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Young Avengers #4

Jul 2005
Allan Heinberg, Jim Cheung

Story Name:

Sidekicks (part 4 of 6)


Synopsis

Young Avengers #4 synopsis by Rob Johnson
Rating: 4.5 stars
The teen who will be Kang The Conqueror came from the 30th Century seeking help from the Avengers to avoid his destiny. He found the Avengers disassembled but also a secret list left by the dead Vision of teens who might form the next Avengers. Adopting armour as Iron Lad he recruited Asgardian, Hulkling and Patriot as the Young Avengers. They have now been joined by Cassie Lang daughter of the deceased Ant-Man. Captain America and Iron Man pretended to offer to train them but then locked them in the training room in the ruined Avengers Mansion, intending to contact their parents. But then adult Kang turned up determined to bring his young self into line. Now he gets the duo's attention by zapping them and threatening their companion the pregnant Jessica Jones.

Meanwhile 4 of the Young Avengers still believe they're going to be trained by the Avengers, but Patriot (Eli Bradley) is suspicious. He thinks Cap will call their parents, or possibly turn them in to the police about the mess they made of the hostage rescue in St Patrick's Cathedral (#1). He fails to break the locked door with his super-strength, so Hulkling (Teddy Altman) doesn't bother trying that route. Asgardian (Billy Kaplan) is equally unsuccessful with his electric blasts.

Eli suggests Billy try his other powers, as he did against the Growing Men (last issue) - like teleporting them out or making the door vanish. Billy is reluctant to explain to Cassie what his other powers actually are. Eli adds that Teddy has other powers too. It turns out that they've only been pretending to have powers related to Cap, Thor and Hulk (alongside Iron Lad/Man) to get the old team's attention. IL points out that Vision's program specifically recommended they 3 become Young Avengers.

Cassie is disappointed that Vision didn't mention *her*. But IL points out again that nobody, including herself, knew she had size-changing powers until #2. But since she's now on the team he thinks maybe she can shrink small enough to get under the door. She responds that she still couldn't free the others because she doesn't know what security code Iron Man used to lock it.

But then the door opens and Kate Bishop walks in, saying that *she* noticed what keys he pushed. Iron Lad thanks her for saving them *again*. (The 1st time was in the Cathedral.) Then Kate tells them that the Avengers are talking to Kang.

The 2 heroes are still incapacitated but refusing to say where 'the boy' is. Kang is still threatening the vulnerable pregnant woman ... when that woman (who also has superpowers) kicks him in the side and grabs his big gun.

Kang changes tack. He says if he doesn't return young Kang to his proper place then reality will change. The Avengers aren't unhappy with the Conqueror never coming into existence. But he points out that this would change *their* past and thus their present. And he invites them to look around where the Mansion they were in is gone and they see a ruined New York.

Meanwhile the YA have retrieved the weaponry, including Iron Lad's armour, that the Avengers confiscated before putting them in the training room. They intend to go fight Kang, including young Kang who says his future self won't recognise Iron Lad as *him*. And Kate joins them with a mask and a selection of weapons she's 'borrowed'. They include Mockingbird's mask and battle staves, Hawkeye's bow and arrows and Swordsman's sword. Patriot dubs her Hawkingbird. But she has something she found for him - a replica of Cap's original triangular shield.

Back outside Cap and IM have now discovered that their uniform and armour have changed. And Jessica Jones is back in her old Jewel costume, which fits because she's no longer pregnant. Kang claims the only way to get their reality back is to give him his young self. And the YA hear Cap agree to the deal.

The teens retreat into the basement levels which are still intact. They are shocked at what Cap just did. Iron Lad is conflicted as to what he should do. Cassie insists he can't surrender but Kate thinks maybe he should, if only for Jessica's baby. Teddy sides with her because even if he goes back to the 30th Century the boy doesn't *have* to become Kang. Billy dithers but Eli is adamant that the team should stick together and support IL. Kate can't help asking Patriot if that means *she*'s on the team.

Iron Lad has been consulting the copy of Vision's software downloaded into his armour, and leads them to a trapdoor ... which takes to the surface right at their foe's feet.

Cap says Iron Lad must go with Kang, but the teen jets off into the air. Iron Man tries to follow him but Hulkling leaps and grabs a leg. IM repulsor blasts him and Teddy falls to the ground. The others all rush over to him and see the boy is now partly (distorted) Hulkling and partly human. Iron Man catches up to Iron Lad but the youth fires stronger blasts and it's the Golden Avenger's turn to fall.

Compassionate Iron Lad brings unconscious Iron Man back to the others for help. But Kang takes over his armour (which may look Iron Man-ish but is actually morphing Kang armour he stole from his future self - see #2) and uses it to blast the others unconscious. Then Kang prepares to take his younger self away.


 

Review / Commentaries


Young Avengers #4 Review by (May 1, 2020)
Drew Geraci helps ink this issue.

The plot of this issue doesn't gel with the branching timelines system usually employed by Marvel, where changing the past doesn't change the present just creates another alternate timeline.

Kate Bishop has taken the weapons of 3 Marvel-dead chars:- Hawkeye who was killed by Scarlet Witch in Avengers Disassembled but will be brought back to life by her in House Of M. Mockingbird who supposedly died in West Coast Avengers #100, but Secret Invasion will reveal was kidnapped by Skrulls and replaced in #91. Swordsman was killed by Kang in Giant-Size Avengers #2, although his body was animated by a Cotati to marry Mantis in GSAv#4.

It's unrevealed exactly what copy of Captain America's original triangular shield Patriot gets here. The original steel version was destroyed during Avengers Under Siege in Av#275. There had to have been at least 2 of them because Black Panther (1998) #30 revealed that Cap gave 1 to BP which is supposedly still in Wakanda. There was a 3rd copy in the Smithsonian Museum which Cap used in CA(1998)#3-8 while his round shield was lost in the Atlantic, but it was destroyed by Kree in #8.
The question is somewhat academic because Patriot will give it back to Cap in #6 and get his own shield.



> Young Avengers comic book info and issue index

Elektra

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Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Jim Cheung
John Dell
Justin Ponsor
Jim Cheung (Cover Penciler)
John Dell (Cover Inker)
Justin Ponsor (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Letterer: Cory Petit.
Editor: Tom Brevoort. Editor-in-chief: Joe Quesada.

Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Captain America
Captain America

(Steven Rogers)
Hawkeye
Hawkeye

(Katherine Elizabeth Bishop)
Hulkling
Hulkling

(Theodore Altman)
Iron Man
Iron Man

(Anthony Stark)
Kang
Kang

(Nathaniel Richards)
Wiccan
Wiccan

(William Kaplan)

Plus: Cassie Lang, Iron Lad (Nathalien Richards), Patriot (Elijah Bradley), Young Avengers.