Young Avengers Appreciation - 2021

[king of hybrids]

You can really tell that the Marvel books have been relegated to the B-Lists de writing and editorial resources

[Drops Of Venus]

So, regarding Kid Loki:

spoilers:

He reveals that his Nexus Event was killing Thor. Unless it was some sort of accident, it seems like he's not some innocent little angel and has a lot more in common with Ikol (the Loki who was actually a part of the Young Avengers) than with the original Kid Loki. I guess he'll fit right in if they go with the plot of Loki manipulating Billy. lol Jack Veal's name was also a part of the ending credits alongside the main cast, and they specifically killed Classic Loki, but not him. With the other Loki turning out to be a traitor, it seems like Kid Loki is essentially the only relevant one who remained on the show, which feels very deliberate.

end of spoilers

The America retcon is such garbage, it makes no sense it does away with everything without addressing the grandmother if that's just a fever dream, or how the Demiurge comes into play a literal mess she's worse than Rivera.

I haven't even seen people talking about this book anymore after the retcon issue. There was some outrage and then... nothing. Getting the feeling it's gonna end up being a very forgettable story, I fear. America needs a Gillen/Ewing writing her again, for her own sake.

[Frontier]

Jim Cheung's old concept art for Stature's mask from 2005. I had never seen these before. Pretty cool.




I think I like the bottom line ones the better. It really gives off that Ant-Man legacy vibe, something we never really got from her final Stature look.

I get it, although it looks kind of clunkier compared to the traditional domino mask in my opinion.

This just makes me miss her as Stature more...

[Dipter]

It’s unfortunate but also comedically ironic how both instances of America being written by Latinas were met with negative reception from fans. Please save her, white writers :P

[king of hybrids]

Some of the retcons, like America having had a foster family in 616 are good (if only to explain why she hung around 616 before Billy showed up on her radar)

Establishing that America’s parts of YA, Ultimates and her previous ongoing were the result of a half-remembered hallucination, on the other hand…

The real comedy will come if MoM has America’s origin be a more toned down version of the Utopian parallel one

[Digifiend]

Wait, what? Are you saying that YA vol 2 and the Earth-616 Ultimates have been retconned? That has implications on too many other characters...

[Waking Replica]

I know some people give flack to America's og origin (some with well intentioned criticisms), but in all honesty in Marvel's quest to simplify her, they made her annoyingly convoluted.

How hard would it have been to change the Utopian Parallel planet she lived on to be a version of Earth plucked from the multiverse? Like, I feel like that solves the non-Earth oriented origin without drastically crapping on the good parts of her history. And that doesn't even go into making her mothers' sacrifices into some generic action flick. In what world is fighting corporate goons more interesting than saving a dimension from black holes???

Wait, what? Are you saying that YA vol 2 and the Earth-616 Ultimates have been retconned? That has implications on too many other characters...

Well the punchline to the setup of America's involvement with the story in YA vol2 was that Billy turned out to be the being that created her home dimension and that's why she came to the rescue. The new origin makes that entire plot point nonsensical since the Utopian Parallel is (as far as is shown) not connected to Billy now, and that she was spoilers:

hallucinating most of her origin story

end of spoilers

[Drops Of Venus]

It’s unfortunate but also comedically ironic how both instances of America being written by Latinas turned out to be such a bust with fans. Please save her, white writers :P

Yup. So much for diverse voices with an authentic worldview... I think the problem was that they chose writers from outside of comics who felt the need to write not for a comics audience, but an audience that just... doesn't care about comics as much. Like they were writing for the latin@ people who would take an issue with America not being ''a real latina'', but the matter of fact is... most comic book fans are so used to weird stuff that her whacky origin wasn't even a big deal to us. And the dudebros who hated on MAC for it were never gonna like her, no matter what origin she had. So, ultimately, all this book did was alienate a lot of people who were already fans of the character... and not really charm anyone else into becoming a fan of hers. It was a bad move.

Some of the retcons, like America having had a foster family in 616 are good (if only to explain why she hung around 616 before Billy showed up on her radar)

Establishing that America’s parts of YA, Ultimates and her previous ongoing were the result of a half-remembered hallucination, on the other hand…

The real comedy will come if MoM has America’s origin be a more toned down version of the Utopian parallel one

The adoptive family stuff WAS good (and props to Rivera for that, it was her idea). They really could've chosen to focus on THAT as a way to humanize America and strengthen her bonds to Earth. It was such an easy option.

And honestly, the more I think about, the more I think MCU America will end up nothing like this new version. Like, even in her leaked audition, you can see that what attracted Marvel Studios to the character was the other-worldly aspect of her. Her coming from another universe is probably the only reason why she's in this movie at all. I don't see how they could fit anything from the retcon in the movie.

