So back in April of 2005 a small book came out titled Young Avengers, Created by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung. At the time it was a suprise hit, given that there was backlash over characters in the series. Not only did we get a very unique and diverse cast, but we also got a number of connections to the Marvel universe through some legacy characters, some of whom are now being used in the grown up leagues and have paved the way for other newer characters to come in and be accepted on their own two feet.
It's been ten years since the series first showed up in comic shops, so where are the lead characters now ten years later after Marvel first introduced us to Patriot, Hawkeye (Hawkingbird), Wiccan (Asgardian), Hulkling, Stature, Iron Lad, Vision, and Speed....
Well Let's start with the good:
Kate Bishop, Teddy Altman, Billy Kaplin, all were used in a second version of Young Avengers.
Billy and Teddy have become the poster children for teen gay couples in Marvel.
Both Billy and Teddy are now on a full scale Avengers Team.
Kate is now part of Hawkeyes books and pretty much could stand on her own.
Cassie Lang is now alive and being used in Ant-man with her father.
The Not so good:
Cassie seems to be de-powered right now, is younger then when she first appeared in YA, and doesn't remember anything. (Nor do we know if the others have contacted her.)
Speed, Billy's twin, has since been relegated sort of to the sidelines, and at times it feels like people forget that Tommy and Billy are twins. Last time we saw him he was an intern with Prodigy and got stuck in a bind.
Iron Lad, who turned out to be a young Kang, is now Kang I think, and was last seen in Uncanny Avengers planning something to do with the other universes.
Vision, got destroyed at the end of Children's crusades, and was rebuilt as the older version of himself with no memory of what happened during his time as a Young Avenger.
And Eli....
Eli has pretty much been taken off the board with Marvel saying that Gillian couldn't use him for the second run of Avengers for some unspecified reason. No one talks about him at all, it's like he doesn't exist.
So question: What do you think should be done to celebrate the ten years of this book? What can be done with the members that seem to be short changed, and what sort of future can you see for the title and possible future incarnation now that most of the cast is seen as Adults? Can there be another Young Avengers that hits the same notes?