Comic Browser:

#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
Selector

Avengers: The Children's Crusade #5

Jun 2011
on-sale: Apr 1, 2011
Allan Heinberg, Jim Cheung

Avengers: The Children's Crusade #5 cover

Story Name:

(no title given)


Synopsis

Avengers: The Children's Crusade #5 synopsis by Rob Johnson
Rating: 4.5 stars
Young Avengers (Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), Hulkling, Patriot, Speed, Stature and Vision) have invaded Latveria with Magneto and Quicksilver to rescue Wiccan from Dr Doom's castle, where he went to find Scarlet Witch. Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Luke Cage, Ms Marvel and Spider-Man) followed Wonder Man here looking for Wanda too. Both teams got into a fight with Doom and his Doombots. Amnesiac Wanda (due to marry Victor von Doom) helped Wiccan escape from the castle. Ex-YA'er Iron Lad appeared from the timestream just in time to save her from Wolverine, who wants to kill her because she caused the Mutant Decimation. Now read on.

Iron Lad tells Stature to shrink down from giant-size because she's too easy a target for the Doombots. Cassie leaps into Nathaniel's arms, much to the dismay of Vision who had replaced him in the girl's affections. Iron Lad stops Dr Doom and Magneto fighting by putting them in stasis. Such a display of power reawakens the Avengers worry that he will grow up into Kang the Conqueror.

When the dust settles they find that Doom has escaped, and taken Wiccan and Wanda with him. In the forest Doom thinks Billy abducted Wanda, but she tells him she helped him escape. Billy told her that she was the Scarlet Witch, who lost her children and murdered some of her Avenger teammates. She doesn't believe him, but wants to know why Victor is so concerned.

Before Doom can respond Iron Man, Magneto and Wonder Man assault him, with Ms Marvel and Spider-Man not far behind. Wanda and Wiccan slip away and meet Iron Lad and the rest of YA. Billy tells them about Wanda's amnesia and both their powerless states. And Iron Lad whisks them away into the timestream as Dr Doom, Iron Man and Magneto catch up with them.

As Ms Marvel and Quicksilver join them, Doom continues to protest his good intentions. He and Wanda were in love and to be wed. And he was trying to protect her from the Avengers who want her dead. But now they have chased one of the most powerful beings of all into the timestream, where who knows what havok she may cause.

In the timestream (which here means outside of time) Iron Lad asks where they want to go. Cassie Lang of course suggests going back to Avengers Disassembled where Scarlet Witch caused the death of her father Ant-Man. Patriot warns her about changing history by saving him, saying it will only create an alternate timeline. And Kate says they've had a bad experience changing the past.

Wanda wants to go there too to regain her memory, so she can set things right. Nathaniel settles the matter by saying he can take them there in view-only mode. Even though Patriot is also worried about Wanda becoming Scarlet Witch again.

Iron Lad takes them to the right time outside Avengers Mansion, but it doesn't jog Wanda's memory. Nathaniel tells Cassie and Vision that he intends to stay with the team permanently. Vision's feigned joy is jolted when Iron Lad slyly points out that his rival for Cassie is still married to Wanda. Vizh protests that that was the other Vision.

But this is all forgotten as Cassie spots her father Scott Lang. She rushes to embrace him, and contrary to Iron Lad's claim they can touch. And Nathaniel can't get them out of here before any more damage is done, because he needs time to rebuild power.

Cassie starts to spin a tale to explain what she and her friends are doing here in costume. But this too is aborted by the appearance of the zombie-like Jack of Hearts. YA now know they are exactly on time! Cassie drags Scott out of harm's way, the other YA following, while Wanda is compelled to confront Jack.

Jack begs Wanda not to make him do what the original Scarlet Witch brought him here for. And Wanda's memories start to return. Speed drags her out of the way, as Jack explodes.

The Young Avengers pick themselves up, along with Scott.  And Iron Lad detects that they are back in their original time, somewhat proven by the statue of deceased Ant-Man in the Mansion garden. But Nathaniel is confused - he didn't bring them here.

