While no official announcement has been made, enough rumors and reports concerning Marvel Studios long-gestating Young Avengers project are accumulating that it seems as though some sort of news should be imminent. Whether or not that happens, fans have been and will continue to be excited about the possibility of the studio assembling a team of young heroes even if it happens in a project titled Champions rather than Young Avengers.
While the latest report indicated that telhr studio was closing in on landing a showrunner and had begun locking in the core cast of Champions, it would be foolish to assume that the six heroes identified in Daniel Richtman’s scoop won’t have company from some other young heroes. Though Kamala Khan, Kate Bishop, Billy Maximoff, America Chavez, Riri Williams and Cassie Lang would make a formidable team, there are plenty of other potential Champions-in-waiting.
Given that the rumored roster of the team is a mash-up of comic book Champions and Young Avengers, it’s unlikely that EVERY character from either team who is either in the MCU already or believed to be on the way could possibly play a major role in what’s likely to be a six-to-ten episode series. And so while Eli Bradley, Amadeus Cho, Hulkling, Speed or even Viv Vision might make the team, they aren’t the only options out there. In fact, one potential recruit who supplies the team with something they desperately need may be hiding in the streets of Hell’s Kitchen.
Though none of the events Netflix’s two-season run on Luke Cage had impacted the MCU so far, the decision by Marvel Studios to retcon all of the Defenders-verse series into the Sacred Timeline allows for them to ripple through the narrative fabric of the Multiverse Saga and beyond. And with the studio now bringing together a team of young heroes, it might be the right time to explore the legacy of one of Luke Cage‘s most compelling supporting characters.
Over the course of two seasons, Theo Rossi‘s chillingly serene Shades stayed in the game while nearly every other baddie went by the wayside. Though no mention was made of it in the Netflix series, Shades comic book counterpart had a son, Victor Alvarez…and following a terrible tragedy, Victor gained some incredible power, man. And while it might take some creativity on Marvel Television’s part, the perfect opportunity exists to bring Victor into the MCU and give the Champions their Power Man.
In the comics, Victor was the sole survivor of an building explosion rigged by Bullseye. During the disaster, his father’s bioelectric visor shattered with pieces of it embedding themselves in Victor’s skin, giving him the unique ability to absorb chi from his environment and then manipulate the energy similarly to the way Danny Rand uses it in Iron Fist.
Given the disparity between the MCU’s version of Shades and the one from the comics, a new origin story for Victor’s powers would be in order. However, it is very doable and tying a new hero to Luke Cage would be a step in the right direction in ultimately fully embracing it the way the studio has Daredevil and The Punisher. Though Victor Alvarez, aka Power Man, hasn’t racked up the same number of comic book appearances as the other characters rumored to be leading the team of Champions, he has been an Avenger and, for a time, a member of the comic book Champions. If his time isn’t now, it may never be.
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