The Champions are a team of teenaged superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appears in Champions (vol. 2) #1 (October 2016) and was created by writer Mark Waid and artist Humberto Ramos.
Publication history In July 2016, Marvel announced the debut of the Champions, a team of teenage superheroes who became disillusioned with their predecessors and split off from the Avengers following the events of the 2016 "Civil War II" storyline. The team was created by writer Mark Waid and artist Humberto Ramos. Executive editor Tom Brevoort stated that the purpose of the team is to "reclaim and redefine in a classic sense what being a superhero should mean. Rather than seeing the previous generation as these icons that came before them, now they've interacted with them on a one-to-one basis and learned they aren't better or worse than anybody else." Brevoort explained that the characters chose the name Champions to distance themselves from the Avengers and wanted something decidedly upbeat. Brevoort also revealed that he had a list of several other names in case the trademark dispute with Heroic Publishing, which owned the name, fell through.
The first issue of the series was published on October 5, 2016. It sold 328,000 copies and was the second most sold book that month. It has been well received by critics and fans alike with an average score of 7.9 and 7.5 respectively on Comicbook Roundup.
The series was relaunched in January 2019 under a new creative team with Jim Zub as writer and Steven Cummings as artist, and ended in October 2019 with issue #10. This series is focused on the core trio of Miles Morales, Sam Alexander, and Kamala Khan, who had started operating globally along with the expanded lineup after Miles made a deal with the devil Mephisto to resurrect the deceased Kamala.Champions (vol. 3) #1-10. Marvel Comics.
The series was scheduled for another relaunch in April 2020 with writer Eve Ewing and artist Simone Di Meo, but was disrupted due to COVID-19 pandemic. The Outlawed Marvel Comics crossover storyline began with the one-shot Outlawed #1 (March 2020) and continued over into Champions (vol. 4) #1-5 (October 2020-March 2021) along with other comic series which focused on young superheroes. Champions (vol. 4) #6-10 focused on the aftermath of Outlawed and resolved lingering threads.
Fictional team biography Origin The Champions were formed following the departure of Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), Spider-Man (Miles Morales) and Nova (Sam Alexander) from the Avengers, when they became disillusioned by the behavior of their elders, especially in regards to the second superhuman Civil War. The young heroes desired to rectify the state of distrust by the people towards superheroes in general, and soon recruited other teenagers with similar ideals, Hulk (Amadeus Cho), and Viv Vision, daughter of the Vision.Champions (vol. 2) #1. Marvel Comics.
After their first joint mission rescuing a group of girls being trafficked by Pagliacci, the young heroes revealed themselves to the public and Ms. Marvel proclaimed the team's mission to foster a better tomorrow through hope and wisdom rather than unjust force. Her speech became viral on the Internet, and the team was dubbed the "Champions" in social media. One of the superheroes encouraged by Ms. Marvel's speech was the time-displaced Cyclops (Scott Summers), who was admitted into the Champions' ranks after requesting membership.Champions (vol. 2) #2. Marvel Comics.
Early missions In their further early adventures, the Champions traveled to Sharzhad and helped a young girl named Amal stop militant fundamentalists from enforcing a gender apartheid.Champions (vol. 2) #3. Marvel Comics. They were confronted by an Atlantean colony while cruising over their waters.Champions (vol. 2) #4. Marvel Comics. Champions were joined by Gwenpool in fighting the xenophobic head of Daly County's police, Sheriff Studdard.Champions (vol. 2) #5. Marvel Comics.
During the "Monsters Unleashed" storyline, the Champions crossed paths with the Freelancers, a group of teenage mercenaries, who were at the time working for Roxxon to silence protesters. The Freelancers' employers would make efforts to discredit the Champions, framing the young heroes for attacking homeless people, and later trademarking the Champions' logo. The Champions managed to clean the name, and Nova started a countermovement to reject the Champions-branded merchandise.Champions (vol. 2) #1.MU. Marvel Comics.Monsters Unleashed (vol. 2) #1. Marvel Comics.Champions (vol. 2) #6-8. Marvel Comics.
Secret Empire When Hydra assumed control of the United States of America in the "Secret Empire" storyline, the Champions responded to Iron Man's distress call to protect Washington, D.C. alongside other American superheroes,Secret Empire #0. Marvel Comics. all of whom were soundly defeated when Captain America wielded Mjolnir. The Champions retreated, ultimately regrouping at Olympus Group Secret HQ ATX001 after becoming separated from Ms. Marvel, who worked with the Secret Warriors to fight off Inhuman internment camps;Champions (vol. 2) #10. Marvel Comics.Secret Warriors (vol. 2) #1. Marvel Comics. and Scott was displaced to New Tian with America's mutants;X-Men: Blue #7. Marvel Comics. and Nova was trapped beyond the Planetary Defense Shield in Earth Orbit.Secret Empire #3. Marvel Comics.
Hulk, Viv, and Spider-Man eventually joined the Underground, where they associated with Ironheart (Riri Williams), Wasp (Nadia van Dyne), Falcon (Joaquin Torres), and Patriot (Rayshaun Lucas).Secret Empire #1. Marvel Comics.
