Style > Substance: YOUNG AVENGERS Appreciation

[Sutekh]

OKAY so either this is YET ANOTHER case of Bendis NOT doing his research.... or REPTIL IS ALIVE AND WELL.

The answer is 'yes.'

And I'm okay with that, because Reptil was one of my favorite members of Avengers Academy. (And, IIRC, the last time we saw Striker, he was being killed by Elsa Bloodstone after being bitten by a zombie, so I'm thrilled that he's officially alive again, too!)

Now if only Finesse would show up again...

[Anduinel]

The answer is 'yes.'

And I'm okay with that, because Reptil was one of my favorite members of Avengers Academy. (And, IIRC, the last time we saw Striker, he was being killed by Elsa Bloodstone after being bitten by a zombie, so I'm thrilled that he's officially alive again, too!)

Now if only Finesse would show up again...

I think that was an AU. A Battleworlds comic or something.

[Tycon]

The answer is 'yes.'

And I'm okay with that, because Reptil was one of my favorite members of Avengers Academy. (And, IIRC, the last time we saw Striker, he was being killed by Elsa Bloodstone after being bitten by a zombie, so I'm thrilled that he's officially alive again, too!)

Now if only Finesse would show up again...

I'm surprised she didn't show up initially. She's perfect for this team.

And the whole "Striker getting killed by Elsa because he was a zombie" thing was just a Secret Wars tie-in IIRC.

[9th.]

Well, speak of the devil! Striker cameoed in Invincible Iron Man today! If Bendis was setting something up there for another writer, there's a chance he might be about to make a comeback.

Striker!, I didn't like him that much when I was reading AA but I get happy anything I seen a 2000s teen character being used. So much potential down the drain or slaughtered in the Xmens case.

[9th.]

Reptil was obviously never dead. If Hazmat's radiation had killed him, there would've been no body to retrieve, because it would've been like taking a direct hit from a nuclear bomb. Which means he was just unconscious when fished out of the water at the end of Avengers Arena. I reckon his powers saved him but left him in a coma.

Thats what I thought as well, he was never really confirmed dead. Just in limbo

[Drops Of Venus]

Also, who is the pink haired girl in the other suit of armor?
Is that Toni Ho?

Yep. And it bothers me that Caselli doesn't draw her looking like an asian person.

BTW, how old is Toni supposed to be? If she's still young adult enough, I think she could be a great new Iron-Person for the Young Avengers.

I'm surprised she didn't show up initially. She's perfect for this team.

If by ''this team'' you mean the Young Avengers, I agree. If the YA get a relaunch while Kate is too busy in LA, I think Finesse would be the perfect replacement: dark-haired girl with no ''super'' power other than incredible physical abilities and weapons skills. And she is also sort of a legacy hero (for Taskmaster), which would bring an interesting approach to the Young Avengers: what if they start representing legacies of villains as well? Would they feel comfortable with that, specially after things didn't end well for young Nate Richards?

[Michael Watkins]

Young Avengers: what if they start representing legacies of villains as well? Would they feel comfortable with that, specially after things didn't end well for young Nate Richards?

sounds more like something a young kang would do; recruitment-wise. they already have/had the Young Masters of Evil. I would love to see a sequel to that.

[Drops Of Venus]

sounds more like something a young kang would do; recruitment-wise. they already have/had the Young Masters of Evil. I would love to see a sequel to that.

Well, yeah, but the Young Masters are villains (and I would totally like to see them again, btw). My point is: what if there is a character who willingly or not is a part of a villain's legacy, but they want to be a hero instead? I would like to see how the Young Avengers would deal with that today, since the last time they tried to help someone stray from the villainous path, it kind of blew up in their faces.

[Michael Watkins]

Well, yeah, but the Young Masters are villains (and I would totally like to see them again, btw). My point is: what if there is a character who willingly or not is a part of a villain's legacy, but they want to be a hero instead? I would like to see how the Young Avengers would deal with that today, since the last time they tried to help someone stray from the villainous path, it kind of blew up in their faces.

Fair enough. But Wanda and the skrulls were villains when the characters in your avatar debuted. And Kate's father isn't exactly a good guy either.

[Tycon]

If by ''this team'' you mean the Young Avengers, I agree. If the YA get a relaunch while Kate is too busy in LA, I think Finesse would be the perfect replacement: dark-haired girl with no ''super'' power other than incredible physical abilities and weapons skills. And she is also sort of a legacy hero (for Taskmaster), which would bring an interesting approach to the Young Avengers: what if they start representing legacies of villains as well? Would they feel comfortable with that, specially after things didn't end well for young Nate Richards?

oop. I actually meant DaVinci's new Academy/SHIELD. Just because of how espionage-y and spy-oriented it seems to be, and with relation to her powerset, she could be the prodigal student.

And it brings down the Avengers Academy death count by one:

-Mettle
-Juston (but also who cares)

siiiiiiiiiiiigh

[Digifiend]

Yep. And it bothers me that Caselli doesn't draw her looking like an asian person.

BTW, how old is Toni supposed to be? If she's still young adult enough, I think she could be a great new Iron-Person for the Young Avengers.

Early 20s, I think. She was about 10 when her father, Ho Yinsen, died in Iron Man's origin story.

