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Dark Reign: Young Avengers #5

Dec 2009
Paul Cornell, Mark Brooks

Story Name:

Young masters part five


Synopsis

Dark Reign: Young Avengers #5 synopsis by Rob Johnson
Rating: 4 stars
The Young Avengers (Patriot leading Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), Hulkling, Speed, Stature, Vision (Jonas) and Wiccan) have been dealing with a wannabe YAv group (Melter leading Big Zero, Coat Of Arms, Egghead (an android), Enchantress (Sylvie Lushton) and Executioner (Danny DuBois)). They gave them an entrance exam but only accepted COA and Enchantress. However Coat turned them down and they quickly threw Sylvie out for an as yet unrevealed reason.

Chris/Melter asked the YAv to come and explain themselves. But when they arrived they found he'd also called in Iron Patriot (Norman Osborn) who'd brought along 2 of his Dark Avengers Hawkeye (Bullseye) and Wolverine (Daken).

Osborn says that *he* gets to decide who's an Avenger these days. Patriot responds that *some* people will still stand against him - and shouts "Avengers Assemble" to start the fight.

Enchantress zeroes in on Wiccan who she blames most for her expulsion. Billy says it's because of what she is - which she herself doesn't know.

The Hawkeyes, Bishop and Bullseye, face off. Executioner tries to butt in because he has his own grudge against Kate. He gets an arrow through his hand for his trouble. (Whose arrow I'm not sure.)

Daken attacks Hulkling and also tries to use pheromones against him. But Teddy says his Kree/Skrull nature makes him immune.

It's another Vision/Egghead clash in which the villain uses Vizh's own 'phasing an arm through the chest' trick against him. We also learn that the YAv had to eject Enchantress before she could study the magical defences of Avengers Mansion.

It's also another Stature/Big Zero fight. This time it's Cassie who gets the blows in, representing the legacy of Captain America (and Iron Man) against BZ's Nazi ideology.

Melter asks Speed to surrender now that NO's backing makes him a cop. But when Tommy attacks Chris's insecurities make him hold back.

Coat Of Arms sits things out totally unsure what to do.

But the central battle is Patriot vs Iron Patriot. Eli Bradley wants to take back the words Avenger, patriot and hero from the man who is besmirching them. His blow staggers the armoured Osborn, but he thinks he broke his hand. Made better by his sort-of girlfriend Kate's praise.

Chris is disillusioned by what's happening. He assumed that calling NO in would automatically sort everything out to his satisfaction (although I don't think he knows what that is). But Osborn *will* resolve things - as he calls on his big gun the Sentry. Sentry says "Stop" and everyone does.

Wiccan chooses the moment to tell Sylvie what they learned about her (from Egghead's data dump to Vision last issue, which is apparently based on some kind of analysis by Big Zero). He says she was created by Loki as a weapon against Avengers. But Billy also says that the Avengers teams have many members who were originally villains but overcame their past.

Lisa/Coat OF Arms is tired of just watching. She tells Billy and Sylvie that she can pull things out of her Coat's magic pockets, and produces some glowing chains. Enchantress and Wiccan combine their magics to bind Sentry with them. And he is dragged out of this dimension. Iron Patriot says "You can't do that!" and African-American Patriot says "Yes we can!"

The only fight that's still going is Hawkeye vs Hawkeye and Executioner. Bullseye is always saying his body is a weapon, so Kate uses it as a weapon to knock Danny over. Bullseye unsettles her by telling her that Executioner has just killed his own mother, but Danny responds by shooting him in the leg. Bullseye's standard response is to swear to kill him sometime. Kate tries to shake Danny out of his insanity, but he just says losing a parent to crime will increase his vigilante commitment.

Chris/Melter says he thinks he chose the wrong team if the YAv can kill Sentry. Eli/Patriot says they didn't *kill* him. And Chris shouldn't try to join the *strongest* team, he should join the team he *believes* in. Chris chooses to get time to think, and gets Sylvie to magic his team away. COA joins them even though Speed tries to persuade her to stay. (And Enchantress creates a new Invisible Manor for them now the old 1 is compromised.)

Patriot thinks that some of them will turn out OK, but they may have to fight the others again. Meantime they can fight the DAv. But with Bullseye injured and Sentry missing IP decides to call the fight off and go home.

 

Review / Commentaries


Dark Reign: Young Avengers #5 Review by (June 6, 2017)
Wiccan makes it sound like Loki created Enchantress from nothing, but the accepted origin seems to be that she *is* a human named Sylvie Lushton as she claimed in #3 who just gained her power 1 day, and it was Loki who gave her the power as stated last issue.

Apart from Enchantress and Executioner (Daniel DuBois) we don't know the full names of any of the rest of their team. The android Egghead doesn't have any other name. Big Zero and Melter are just Amity and Chris so far. And even though I've been referring to Coat Of Arms as Lisa she hasn't actually been named at all here. Her name Lisa Molinari will be given in the Avengers Assemble Official Handbook along with surnames for Amity Hunter and Chris Colchiss.

When Melter considers switching allegiance to the team which 'killed' Sentry I can only assume he means switching from Norman Osborn's Dark Avengers to a combination of the 2 Young Avengers teams, since it was members of both which did the deed. In fact since 2 of the 3 were from *his* YAv he should stick with *them* - which he does.

Sentry joins his DAv teammates fresh from Free Comic Book Day 2009: Avengers.
He'll be back none the worse for wear with NO, Bullseye, Daken and the rest of the DAv next in All-New Savage She-Hulk #1-4. And then some of them will follow on to Mighty Avengers #21,23 (along with the NAv).

The 'Young Masters' won't be seen again until after Siege ends Dark Reign in Age Of Heroes #2/3. There Enchantress will be suffering from the death of Loki. She'll have recovered in Av Academy #34-37 with Big Zero and Coat Of Arms. That's the end for BZ. Then Sylvie will be 1 of the Doom Maidens in Fearless Defenders #9,11.
Meanwhile Egghead and Executioner will form their own team in the 2011 in the Vengeance mini-series. And Melter will be part of Mandarin's army in Iron Man (2008) #513-515,521.
The whole team bar BZ will reconvene in the Av Undercover series. And then Sylvie will be part of the villainous Illuminati in their series.

The YAv will all go to MAv #21,23, with Stature and Vision also in #22. This is the beginning of the duo's stay with that team, sometimes with the rest of YAv, through to Siege.


> Dark Reign: Young Avengers comic book info and issue index

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Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Mark Brooks
Walden Wong
Christina Strain
Mark Brooks (Cover Penciler)
Walden Wong (Cover Inker)
Christina Strain (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Letterer: Emily Warren.
Editor: Tom Brevoort.

Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Executioner
Executioner

(Skurge)
Hawkeye
Hawkeye

(Katherine Elizabeth Bishop)
Hulkling
Hulkling

(Theodore Altman)
Iron Patriot
Iron Patriot

(Norman Osborn)
Sentry
Sentry

(Robert Reynolds)
Wiccan
Wiccan

(William Kaplan)

Plus: Big Zero, Coat of Arms, Egghead (android), Enchantress (Sylvie Lushton), Melter (Chris Colchiss), Patriot (Elijah Bradley), Speed (Thomas Shepherd), Vision (Jonas), Young Avengers.