After Hydra leveled Las Vegas, Black Widow set out to assassinate Captain America. Spider-Man joined her, having decided to stop running away from his supposed destiny to kill Captain America, as prophesied by the precognitive Inhuman Ulysses Cain. The remaining Champions, alongside Falcon, Wasp and Ironheart followed him to offer their support, thus joining Black Widow's Red RoomSecret Empire #2. Marvel Comics. and got training from Black Widow. The teenagers were eventually captured by Hydra after Widow's assassination attempt failed and resulted in her death. Spider-Man almost killed Captain America, but Wasp convinced him not to, since they had learned Black Widow tried to kill Rogers herself to prevent Miles from becoming a killer. The teenagers were subsequently arrested.Secret Empire #7. Marvel Comics.
When a contingent of America's remaining superheroes launched a desperate attack on Hydra, Hydra allies Taskmaster and Black Ant decided to switch sides in light of Hydra's eventual defeat, and freed the teenagers from their cell to be in the heroes' good graces. The Champions were reunited during the final battle,Secret Empire #9. Marvel Comics. which saw the return of the real Captain America and fall of Hydra.Secret Empire #10. Marvel Comics.
Post-Secret Empire A short time following Hydra's fall, the Champions saw themselves forced into an uneasy alliance with the AvengersThe Avengers #672. Marvel Comics.Champions (vol. 2) #13. Marvel Comics. to stop the High Evolutionary from causing a collision between Earth and Counter-Earth. After being turned into an ordinary human by the High Evolutionary.The Avengers #673. Marvel Comics.Champions (vol. 2) #14. Marvel Comics. Viv became trapped in another plane of existence while operating a device to foil the villain's plans. The Vision built a Viv 2.0 to cope with Viv's apparent death before Viv found her way home.Champions (vol. 2) #15. Marvel Comics.
Taking into account Viv's feelings, the Champions refrained from welcoming Viv's twin into the team. Viv rejoined the Champions' rank after her twin sister went haywire and Viv was forced to kill Viv 2.0 in self-defense. The Vision and Wasp managed to repair Viv 2.0's body, and since they couldn't bring back her mind, Viv transferred her consciousness to the synthetic body as a way to both regain her powers and ensure her sister lived on through herself.Champions (vol. 2) #16-17. Marvel Comics.
Following Viv's return to the team, Cyclops is forced to leave the Champions due to a call to arms from his fellow time-displaced X-Men.Champions (vol. 2) #18. Marvel Comics.
After joining the ranks of the Champions full-time, Ironheart and Wasp helped Amadeus Cho create the Champions Mobile Bunker (C.M.B.), a new moving headquarters. Each of the Champions had a private room in the bunker, with the exception of Spider-Man and Nova.
During an investigation in Nunavut, Canada,Champions (vol. 2) #19. Marvel Comics. the Champions stumbled into the machinations of Master of the World, and uncovered his capture of a local teenager named Amka Aliyak, who is bestowed shapeshifting powers after becoming infused with the Inua spirit Sila, from whom the Master of the World was leeching off energy for his machinery. Amka escaped from Master of the World's captivity and joined forced with the Champions and Alpha Flight to defeat Master of the World. She later joined the Champions as Snowguard.Champions (vol. 2) #21. Marvel Comics.
Infinity Countdown During the "Infinity Countdown" storyline, Champions, gained knowledge of an assault on the Nova Corps. Discovering it was the Chitauri Empire, led by Warbringer, Nova's old foe, they took the Bunker into space, where they found that the Warbringer's goal was to attack Thanos, Nova eventually realized that Thanos' army never moved, not even to defend themselves, and the team knocked out Warbringer, leaving the Chitauri without a leader and subsequently stopping the massacre.
Thanos then annexed Warbringer's army into his own, and thanked the Champions for the show. Furious, Ironheart ignored the others, and charged at him, before being caught by the throat, and her armor was swiftly destroyed. Thanos let her be, and the team took Warbringer back to the Nova Corps; however, Commander Scott Adsit took Sam's helmet, as he was not officially recognized as a Nova, then teleported the team back to Earth, much to Sam's horror.Infinity Countdown: Champions #1-2. Marvel Comics.
During this period, Amadeus gained a new transformed state that is less powerful, but easier for him to control, and assumed the codename Brawn.The Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #717. Marvel Comics. Riri, after her run in with Thanos, revealed her Mk 3 Armor, with a new design and color scheme; however, now depowered, Sam could not feel anything but rage at everything and is depressed.
While helping a Tanzanian village suffering of water poisoning, the Champions discovered the Man-Thing inhabiting their swamp. The creature instinctively opened the portal, sending Sam and the Wasp to Weirdworld.Champions (vol. 2) #23. Marvel Comics. The two were later tracked down by the Master of the World, who had been keeping an eye on the Champions since his defeat in Canada. He found Sam and Wasp amnesiac and mutated by Weirdworld's magic.Champions (vol. 2) #26. Marvel Comics. He took them under his wing to use their new powers to conquer land.Champions (vol. 2) #27. Marvel Comics.
When the rest of the Champions travelled to Weirdworld with the help of Inua spirit Sila. The Champions were scattered and transformed, though only Ironheart retained the memories of her past life due to her traumatic experience when fighting Thanos, and managed to reunite the team.Champions (vol. 2) #25-27. Marvel Comics. Champions again defeated Master of the World and returned to their home.Champions (vol. 2) 27. Marvel Comics.
Operating globally Champions started operating globally after giving full membership to Falcon, Patriot, The Locust (Fernanda Rodriguez), Bombshell (Lana Baumgartner), Pinpoint (Qureshi Gupta) and Power Man (Victor Alvarez).Champions (vol. 3) #1. Marvel Comics.