Last year, a series of variant covers introduced Marvel Comics fans to teen heroes inspired by various Marvel icons. Many of these characters found their way into actual comics in 2024. Now, 2025 will highlight these heroes and explore the problems they face, as they become the New Champions.
New Champions #1 will start with four heroes, previously introduced in the pages of Spider-Woman. Liberty, whose power armor allows her to fly and become invisible. Hellrune, who gained magic powers tied to the Norse gods on her 13th birthday. Moon Squire, who claims to have been blessed by an Egyptian god like Moon Knight. Finally, there is Cadet Marvel, a self-described “military brat,” who gained energy powers after being caught in an accidental explosion.
Originally brought together and brainwashed by Hydra as part of a scheme, the four young heroes broke their programming with the help of Jessica Drew. They elect to stay together and find other teenagers like them in need of direction. New Champions will detail the stories of all these young characters, as they seek their place in the Marvel Universe.
New Champions #1 continues a Marvel tradition of teen heroes
Marvel has had a long tradition of teen heroes, ever since Peter Parker first spun a web as Spider-Man. From Kitty Pryde to Kamala Khan, there are many Marvel mainstays who started out as inexperienced idealists. New Champions promises to explore the same themes behind these classic characters, but with a more modern edge.
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“I’ve been dying to write a teen hero team my whole career,” explained series writer Steve Foxe. “It’s the time in everyone’s life when we’re figuring out who we really are. And adding Norse magic or jet-powered punches or accidental hell portals to that search for identity is a recipe for storytelling gold. Reverse-engineering the cast from the covers was unlike any other creative process I’ve ever been involved in. I’m beyond stoked to debut a whole new class of Marvel heroes… and a few villains!”
New Champions #1 artist Ivan Fiorelli is equally enthused. “What really excites me about this project is the opportunity to bring fresh faces into the Marvel Universe, and explore something completely new. These young heroes have their own stories to tell, and I’m looking forward to seeing how they’ll grow and evolve visually as the series unfolds. I hope readers will enjoy reading our pages as much as I will enjoy illustrating them!”
New Champions #1 arrives in comic shops everywhere on January 8, 2025.
