Warning: Spoilers for Captain Marvel: Assault on Eden #1!
The current leader of the Avengers, Captain Marvel, has a surprising connection to a former Young Avenger, Hulkling. Teddy Altman was introduced in 2005's Young Avengers as a shapeshifter, inspired by the Incredible Hulk when formulating his crimefighting appearance. The character, who would eventually discover his origin as a Kree/Skull hybrid, and go on to lead their united empire, is expected to appear in the MCU's Agatha: Darkhold Diaries, played by Miles Gutierrez-Riley.
Captain Marvel: Assault on Eden #1 – by Anthony Oliveira, Eleonora Carlini, Ruth Redmond, and VC's Ariana Maher – finds Emperor Hulkling, and his husband Wiccan, getting acquainted with Carl Danvers.
Carol arrives at Antalyion, the city of the throne, to celebrate Unification Day, the first anniversary of the Great Alliance that brought the Kree and Skrull together to become one people.
Captain Marvel's Connection To Hulkling Is In Their Origins
Captain Marvel reminds readers that Hulkling's biological father is Mar-Vell, the original Captain Marvel, but she also draws attention to a far deeper, far more overlooked connection between herself and Teddy. In an inner monologue, Carol also does a brief rundown and recap of her own origin story, reminding readers her father was human and that her mom "had secrets" (to say the least) as a runaway Kree soldier. Similar to how Carol was being raised in secret as a human-Kree hybrid, Teddy was hidden on earth by a Skrull maiden and adoptive mother, as a secret Kree-Skrull offspring. Both Hulkling and Captain Marvel are Kree hybrids.
Although Captain Marvel does not offer new information about either herself or Hulkling, she does point out a deep connection between two characters, who one would consider to be on two different sides of the Marvel landscape. Hulkling has remained something of a rising star the past couple of decades, following his debut, but has yet to reach the upper echelon, where the official Avengers reside, at the forefront of the Marvel Universe. Captain Marvel, meanwhile, is at the very cusp of Marvel superstardom, as not only one of its most popular stars, but the actual leader of the Avengers.
Captain Marvel Recognizes That Hulkling Is The Future
Because the gap between Captain Marvel and Hulkling remains so large for the time being, their names are rarely, if ever, uttered in the same breath. To do so now, and to do so at length for the entirety of this Captain Marvel: Assault on Eden one-shot feels like an attempt at building Hulkling's notoriety, helping him rise further up the ranks of the Marvel ladder. There's no better way to co-sign a rising hero in the eyes of readers than by having arguably the brand's biggest star compare herself to him. By elevating up Hulkling to her level, Captain Marvel is paving the way for the future generation of heroes.
Captain Marvel: Assault on Eden #1 is available now from Marvel Comics1