Outlawed (comics)

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Outlawed is a comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics starting with the one-shot issue Outlawed^[1] on March 18, 2020. This new event for Marvel's young heroes is set after the events of the one-shot issue Incoming!^[2]

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the physical comics for this storyline were not published. Instead, the tie-in issues released digitally starting on May 13, 2020, while the main storyline was released starting on October 7, 2020.^[3]

The final conclusion of this storyline ends in its follow-up, titled Killer App.^[4][5]

Plot[]

Brawn is visiting his Champions teammates at Champions Mobile Bunker as Ms. Marvel announces the movie night. While arguing over what movie to watch, they hear the news Senator Geoffrey Patrick from Indiana talking about Brawn, his rampage in New York, and remarks of how he is not the first young hero to endanger the public. Meanwhile, at the Brooklyn Bridge, a semi-truck is smashed through the bridge's wires. Spider-Man (Miles Morales) and Spider-Man (Peter Parker) arrive and saved the truck. Later, Peter and Miles are hanging out where Miles remarks on Senator Patrick's recent crusade on young heroes. Peter confides about being a menace as it is similar to his past interactions with J. Jonah Jameson.^[2]

The Champions are monitoring a teen summit at Coles Academic High School to protect Ailana Kabua, who has been targeted by Roxxon. The school is attacked by Roxxon using an Asgardian dragon left from the War of the Realms. The Champions brawl against Roxxon while also evacuating the crowd. Power Man sends his chi-force at the dragon but Viv is accidentally hit and becomes unstable. The Champions are unable to keep the high school from being destroyed as they attack and manage to stop both the dragon and Viv, who disappears. Meanwhile, escorting Ailana to safety, Ms. Marvel saves her from falling debris by risking her life. Ironheart breaks down in the aftermath of the chaos. Due to the Coles Disaster, the Underage Superhuman Welfare Act is passed by Senator Patrick outlawing superheroes under the age of 21, despite Avengers defending the Champions' actions. Ms. Marvel is in coma in a hospital and to honor her, the act is named "Kamala's Law", without knowing her secret identity as Ms. Marvel. C.R.A.D.L.E. (Child-Hero Reconnaissance And Disruption Law Enforcement) is created consisting of Dum Dum Dugan, Carolina Washington, Jake Oh, Justice, Speedball, and Timeslip. C.R.A.D.L.E. goes after superheroes like Moon Girl at her home and Ironheart at her Chicago lab and observe the first wave of protest while preparing to raid the West Coast Avengers' HQ. They commandeer the Champions Mobile Bunker while arresting Snowguard and Locust, and hang wanted posters of Ms. Marvel in Jersey City.^[1]

After waking from a coma, Ms. Marvel makes an unexpected and emotional announcement that her team won't go down without a fight. Spider-Man escapes from getting arrested by the NYPD who is in turf war with C.R.A.D.L.E. He reaches at the abandoned warehouse where the Champions, Cloud 9, Energizer, Mass Master, Moon Girl, Squirrel Girl and Vulture's granddaughter Starling have gathered to plan their next move with video conferencing with Ms. Marvel who is still in hospital. Ironheart is not present while Falcon has signed up with Sam Wilson to be mentored. They agree to go against government for their rights but dispute emerges between Nova and Starling when some heroes disagree with Ms. Marvel's leadership as she announced the war without consulting them and she should have stopped Viv from making rampage. Suddenly, C.R.A.D.L.E. led by Justice ambush them. Justice tries to explain them the dangers of being young superheroes, but a brawl breaks between them. Ms. Marvel is forced to end the conference realizing there is a spy among them. Bombshell and Wasp are arrested while others are teleported to safe place by Pinpoint including reluctant Nova. Unbeknownst to others, Viv is the spy who had sent encrypted message to C.R.A.D.L.E.^[6]

Bombshell, Locust, Snowguard, and Starling are being forced in Re-education Center for brainwash by C.R.A.D.L.E. Snowguard and Bombshell managed to free themselves using their powers, but are again captured by time-traveling Timeslip. Protests erupt across Chicago where the Champions members Ms. Marvel, Nova and Spider-Man are monitoring the crowd. They call Ironheart and receive no response. When C.R.A.D.L.E. and CPD start arresting protesters, the Champions rescue them by fighting publicly. Later, they find Ironheart in her public identity at her house where they confronted each other. Ms. Marvel suspects her to be spy. Riri is furious with Ms. Marvel for not being there and still held herself responsible for Viv's presumed death but transforms into Ironheart when they are attacked by C.R.A.D.L.E. Elsewhere, Viv is on run and prays for the Champions to stop fighting C.R.A.D.L.E. and be safe.^[7]