[legion_quest]

oop. I actually meant DaVinci's new Academy/SHIELD. Just because of how espionage-y and spy-oriented it seems to be, and with relation to her powerset, she could be the prodigal student.

And it brings down the Avengers Academy death count by one:

-Mettle
-Juston (but also who cares)

siiiiiiiiiiiigh

Raises hand

[Fokken]

Yep. And it bothers me that Caselli doesn't draw her looking like an asian person.

BTW, how old is Toni supposed to be? If she's still young adult enough, I think she could be a great new Iron-Person for the Young Avengers.



If by ''this team'' you mean the Young Avengers, I agree. If the YA get a relaunch while Kate is too busy in LA, I think Finesse would be the perfect replacement: dark-haired girl with no ''super'' power other than incredible physical abilities and weapons skills. And she is also sort of a legacy hero (for Taskmaster), which would bring an interesting approach to the Young Avengers: what if they start representing legacies of villains as well? Would they feel comfortable with that, specially after things didn't end well for young Nate Richards?

YES. YES. YES.

(Also, according to her wiki, Toni acquired 3 doctorates by the age of 20, so she's definitely IN her early 20s.)

I'd love to see a new line up with:
Toni (tech genius and non-combative-strategist)

Aikku (multipowered body armor)
Finesse (intimidating polymath)
Tommy (abrasive speedster)
Teddy (alien hybrid space hunk)
Billy (would-be-deity)
Reptil (amulet empowered metamorph)

[Sutekh]

I'd love to see Finesse return as cold-blooded and practical as always, and yet stay on the side of the heroes, for utterly practical reasons. "Have you seen what happens to villains? No thanks. And really, all the cool villains are playing for the other team now anyway, Doom, Magneto, Namor, Loki... It doesn't take a genius polymath to see which way the wind is going."

She could be a Moonstone-like figure, as a Young Avenger, only less inherently treacherous (because she's smart enough to not bite the hand that's feeding her), with her ethically-challenged notions kept on the straight and narrow by more idealistic Young Avengers like Billy or Kate. It's also kind of neat that her Taskmaster ties are unconfirmed, and, when introduced, she was very much a polymath, capable of mastering different skills, sciences, arts, languages, etc. as easily as Taskmaster can pick up new martial arts and acrobatics moves (making her far more useful, potentially, than him, since she could work on Stark or Richards-level tech, with the right books / databases to study). I could see her having friction with Kate, as the nature of her abilities makes it possible for her to pick up a bow and 'catch up' with Kate with a day's practice, which should annoy the crap out of Kate (who, thankfully, has people skills and leadership skills that Finesse can't 'pick up' as quickly, or, perhaps, at all, given her lack of social skills).

(Granted, 'ethically-challenged hero' is the role that Speed tended to take on, offering the 'fast' solutions that weren't necessarily the 'best' solutions, so I'm not sure how she'd work on a team that also had Tommy. Given her past with 'uncle' Pietro, she might find Tommy intriguing. Or prefer Pietro to his younger 'spiritual god-nephew'...)

[Fokken]

I'd love to see Finesse return as cold-blooded and practical as always, and yet stay on the side of the heroes, for utterly practical reasons. "Have you seen what happens to villains? No thanks. And really, all the cool villains are playing for the other team now anyway, Doom, Magneto, Namor, Loki... It doesn't take a genius polymath to see which way the wind is going."

She could be a Moonstone-like figure, as a Young Avenger, only less inherently treacherous (because she's smart enough to not bite the hand that's feeding her), with her ethically-challenged notions kept on the straight and narrow by more idealistic Young Avengers like Billy or Kate. It's also kind of neat that her Taskmaster ties are unconfirmed, and, when introduced, she was very much a polymath, capable of mastering different skills, sciences, arts, languages, etc. as easily as Taskmaster can pick up new martial arts and acrobatics moves (making her far more useful, potentially, than him, since she could work on Stark or Richards-level tech, with the right books / databases to study). I could see her having friction with Kate, as the nature of her abilities makes it possible for her to pick up a bow and 'catch up' with Kate with a day's practice, which should annoy the crap out of Kate (who, thankfully, has people skills and leadership skills that Finesse can't 'pick up' as quickly, or, perhaps, at all, given her lack of social skills).

(Granted, 'ethically-challenged hero' is the role that Speed tended to take on, offering the 'fast' solutions that weren't necessarily the 'best' solutions, so I'm not sure how she'd work on a team that also had Tommy. Given her past with 'uncle' Pietro, she might find Tommy intriguing. Or prefer Pietro to his younger 'spiritual god-nephew'...)

Omg this gives me life.
I want this sooooo bad. I love Finesse so much and this all sounds so incredible.

I could see her criticizing Tommy's impulsive behavior and defending said scrutiny with: "I'M considering all variables, good AND bad. This one here is problematic. Speed is certainly an asset -- and when I say speed I mean, of course, the SKILL rather than the BOY, but only when applied appropriately. Nepotism may have gotten him THIS far, but for the success of the team and the mission, perhaps pragmatism and logic should be considered this time around?"


Then again, I could also see Tommy developing a strong attraction to her rather early on. He's prone to emotionally unavailable raven haired women who kick ass and take charge.