Marvel unites teen heroes as the Champions

In October, the world will be introduced to the newest team of superheroes, the Champions, which brings together some of the younger heroes in the Marvel universe.

The Marvel Universe has been fractured by the ongoing events of Civil War II, and as a result, some of the younger Avengers have decided to break off on their own and form a new team.

Calling themselves the Champions, this new team of Kamala Khan, a.k.a. Ms. Marvel; Miles Morales, a.k.a. Spider-Man; Sam Alexander, a.k.a. Nova; Amadeus Cho, a.k.a. Totally Awesome Hulk; and Viv Vision set out on a mission to prove that superheroes still have value in this world.

“To their mind – the reputation of super heroes has taken a very public beating and they’re very intent in proving to the world that super heroes still have value and still have relevance,” says series writer Mark Waid in an interview with Marvel.com.

So lets meet the team that fills out the Champions roster.

• Ms. Marvel: Kamala Khan developed powers after getting hit by Terrigen Mist when it suddenly enveloped Jersey City, and triggered Kamala’s latent Inhuman DNA. A big fan of Captain Marvel, she takes on her previous name of Ms. Marvel and begins fighting crime in Jersey City. In addition, she must abide by the rules of her strict Muslim family and make it through high school.
• Spider-Man: Miles Morales took up the mantle of the webslinger after Peter Parker died in Marvel’s Ultimate universe. Thanks to the events of the Secret Wars storyline, he is now part of the main Marvel universe and is good friends with Kamala Khan.
• Nova: Sam Alexander ends up crossing paths with Rocket Racoon and Gamora as he is searching for his father, Jesse Alexander. They teach Sam how to use the power of his father’s black Nova helmet, and Sam uses these newfound powers to help the greater good.
• Totally Awesome Hulk: During the events of Secret Wars, the Hulk absorbs too much radiation and is about to explode killing himself and many people. In order to save his friend Bruce Banner’s life, Amadeus Cho figures out a way to separate the Hulk from Bruce, but that energy has to go somewhere. He absorbs it, transforming into the new teenage Hulk.
• Viv Vision: The teenage daughter of Vision.

There is also a sixth and final member of the team: Scott Summers, a.k.a. Cyclops. He is from the past, and his introduction to the team is part of their first mission. When he meets the team, he responds to the positive message that the Champions want to accomplish and wishes to be a part of it. Champions editor Tom Brevoort explained to EW why Scott Summers becoming a Champion may be a hard sell for the rest of the team.

"The older Cyclops has done some stuff. He’s a hugely divisive figure in the Marvel universe, so the first question these kids have to answer for themselves is, should we let him be a part of this? Is his very presence going to taint what we’re doing? His older self became a radical and a revolutionary and did awful things, but is it the same guy? And that’s kind of why he’s there I think. He wants to go down a different road than his older self did."

Champions is set to launch this October as the newest monthly series under the Marvel NOW! banner. The series will feature the combined talents of Eisner Award winning writer Mark Waid and Eisner Award nominated artist Humberto Ramos.

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