"I did" says Wanda, now in Scarlet Witch costume and using her returned power to float in the air.


 

Review / Commentaries


Avengers: The Children's Crusade #5 Review by (November 14, 2012)
Scott Lang originally stole the Ant-Man identity, in Marvel Premiere #47, a process later emulated by Eric O'Grady. But he became a hero and an Avenger, a process later ..... He was killed in the first strike of Avengers Disassembled in Avengers #500. But looking back it's possible Stature hasn't changed the timeline by rescuing her father. The only evidence of Scott's death was a skeletal hand. But that could easily belong to Jack Hart, who's body was allegedly gone without trace. Jack Hart became the exploding Jack of Hearts in (of all places) Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #22. He too became an Avenger, and died in Av(1998)#76. Scarlet Witch reanimated him and used him as a human bomb. But after Children's Crusade he will be brought back properly in the Marvel Zombies Supreme mini-series. Avengers Disassembled was of course the end of the original Avengers team, orchestrated by Scarlet Witch, before they were rebuilt in the 1st New Avengers series. In Marvel time the Young Avengers were initiated in between.

The series kicks up a gear as we get to the heart of the matter. When Kate Bishop mentions that the Young Avengers have had (bad) experience changing the past, I guess she refers to their 1st adventure, with Iron Lad and Kang. There are 4 statues of fallen Avengers shown in the Avengers Disassembled Mansion garden. 1 is obviously Swordsman, and the 2 other males are reasonably identifiable as Captain Marvel and Dr Druid. The female is probably Mockingbird, but she has no identifying mask. I guess it could be true that Wanda and Vision are not actually divorced. They separated after Vision lost his personality and emotions in West Coast Avengers #42-45. But no-one's actually said 'divorce'. But then their marriage in Avengers Giant-Size #4 wasn't exactly legal anyway. Besides that, Vision correctly states that he's (mostly) not the android Scarlet Witch married. He's Iron Lad's old armour with the old Vision's operating system, but Iron Lad's brainwaves used as a template for his personality.


> Avengers: The Children's Crusade comic book info and issue index

Elektra

Excelsioring your collection:
DIAMOND SELECT TOYS Marvel Premier Collection: Avengers Endgame Captain America Statue, Multicolor
Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Main/1st Story Full Credits

Jim Cheung
Mark Morales
Justin Ponsor
Jim Cheung (Cover Penciler)
Jim Cheung (Cover Inker)
Laura Martin (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Letterer: Cory Petit.
Editor: Tom Brevoort.



Characters

All stories. Listed in alphabetical order.

Ant-Man
Ant-Man

(Scott Lang)
Captain America
Captain America

(Steven Rogers)
Hawkeye
Hawkeye

(Clinton Barton)
Hawkeye
Hawkeye

(Katherine Elizabeth Bishop)
Hulkling
Hulkling

(Theodore Altman)
Iron Man
Iron Man

(Anthony Stark)
Jack of Hearts
Jack of Hearts

(Jonathan Hart)
Luke Cage
Luke Cage

(Power Man)
Ms. Marvel
Ms. Marvel

(Carol Danvers)
Quicksilver
Quicksilver

(Pietro Maximoff)
Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch

(Wanda Maximoff)
Spider-Man
Spider-Man

(Peter Parker)
Wiccan
Wiccan

(William Kaplan)
Wolverine
Wolverine

(James Howlett)
Wonder Man
Wonder Man

(Simon Williams)
Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom

(Victor Von Doom)
Plus: Iron Lad (Nathalien Richards), Patriot (Elijah Bradley), Speed (Thomas Shepherd), Vision (Jonas).

Thor

The Marvel Heroes Library is a fan Marvel Comics site
Version 14.8.32 (Dec 7, 2024. VS22)

Copyright © 1997-2024 Julio Molina-Muscara (creator, webmaster)
Site content is a collective effort by the MHL team and Marvel aficionados

Characters are copyright © Marvel or their respective owners. All portions of this Marvel fansite that are subject to copyright are licensed under a creative commons attribution 3.0 unported license All rights reserved