After months of anticipation, the newest cohort of young Marvel superheroes are finally starring in their own series inNew Champions, a team made up of original “sidekick” characters first created for theNew Champions Variant Coverseries. While the four main characters -Liberty, Hellrune, Cadet Marvel, and Moon Squire- have already debuted as members of Hydra’s Assembly, this will be their real introduction into the Marvel Universe, operating as an independent heroic team not under the thumb of Hydra.
Some ofthe New Champions from the epic variant cover series have debuted in other titles, like Fantasma inGhost Rider: Robbie Reyes Special#1 andMaystorm inUltimate X-Men#1, but fans are incredibly excited to see the young heroes team up to, “Change The World.”
Marvel’sannouncementof the upcomingNew Championsreveals that the series will be written by Steve Foxe - who also wrote their debut as The Assembly inSpider-Woman- with art by Ivan Fiorelli (Daredevil: Woman Without Fear), and will first feature Hellrune, Liberty, Cadet Marvel, and Moon Squire,before adding more New Champions onto the roster. Plus, check out four gorgeous covers forNew Champions#1 from Gleb Melnikov, Paco Medina, Luciano Vecchio, and Federico Vicentini!
WHO ARE THE NEW CHAMPIONS?
What do four kids whose lives were derailed by Hydra, Scarlet Witch’s mysterious protégé, a cursed roller derby jammer and a Wakandan runaway have in common? Not much! But when Hellrune’s mysterious powers activate to bring them together, they’ll have to learn how to work as a team quickly—or face the wrath of the Cult of Hela!
The New Champions Are Marvel’s Newest Teen Hero Team
But who is the Cult of Hela?
Marvel is full of fresh new young heroes - like the Outliers fromUncanny X-Menor Kitty Pryde’s new protégés inExceptional X-Men- and the New Champions are about to be some of the most powerful out there. The New Champions will start with the members of the Assembly - Hellrune, Liberty, Cadet Marvel, and Moon Squire - who were all captured, trained, and brainwashed by Hydra until Spider-Woman helped them to break their mind control and regain their independence. Marvel has confirmed that joining these four will beFantasma, the Brazilian roller-skating Ghost Rider, Amarantha, a new protégé of Scarlet Witch, and an unnamed runway from Wakanda!
Scarlet Witch’s New Protégé is Officially Revealed (And is Already A Major Marvel Threat)
Former New Champion Amaranth makes her Marvel Comics debut in Scarlet Witch #6 as Agatha Harkness fearfully asks Wanda to train the young sorceress.
Marvel has promised plenty of drama and intrigue, hinting that not all the New Champions are destined for heroism, and “…some have dark connections to established Marvel lore that could spell disaster.” The dangerous Agatha Harkness seems terrified of the young Amaranth, and if Agatha is scared, everyone probably should be. Hellrune,seemingly an Asgardian-like hero with teleportation powers, inadvertently brings the New Champions together, forcing them to form a team to battle the Cult of Hela. While Hela, the Asgardian Goddess of Death, is a classic Marvel character, her cult has not been seen before, making for the exciting debut of a dangerous new enemy.
Will The New Champions Ever Cross Paths With The Old?
Kamala Khan would happily be a mentor!
While many are excited for the New Champions to debut, many fans of Kamala Khan’s Champions wish that team would return to Marvel. Mainly consisting of Ms. Marvel, Kid Nova, and Miles Morales - plus other heroes like Brawn, Viv Vision, and Nadia van Dyne - the Champions were one of the most popular and beloved teen teams at Marvel, until the passing of Kamala’s Law made underage heroics illegal. Hopefully,the New Champions will have a run-in with members of the old Champions at some point, because experienced heroes like Kamala or Miles would be honored to mentor these new young heroes.
Check outSpider-Woman,Scarlet Witch, and theRobbie Reyes Specialto get the lowdown on many of the starting members of the New Champions before the series debuts next year!
