Synopsis / Summary / Plot
J. Jonah Jameson is not happy. The front page of the Daily Bugle carries a piece by Kat Farrell about a new group of 4 young superheroes she calls the Young Avengers who appeared the previous night and rescued people from a fire. According to her story the 1 she calls Thor Junior threw lightning, Iron Kid had better armour than Iron Man and Teen-Hulk helped people politely while Lieutenant America ordered them around.
He has Kat in his office with Jessica Jones, the PI who works for the paper. He wants them to find out who these kids are and why they call themselves the Young Avengers. Kat reminds him that *she* made that name up because they dress like junior versions of the big stars. Jessica points out that 'Lieutenant America' is dressed more like Bucky, and Jonah has to agree. But they've lost Kat because she doesn't know who Bucky *is*. JJJ has to explain that when he was very young in WWII he wanted to *be* Bucky, Captain America's sidekick, until Cap got Bucky killed. Kat jumps to the conclusion that these are the Avengers' sidekicks. Jessica points out that the Avengers have disbanded. Jonah proposes a conspiracy theory that the Avengers have continued in secret.
Jess thinks the 'Young Avengers' are just fanboys. Kat mentions Jessica's teenage super-id Jewel, and to Jess's surprise shows her that she's got a lot of fan-sites online. The other 2 gang up on her saying that a fan favourite is just the person to track down superhero fans. She reluctantly agrees, but refuses to wear the Jewel costume.
The women take the lift down to the ground. Jess thinks it's best she talks to her super-id friends alone. She says she wanted to be Spider-Man when she was young. Kat admits that she wanted to be Jewel. Jess says she'll start working her contacts ...
... but when they get outside 2 of her contacts contact *her*. Cap and Iron Man show up and want to talk to her in private. Her boyfriend Luke Cage told them where she was. So Iron Man takes Cap and her away to a rooftop.
The Avengers deny having anything to do with the youths. Cap in particular doesn't want any other teens dying like Bucky. They want to persuade them to stop. IM adds that if they're mutants they'll refer them to the X-School. Jess thinks that if she was a wannabe Avenger she'd go to the abandoned Avengers Mansion, but they assure her it's secure. So they'll just have to wait for the kids to make another move. Before leaving the duo tell her to keep in touch via Luke.
Our next scene is St Patrick's Cathedral where 5 gunmen have interrupted a wedding and robbed 200 guests. They are using the attendees as hostages to secure an escape route. Jessica and Kat are both outside even though this has nothing to do with the Young Avengers so far.
Inside a young woman we will come to know as Kate Bishop, sister of the bride, is trying to foment an uprising, but 1 of the gunmen overhears her. He threatens her but just then the YA burst in through the stained-glass rose window, against the Iron character's advice. The Iron-guy enters under his own steam and the Thor-guy seems to travel by magic staff. The green guy who we learn goes by the name Hulkling jumped through the window carrying the 4th member called Patriot. Iron-guy magnetise some of the guns, Patriot hurls throwing stars, Thor-guy's staff emits lightning bolts and Hulking just shouts at the bad guys *very* loud. Thor-guy warns him about a man with a knife behind him. Iron-guy puts out a fire started by stray lightning. 1 baddie punches Thor-guy into Hulkling, and 2 others start beating up Patriot.
Kate decides to take a hand. She reaches for a discarded gun and throwing star. But 1 of the villains gets the gun and fires it into the air to draw attention to the fact that he now has her as a bargaining chip. Patriot wants to keep fighting but Iron-guy talks him down and says they've got to let the 5 go. But then Kate turns the tables. She *did* pick up the throwing star which she now digs into her captor's thigh. In the ensuing confusion the YA finally put down the robbers, with Kate capturing her own guy with his own gun.
Patriot is definitely not happy being upstaged by a girl. The 2 continue arguing as the police try to arrest the team for damaging the cathedral and endangering the lives of the hostages. And Kat Farrell tries to interview them and learns their super-ids, including Asgardian and Iron Lad. Before the team make their escape they meet Jessica Jones, who Asgardian and Hulking recognise as Jewel. She gives Hulkling her card. And then she contacts Luke Cage.
When they reach their destination we see that it is indeed Avengers Mansion. Patriot continues to be angry, this time at being carried by Iron Lad. But it's really that he doesn't like IL telling them what to do. Iron Lad replies that he's got to turn them into a fighting team before the real enemy shows up - Kang the Conqueror. Patriot doesn't really believe this story, and anyway what chance do *they* have if it's true?
He leaves because he's got to get home before his Grandma misses him. Hulking gives Iron Lad Jessica's card, and then he and Asgardian leave as well because they have school in the morning. (These 2 are buddying up while the other 2 bicker.)
Iron Lad enters the ruined Mansion. But someone else is there so he fires off an ion blast which hits Captain America's shield. Iron Man is there too, as well as Jessica Jones who IL surprises by recognising her as Knightress as well as Jewel. They want to know who he is, and Iron Man wants to know where the advanced armour comes from. When Cap tries to grab his shoulder it sprouts spikes. IL apologises because the neuro-kinetic armour reacts faster than his thoughts.
Then he removes his helmet to reveal a youthful face. And he tells them he's from the 30th Century and his name is Kang.