[mreddie]

Yeah, this America retcon is gonna get wiped out if MCU America is just the original America origin.

But Marvel editors don't care unless she's a Venom or Mutant.

[Sutekh]

I'm glad Werneck is drawing The Trial Of Magneto, 'cause getting Tommy/Billy content from him will be just.... chef's kiss.

First of all, I love that Tommy got some play here. It would have been too easy to just ignore him (or his ties to Wanda).

But I also love that he arrives to the Gala and sees Prodigy in a dress and says, 'You didn't say we could wear dresses! We should all wear dresses!' So great.

[Drops Of Venus]

First of all, I love that Tommy got some play here. It would have been too easy to just ignore him (or his ties to Wanda).

It's refreshing to think about a story where it looks like Tommy could play a bigger role than Billy. Definitely not a feeling you get everyday. lol

I won't get too ahead of myself, though. For all we know, he could still have a very small role. But I hope not. I really want to see Tommy and Billy openly advocating for Wanda like in Children's Crusade. If Marvel wants me to believe they see her as their ''mommy'' (still cringing at that), then they better freaking show us!

[Waking Replica]

https://twitter.com/Marvel/status/14...528078342?s=19

No Tommy to be seen, but obviously David was there in the background (and it's XFactor leading the investigation, so safe assumption that he's gonna be in this a lot). Weird they showed Vision reacting to Wanda's death and not... Her son, her brother, or her current boyfriend. Anyway, hopefully David and Tommy have a good showing here despite how the XFactor finale was handled.

[Frontier]

https://twitter.com/Marvel/status/14...528078342?s=19

No Tommy to be seen, but obviously David was there in the background (and it's XFactor leading the investigation, so safe assumption that he's gonna be in this a lot). Weird they showed Vision reacting to Wanda's death and not... Her son, her brother, or her current boyfriend. Anyway, hopefully David and Tommy have a good showing here despite how the XFactor finale was handled.

I will be very surprised if Jericho is actually acknowledged here.

[Journey]

I will be very surprised if Jericho is actually acknowledged here.

Yeah I think he's out though to be fair I'm more interested in Tommy, Billy, & Pietro's reactions so I'd be lying if I said was too hurt by this fact, Hope Tommy gets some shine he legit found the body he has to be in it, Billy is probably busy we might just get his take on SWORD during the Teddy rescue, but if he shows up I'll be pleasantly surprised.

[Fokken]

Wait, what? Are you saying that YA vol 2 and the Earth-616 Ultimates have been retconned? That has implications on too many other characters...

Not exactly.
I can ride the rationalization wave that America has fabricated her pocket dimension paradise where her mothers were the supreme heroes that died protecting her and the other "princesses". This current mini actually handles THAT aspect rather well --very grounded-- regardless of my own preferences toward the fantastical. (RIP Utopian Parallel)

HOWEVER -- all of the Demiurge stuff must've been magically planted in her mind (by Loki) to ensure her involvement with the Style>Substance arc or..... or this retcon is just plain flawed.


So, we have this mini depicting her earliest memories.
America and Catalina, along with all the other youths, gain powers via science experiment. ( Super speed, super strength, super durability, flight, and... star shaped portal summoning??)
The women caring for them die trying to save them and America tries to escape with Catalina but they get separated.
America washes up on Jones beach, New York, and gets adopted by the Santanas.
An eventual therapy session not only reveals that America insists she came from the Utopian Parallel but that she also has powers.
She uses said powers as she grows, defending against local injustice. Bullying, crime, etc.
Eventually she is convinced her actions are proving dangerous to her adoptive family and..... leaves(?) to pursue a life of heroics to honor her fabricated "super moms"

Following THAT departure we have the bonkers events of Joe Casey's Vengeance, and whatever additional dimension/world hopping shenanigans she's been up to leading to Gillen's run.

MEANWHILE -- the insanity that is her previous solo must be a further(??) escalation of her trauma induced, mental illness???
Maybe the events of Civil War II, ( being unable to save War Machine from being murdered, and the near-death-experience with Thanos) triggered and exacerbated that buried trauma, and to COPE (again) she doubles down into another delusion (Super University, Abuela, Latinx Lesbian Magic Pro Wrestler Species?) which -- if THAT whole mini was another grandiose delusion, then at least that explains how terribly written it was with so many errors, missteps, poor characterization, etc etc (I guess???)

So.
SAD No Prize: Loki magically manipulated America's trauma induced delusion, crafting Billy Kaplan's Demiurge into the narrative she built, to ensure her involvement (similarly to how he also planted the idea of "being the best boyfriend ever" into Billy's mind as he slept, which put all of the events of Gillen's multiversal chaos in motion)


WOOF.
Because YA vol 2 and the Ultimates absolutely happened.