Synopsis
This time it's Striker's turn for an origin and voiceover.
1 Sunday morning in the Infinite Avengers Mansion he's sneaked down at 4:12am for a snack from the fridge. Then he's startled to realise 1 of Jocasta's robot bodies is behind him. But she's not responsive so he figures she's honouring the deal she made (in Mighty Avengers #36) to mentally spend time with her 'husband' Ultron in space. But he takes the opportunity to tell a captive audience about his previous week.
On Monday the Avengers Academy students are being given unarmed combat training by Commander Steve Rogers. Hazmat (Jennifer Takeda) complains to their 'headmaster' Dr Henry Pym that if she was allowed to use her full powers she could kill him. As Rogers fights Mettle (Ken Mack), Reptil (Humberto Lopez) and Striker, Finesse (Jeanne Foucault) throws a baton at him. He catches it in flight and sends it back to hit Hazmat in the stomach, winding her. Veil (Maddy Berry) goes to see if she's OK. Steve does too but he also points out he could have crushed her windpipe with the baton. She might have killed him but she'd have suffocated to death. Don't underestimate an unarmed opponent.
Dr Pym (Wasp) muses that he might have to strengthen Hazmat's suit, but that might hamper her movement. Rogers discusses with Veil her power to turn into a gas. He understands that she has to learn the scientific composition of a particular gas in order to simulate it. But he suggests she consider the physical use of any gas to blind an opponent, the ninja concept of metsubushi. He offers to lend the awestruck girl a book on the subject.
Striker wants to know when their existence is going to be announced to the public, like The Old Order Changeth (in the original Avengers #16) where he introduced Hawkeye, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch who were all previously (misunderstood) villains. Rogers points out that they had previous experience. Striker says he thinks the Avengers are ashamed of them. (In #1 the teens secretly discovered that their teachers feared they'd become supervillains.) Pym says they're worried about the trainees and their families becoming targets of villains. Striker points out that villains with magic or psychic powers might already know. Steve responds that fame isn't a goal for Avengers, and when it happens it usually comes with a cost.
Before the students leave the ex-Captain America signs autographs (for at least Mettle and Reptil). As they go the 2 instructors discuss them. Hank thinks their performance during the Raft jailbreak (the last 2 issues) shows they have promise but they're still raw. Steve says he's been used to getting attitude since Hawkeye, but being an Avenger turned round Clint Barton, Quicksilver and even the Swordsman. They each had ideals or something to prove, but he's worried about anyone who's only in it for celebrity.
Now in the kitchen Striker tells 'Jocasta' that Finesse read their lips and told him what they said. But he goes on to relate his origin. His mother believed fame was the only thing worth aiming for. She got it by having an affair with a politician and built on that. She had other affairs after that and she's not sure which 1's his father. She tried and failed to get her richest suitor to marry her. When her fame waned she got her young son a manager Rick for acting jobs. He tried to tell her that Rick was acting inappropriately with him but she didn't want to believe it. As Rick drove him to an audition in a limo he told the young teen to do *whatever* the director told him, and suggested they have a practice in the back of the limo. Then lightning erupted inside the car and Rick died.
Striker wound up in hospital where he was found *not* to have the mutant gene. His mom told the doctor that she had no idea where his power came from, but her son doesn't believe her. We see that the incident gave him the white streak in his hair and the jagged scar across his left eye. Mommy dearest apologises for not believing him about Rick, and promises to hire the best lawyers to get him off with self-defence. And she'll take care of her 'special' boy. She gave him a costumed career performing at monster truck shows and state fairs. He also tried crime fighting but it didn't pay. The New Warriors reality show and Who Wants To Be A Thunderbolt? turned him down as too young. Then Norman Osborn took him in and plied him with booze and girls. Osborn didn't need coercion like he did with most of the other students. But he was bored because Osborn wouldn't let him be seen in public.
