Young Avengers #12
Young Avengers #12 is the finale of Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung's acclaimed twelve-issue limited series, and it packs two permanent codename christenings into a single issue: Kate Bishop is formally dubbed Hawkeye — first by Jessica Jones mid-battle and then confirmed in a note from Steve Rogers — while Tommy Shepherd adopts the name Speed, cementing both characters as fixtures of the Marvel Universe. The issue also resolves the long-running question of Patriot's powers: Eli Bradley's near-fatal wound forces the real blood transfusion from his grandfather Isaiah that the series had been building toward, finally giving him the genuine Super-Soldier abilities he had only been faking. Taken together, these story beats made issue #12 the payoff chapter of a series that had already won the 2006 Harvey Award for Best New Series and the 2006 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book, recognitions that underscored how the book quietly repositioned teen-hero comics as a space for complex identity storytelling.
In "Family Matters, Part Four," the Young Avengers face a crisis that tests their unity and identity as they navigate the escalating conflict between the Kree and the Skrull—especially as Hulkling finds himself at the heart of both empires. With Tommy embracing the name Speed and Kate stepping into the role of the new Hawkeye, the team continues to prove their worth, earning the hard-earned approval of the real Avengers. Written by Allan Heinberg and illustrated by Jim Cheung, with inks by Livesay, Dave Meikis, and Mark Morales, and colors by Justin Ponsor, the issue’s dynamic art is brought to life on the cover by Jim Cheung and John Dell.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The series was conceived as a deliberate twelve-issue limited run — Heinberg, a television writer and producer best known for The O.C., structured it like a season of television rather than an open-ended monthly. Marvel approached him after a Wizard magazine interview in which he discussed comics' influence on his TV work, and this became his first comic-book writing credit. Jim Cheung was the only artist ever considered for the project; the editor on record was Tom Brevoort, with Molly Lazer and Aubrey Sitterson as assistant editors and Andy Schmidt as associate editor — the full editorial staff documented in the issue's indicia. The book's on-sale date was June 28, 2006, with an August 2006 cover date.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Kate Bishop using the Hawkeye codename: Jessica Jones calls her 'Hawkeye' during the battle, and Captain America's farewell note to the team formally endorses the title.
- First appearance of Tommy Shepherd as Speed: Tommy rejoins the team in a new uniform and adopts the 'Speed' codename in this issue.
- Patriot (Eli Bradley) receives a genuine blood transfusion from his grandfather Isaiah Bradley, finally granting him real Super-Soldier Serum-derived abilities — resolving the long-running deception about the source of his powers that had run through the entire series.
- The issue concludes the 'Family Matters' arc and serves as the finale of the entire first volume (Young Avengers vol. 1, #1–12), after which the team continued only in limited series and crossover tie-ins.
- The combined Young Avengers and New Avengers roster — including Captain America, Iron Man, Luke Cage, Sentry, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, and Wolverine — battles Kree and Skrull forces simultaneously; the resolution hinges on Hulkling and the Super-Skrull secretly swapping places so Teddy can infiltrate the alien fleets.
- Wiccan confirms to Captain America in this issue that he and Speed are the reincarnated twin sons of the Scarlet Witch, planting story threads that would run forward into Avengers: The Children's Crusade.
- The issue has been reprinted in: Young Avengers Vol. 2: Family Matters (trade paperback, Marvel); Marvel Icons (Panini France) #23 (March 2007); Marvel Deluxe: Young Avengers (Panini France, January 2010); and Young Avengers by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung: The Complete Collection (Marvel, 2016).
- The issue contains a backup story written by Karl Kesel with art by David Hahn, featuring the Masked Marvel (Adam Austin), the Dynamic Crusader, Electro (Max Dillon), Willie Lumpkin, and Spider-Man (Peter Parker) in a comedic story set at the Marvel Comics offices — accounting for several of the 'supporting/cameo' characters indexed in our catalog.
Cast · 39 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
The Young and New Avengers battle the Kree and the Skrull as they try to figure out a way to placate both sides in regards to Hulkling (he is a high ranking member of both races). Tommy takes the code name of Speed and Kate becomes the new Hawkeye. The Young Avengers continue as a team, now with the blessing of the real Avengers.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).