Synopsis
Young Avengers Presents #2 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
This issue features Hulkling with support from Wiccan and the other Young Avengers (except Speed and Stature).
Teddy Altman's father, the supposedly long-dead original Captain Marvel, has recently been seen flying around. On the splash page as the YA spring into action we 'hear' Hulkling rehearsing what he would say to him if he met him.
Now we jump forward to an actual meeting on a New York rooftop, with the Avengers/Stark Tower in the background topped with Sentry's Watchtower. Now human-looking Teddy introduces himself as Teddy Altman and witters on about how he saw the Captain leaving the Tower and called to him and now he doesn't know what to say. Marvel urges him to get to the point and Teddy blurts out that he's his son. This is startling news to CM but when Teddy mentions Anelle it gains some credibility, and then Teddy says Super-Skrull told him all about it which confuses Mar-Vell again. So he asks Teddy to explain things from the beginning.
Teddy chooses to start a few days ago where he and Billy Kaplan saw a Times Square billboard showing CM and the Mighty Avengers fighting a giant-robot (CM(2008)#1). Teddy shapeshifted to a Hulkling with wings and flew off to find out whether this CM was a fake. Billy magicked up his Wiccan costume and followed, flying by magic. Both risk being apprehended by the Registration police. En route Billy talked Teddy down and asked him to think about what he was going to do because you can't just walk up to someone and say "You're my dad". But Teddy hasn't come up with a better idea since then.
Mar-Vell latches on to Teddy being a shape-shifter, and Teddy demonstrates. He says that's his Skrull heritage, and his super-strength probably comes from his father. CM says he's got to take time to digest this, and he flies off to do what he was on the way to do before Teddy stopped him. But he promises to come back to talk to him some more.
We now move forward to the YA stopping a gang of cyborgs robbing the Empire City Bank. Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), Patriot (Eli Bradley) and Vision (Jonas) are very supportive of Hulkling's attempt to connect with his father. Kate wants as little to do with *her* father as possible, Vision thinks he should have tried an official channel like Tony Stark. Eli thinks Teddy should give the man some space. The police arrive so it's time for the YA to disappear. Wiccan magics up a portal for them but Hulkling is still taking his frustration out on the cyborgs, including smashing a police car with 1 of them. He flies off to be alone.
That night Captain Marvel finds him on a rooftop. He wants to know how sure Billy is that Super-Skrull told him the truth. But he has to admit that he did sleep with Anelle. And Billy says the 'mother' who raised him on Earth did turn out to be a Skrull. She always told him his father died before he was born, and he always missed not knowing that made-up man. In turn Mar-Vell says Anelle was a good, strong woman who might have been a leader to end the continual war between the Skrulls and Kree, except she died when Galactus ate her world. But he and Anelle never saw each other again after what must have been Teddy's conception.
Mar-Vell tells Teddy how Kree sons are all raised to be soldiers. But he is prouder of Teddy because he *chose* to become a warrior, and prouder still that he is an Avenger. Teddy has to mention that the actual Avengers don't approve of the YA. Teddy finally thinks to ask how come Mar-Vell is here in the present. CM says it was accidental time-travel. Teddy throws in that he used to know the time-travelling Kang The Conqueror (actually the younger version Iron Lad).
CM says that he intends to find a way back to his own time. Teddy wants him to stay but Mar-Vell says he must return to fulfil his destiny. Teddy has to admit he knows what happens when you mess with history, but he's the only parent he has a chance to know. But then they hug and he accepts the inevitable. Captain Marvel says he still has stuff to do, but says he hopes to see his son again before he returns to his own time.
But a future Teddy in voiceover says he never saw him again alive.