Earlier on Wednesday he and Jeanne are weight training. They're *both* bored. He asks her if she wants to 'hook up'. She replies that she doesn't think he has anything to teach her about sex that she hasn't already learned, and walks off. He spot Veil and tries it on with her. She too turns him down with a sarcastic comment. Now in the kitchen he tells Jocasta he'd been ready to quit the school. But on Friday Dr Pym took them to see the Wicked musical (on its 2nd US tour).
Coming out of the theatre we see only Humberto, Jeanne, Maddy and the still-unnamed Striker with Henry Pym. Hazmat and Mettle would have attracted too much attention (Jen because she's too dangerous to the public without her all-covering Hazmat suit and Ken because he can't turn of his red metal body), but it turns out the master of Pym Particles had them hidden miniaturised. A cold wind suddenly assaults them and Hank becomes Wasp to face his old foe Whirlwind (Danny Cannon) who grabs 'Berto as a hostage. He accuses Henry of killing his wife Jan Van Dyne who Danny loved. He suggests that Jan picked Pym because he was a hero while Danny was only her chauffeur. But now he's disrespecting her Wasp id by using it himself. Henry protests that she died in the Skrull Secret Invasion while he'd been replaced by a Skrull. But Cannon still wants to take revenge by killing the students.
He tries to slash 'Berto's throat but Reptil turns his skin to Anklyosaurus armoured plates. Breaking free allows Striker to strike the whirling, flying villain with lightning blasts. Whirlwind says it didn't affect him because his costume's insulated and he wasn't grounded. Then he bowls the full-size students over with his wind. Wasp sees people recording the fight on their cameras. He deminiaturises Hazmat and Mettle and sends them into the fray, shouting "Avengers Academy Assemble" even as he himself starts growing. But Whirlwind blasts the new 2 back and slashes the Giant-Wasp's shoulder with 1 of his wrist-blades. But Striker gets him with another lightning blast which KO's him because this time he *is* grounded.
Giant-size Pym tells his students that his shoulder wound will be superficial when he shrinks down. Which he does and finds 1 of the doors to the IAM. But not before they're surrounded by news teams who want to who these new Young Avengers are. Back in the Mansion Tigra already has them on the TV news, including a Miami affiliate supplying Striker's name as Brandon Sharpe. Hank wants to contact Steve to get this shut down. But media-savvy Brandon says the press won't let it go, and they'll dig through old social media and find stuff like the story of Maddy turning to mist in school. They can't stop it so they need to take it over. Tigra agrees.
So on Saturday Wasp holds a press conference to introduce the inaugural class of the new Avengers Academy. Afterwards half-Jewish Ken Mack can't believe that some reporters think he's the son of Nazi Red Skull. But in general people seem to like them. Maddy rushes to tell their instructor Justice (who she has a crush on). She bursts into his room to find him on the bed with someone he quickly introduces as his friend Suzi, Ultragirl, which she's not happy about. Maddy rebounds by going to Brandon's room where she finds him unsuccessfully trying to phone his mom, and she asks him if he still wants to hook up. He says yes but he's a bit tired now so they could just hang out and talk. They lie on his bed and he listens to her go on about Justice.
We return to the now of early Sunday morning after that Saturday night 'pillow talk'. Brandon's still talking to an inactive Jocasta robot and we learn that Maddy has only just fallen asleep. He wonders if turning down an offer of sex means he's maturing. Then his mother finally rings him back. He assures her that the Avengers' phones are all totally secure so they can openly talk about the fact that they set the Whirlwind thing up between them. The villain had put out the word that he'd pay for info on where to catch Pym and a photographer friend of hers had supplied it, and Striker was ready for the attack. (Probably they also alerted the news media and supplied Brandon's name.) Ms Sharpe dismisses the possibility that he could have been hurt or killed, and just concentrates on all the offers she's receiving for him. He says he'll have to get Academy approval for them but she insists that he's got to make a living (and support her of course). If they won't agree he should leave. But he says he's staying to build a long career, not just a short burst of fame like hers. And he says goodbye to Jocasta.
Characters:
Plus: Justice (
Vance Astrovik), Ultragirl (
Suzy Sherman).