Young Avengers #6
Young Avengers #6 closes the 'Sidekicks' arc by delivering two landmark debut codenames in the same issue — Cassie Lang officially adopts the identity of Stature and Billy Kaplan settles on Wiccan — while simultaneously marking the first on-panel confirmation of Billy and Teddy Altman's romantic relationship, making this the earliest explicit acknowledgment of one of Marvel's most significant same-sex couples. The issue also resolves the Iron Lad/Kang paradox that drove the entire arc, with the team's founder departing and the reconstituted Young Avengers choosing to defy Captain America's direct order to disband — a defiant note of teen agency that would define the series going forward. In the broader context of 2005 mainstream comics, the quiet but clear portrayal of Wiccan and Hulkling as a couple was a meaningful step for LGBTQ+ representation at Marvel, contributing directly to the series winning the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book in 2006.
In "Sidekicks Part Six," Iron Lad confronts the staggering aftermath of killing Kang the Conqueror—the future version of himself—only to find the world around him unraveling as the timeline fractures. With the Young Avengers' reality shifting in unpredictable ways, the team must grapple with the consequences of a past that no longer holds. Written by Allan Heinberg and brought to life by Jim Cheung's dynamic art, with inks by John Dell and others, and a cover by Jim Cheung and John Dell, this pivotal issue marks a turning point in the Young Avengers' journey.
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The 'Sidekicks' arc — issues #1–6 — was the debut work of television writer Allan Heinberg, who had been recruited by Marvel after editors noticed comic-book references woven into his scripts for The O.C.; editor Tom Brevoort shepherded the project, and the series was deliberately structured as a 12-issue limited run modeled on a television season rather than an open-ended ongoing. Heinberg originally conceived Hulkling as a female shapeshifter to obscure a same-sex storyline, but Brevoort suggested simply making both Wiccan and Hulkling openly gay, a creative decision whose payoff is first made textually visible in this issue. Jim Cheung, who handled pencils throughout the arc with inking assists from John Dell, Dave Meikis, and Jay Leisten and colors by Justin Ponsor, was described by Heinberg as the only artist ever considered for the project.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Cassie Lang under the codename Stature; she had appeared earlier in the arc but names herself Stature for the first time here.
- First appearance of Billy Kaplan under the codename Wiccan; earlier issues used his provisional name 'Asgardian,' and rejected alternatives discussed in this very issue include 'Warlock Boy' and 'Magic Lad.'
- First on-panel confirmation of Hulkling (Teddy Altman) and Wiccan (Billy Kaplan) as a romantic couple — the issue is listed as Hulkling's comic 'outing' in multiple fan-database sources.
- Iron Lad (Nathaniel Richards) departs the team at the end of this issue, stepping through a portal to the 30th century to preserve the timestream, making this his exit as a founding member.
- Kate Bishop's future codename 'Hawkeye' is first floated among several suggestions in this issue, though she does not formally adopt it until Young Avengers #12.
- The issue concludes the six-part 'Sidekicks' story arc, which ran through Young Avengers #1–6 (April–September 2005), written by Allan Heinberg and penciled by Jim Cheung, with Tom Brevoort as editor under editor-in-chief Joe Quesada.
- Issues #1–6 were collected in Young Avengers Vol. 1: Sidekicks, released in both trade paperback and hardcover formats; the full 12-issue run plus the Special has since been reprinted in the Ultimate Collection (2010), the Complete Collection (2017), the Heinberg & Cheung Omnibus (2022), and the Modern Era Epic Collection Vol. 1 (2025).
- The Young Avengers series as a whole won the 2006 Harvey Award for Best New Series and the 2006 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book, recognition partly grounded in the representation first made explicit in this issue.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Marvel Icons #11 (2006), Young Avengers #[nn] (2008), Marvel Deluxe : Young Avengers #1 (2010), Young Avengers Ultimate Collection #[nn] (2010), Young Avengers by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung: The Complete Collection #[nn] (2016), Young Avengers by Heinberg & Cheung Omnibus #[nn] (2022), Young Avengers Modern Era Epic Collection #1 (2024)
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