Fantastic Four #257.

4. The original Vision was destroyed in Avengers #500. His data was downloaded into Iron Lad’s neuro-kinetic armor and gained sentience as seen in Young Avengers #1-6. The OG Vision will be rebuilt in Avengers (vol. 4) #19.

5. Wanda used her magic to make herself pregnant in Vision and the Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #3 and gave birth to her twins (Tommy and Billy) in issue #12 of that series.

6. Mephisto reabsorbed these soul fragments via his agent, Master Pandemonium in Avengers West Coast #52.

7. Wanda went mad and attacked the original Avengers in Avengers #500-503. Her attack was so damaging it led to the original team disbanding in Avengers: Finale #1.

8. This is the truth as will be confirmed by the Scarlet Witch in Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #6.

9. The woman who appears to be Spider-Woman here is actually Veranke, the leader of a Skrull invasion of Earth as will be revealed in Secret Invasion #3. She took the place of the real Jessica Drew in Giant-Size Spider-Woman #1.