Marvel Comics has had several storylines featuring its teenage superhero teams, and some of these teams have gone on to star in some extremely important storylines. When looking back at the early days of Marvel Comics, the earliest examples of teenage superhero teams came in the mutant comics, including the fact that the original X-Men were all teenagers training under Charles Xavier to become superheroes, and then later with the New Mutants, when the X-Men were all older and out of school. In more recent storylines, the teenage teams have been about building for the future, with some more important than others.
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From those original mutant teenage teams to later new versions of the Avengers, here is a look at the most powerful teenage teams in Marvel Comics.
7) New Warriors
The most controversial teenage superhero team didn’t used to be controversial at all. The New Warriors are now best known as the cause of the incident that started Civil War, when a battle they were in caused the supervillain Nitro to explode, killing hundreds of civilians, including children in Stamford, Connecticut.
However, years before this horrific incident, the New Warriors included Richard Ryder as Nova, leading a team that included the mutant Firestar, the Atlantian Namorita, Speedball, and more. Having Nova on the team gives them a power-up. While this was before his training with the Nova Corps, the new Warriors were still a strong team for several years.
6) The Runaways
The Runaways were an original team, and their first appearance was in their own series, in Runaways #2. They were all children of a supervillain cabal known as the Pride, and when they learned their parents were villains, they ran away to get away from the danger and to also find their own way in the world. However, there was one problem with the Brian K. Vaughan and Adrien Alphona storyline.
One of the Runaways was a traitor and almost tore the group apart. Despite this, they lasted, and they have some very powerful members, keeping them strong. Nico Minoru is a mystic who uses the Staff of One to cast her spells, although she can’t use the same spell twice. Alex Wiulder is a prodigy-level genius, Karlline Dean is an alien, Victor Mancha is a cyborg, and Molly Hayes is a mutant.
5) Avengers Academy
There have been two versions of Avengers Academy, but the most recent version has some very powerful teenage members on the team. Bloodline is Blade’s daughter, a vampire, and someone invisible to all magical beings. Kid Juggernaut is a teenage version of the Juggernaut, and he is almost as unstoppable. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur combine the super-genius of one of Marvel’s most intelligent characters and a very nice, but powerful dinosaur.
Escapade is a mutant who can switch places with anyone else. Red Goblin is Normie Osborn with a symbiote. Blackheart is Mephisto’s son, cursed into human form, but still with his demonic powers. The Captain America of the Railways is likely the least powerful of the team, but still a young man who will fight with all his heart. This team is extremely powerful, but is still very inexperienced.
4) The Champions
While everyone seems to like to talk about the Young Avengers, it is the Champions that are the better teenage team when it comes to storylines and characters. However, in terms of pure power, they fall behind the Young Avengers for several reasons. There is some great power on this team, including Miles Morales, who, in some ways, is even stronger than Spider-Man, and Nova, who might not have the might of Richard Ryder, but still possesses the Nova Force.
Brawn is also on the team, giving them a Hulk, and no one can discount the power of Kamala Khan, especially now that she has mutant (stepping stone) and Inhuman (stretching) powers. Add in names like Viv Vision and Ironheart, and there are a lot of reasons to love the Champions in any fight.
3) Strange Academy
Strange Academy is very new, and for a time, they changed their name to Doom Academy when Doctor Doom became the Sorcerer Supreme. This is a school of mystics that Doctor Strange has some of Marvel’s greatest mystical heroes teaching, both to train them to use their powers properly and also to limit how strong they can become. This sadly led to one of the teens, Emily Briht, turning evil when she realized Strange Academy was lying to them.
However, other than Emily, there were other very powerful mystics on this team. Doyle Doemammu tops the list, but other heavyweight teens include Dessy (a demon), Zoe Laveau (a zombie), Germán (a sorcerer), Alvi (The Enchantress’s Asgardian son), Toth (a crystal giant), and Pia (a vampire).
2) The New Mutants
The New Mutants was Professor X’s opportunity to bring in new students to teach at the Xavier Institute, especially when he believed the X-Men were gone. This gave Marvel a chance to introduce the teenagers who could become the mutant leaders of the future, although that didn’t really turn out to be accurate. Despite this, there were some very powerful members of this teenage Marvel team.
Sunspot might be one of the most powerful of the original New Mutants, able to absorb and use solar radiation. He also became an Avengers leader over time. Cannonball was also strong, and the other original members included Karma, Moonstar, and Wolfsbane. One of their most powerful members was still to come, with Magik joining when she returned from Limbo, both with her mutant powers and her magical abilities.
1) The Young Avengers
The most powerful team of teenage heroes was the Young Avengers, and their overall power primarily came thanks to three members. The most powerful member of this group was, without question, Wiccan. He is a mystic, the son of the Scarlet Witch, and someone who is feared to one day bring an end to the known universe. Next, there is Iron Lad, who is a young version of Kang, with all his technical knowledge.
Finally, there is a later member in Kid Loki. While he didn’t have Loki’s full use of his magic, what he did have was more than most people on Earth. America Chavez is one of the strongest members in any fight, while Hulkling has the power of the Kree and Skrull in his body. Add in a version of the Vision, Scott Lang’s daughter Stature, and Kate Bishop’s Hawkeye, and this is a team that is a match even for the Avengers.
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