At a Re-education Center, Bombshell gives an interview feeling guilty for Coles Disaster which caused skirmish between C.R.A.D.L.E. and her teammates as they didn't wanted to be brainwashed like her. Bombshell's interview becomes breaking news. Somewhere in Kansas, Viv helps an old woman who gives her place to stay as she correctly guessed her as a runaway. Meanwhile, Ironheart, Ms. Marvel, Nova, and Spider-Man are still on run from C.R.A.D.L.E. who somehow always evade them. They tried to get help of the Avengers and Brawn, but fail. They are saved by Dust, Pixie and Cyclops, who came to rescue them during the ambush with C.R.A.D.L.E. one night. Cyclops offers them asylum on Krakoa and suggest to the C.R.A.D.L.E. agents to stop unless they want war with the mutant nation.^[8][9]

Pixie teleported the remaining Champions, Cyclops and Dust at Ironheart's now abandoned lab instead of Krakoa, where Cyclops, Dust and Pixie reveals that not only Viv Vision is alive, but also betray them to C.R.A.D.L.E. possibly out of guilt for the Kamala's Law happening. The two X-Men also explain to their former teammates on why they lied to C.R.A.D.L.E. about the latter team's current whereabouts, due to Krakoa being a mutant only zone, based on its rules. However, Cyclops provides the Champions a temporary safe haven outside America, at mutants’ pirate ship Marauder, provided by Captain Red Queen, Storm, Bishop, Pyro and Iceman. After getting honorary status Cyclops return to Krakoa while Champions help the X-Men's Marauder crew to fight against Attuma’s army and rescue the civilians on an invaded ship. Meanwhile, Viv is watching her former teammates fighting crime outside America through satellite projection. The old woman reveals her past life to Viv, and knew her secret identity as a Champion all along, encouraging her to redeem her to repel the current unjust law she is in and return to her old team for forgiveness.^[9]

Viv contacts Brawn first and locate where C.R.A.D.L.E. held the captivated young heroes, including many Champions. Once the rescue mission is a success, the young heroes found out that Roxxon had orchestrated the event, having had been manipulating the Senator Patrick behind his back and shift the blame on the team. The Champions eventually reunite at Riri's home in Chicago, while seeking a help from Riri's family to repel the unjust act. Before broadcasting the truth behind Roxxon's shady activities on the opposing young heroes to the public and Senator Patrick, Viv confess her previous motives to her teammates was meant for their safeties, instead of selling their freedoms to Roxxon. Senator Patrick, who now knows Roxxon's horrible activities, is surrounded by its agents to be killed from exposing themselves, until the Champions and a group of protesters arrive to rescue him on time. As Roxxon backs down with no chance of winning, the Champions announce to the public that Senator Patrick finally end his partnership with Roxxon and demolish the “Re-education” Center along with C.R.A.D.L.E., now currently re-evaluating Kamala's Law under much more new legalize rules. Sometimes later, the scene ends with revealing Miles and Sam somehow went to internship at Roxxon.^[10]

Issues involved[]

Prelude one-shot[]

Main plot[]

Tie-in issues[]

• ^{^[a]} On April 15, 2020 Marvel Comics announced that a new version of the New Warriors would appear in the Outlawed storyline, under the mentorship of the original team.^[14] The new characters, Trailblazer, Screentime, Snowflake, Safespace and B-Negative, met considerable backlash from the online audience, particularly due to the use of internet slang in their names as well as the perceived political agenda of the writing and designs, with Snowflake and Safespace drawing most of the criticism. Originally delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic as of January 2021, it has yet to be rescheduled for release.^[15][16]

Critical Reception[]

The story overall received mixed reviews. On Comic Book roundup, the story received a score of 7.3 out of 10 based on 18 reviews.^[17] Matt Morrison from Kabooom wrote "Fans of Champions may enjoy this series, but it is hard to recommend it to anyone else. Familiarity with the characters is assumed, so new readers will be left in the dark. The story, while competently executed, is far too derivative of earlier series. And the artwork is merely okay, apart from a few oddly awful panels. Despite this, it's better than Civil War, but that's damning with faint praise."^[18]

References[]

External links[]

• Outlawed at Marvel Wiki