New Warriors

The New Warriors is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They traditionally consisted of teenage and young adult heroes, and were often seen to serve as a junior counterpart to The Avengers in much the same way that the New Mutants/X-Force did with the X-Men. They made a cameo appearance in ''The Mighty Thor'' #411 (December 1989) and made their full debut in ''The Mighty Thor'' #412. Over the years, the New Warriors, in their various incarnations, have been featured in five different volumes.

The New Warriors team was created by editor Tom DeFalco, who brought together existing Marvel characters Firestar, Marvel Boy, Namorita, Nova, and Speedball, and added the newly created Night Thrasher. Through the 75-issue comic series, the team fought adversaries, including the second Sphinx, the Folding Circle, and even the Fantastic Four. Over time, the team was joined by Silhouette, Rage, Hindsight Lad, Bandit, Timeslip, Dagger, Darkhawk, Powerpax, Turbo, and the Scarlet Spider.

The second volume of ''New Warriors'' was published in 1999–2000 and ran for 11 issues before being cancelled. This team consisted of Namorita, Nova, Speedball, and Turbo, joined by new members Bolt and Aegis.

The third volume of the ''New Warriors'' was a six-issue mini-series that sees the superhero team cast as the stars of their own reality TV show. Night Thrasher, Nova, and Speedball were joined by Microbe and Debrii. The New Warriors are at the center of a televised fight against a number of super villains in Stamford, Connecticut, where Nitro explodes, killing 612 people including several members of the New Warriors. The incident was one of the sparks that led to Marvel's ''Civil War'' crossover in 2006 and 2007.

The fourth ''New Warriors'' series saw Night Thrasher gather a group of former mutants and replace their lost superpowers with technology. The comic book was published from 2007 to 2009 and lasted for 20 issues. The story reveals that Night Thrasher is the original Night Thrasher's brother, formerly known as Bandit, who wants to travel back in time and change the events at Stamford that killed his brother. When they try to travel back in time, the team ends up in a dystopic future where the original Night Thrasher is a ruthless dictator. The New Warriors return to their own time and disband.

The fifth ''New Warriors'' series was launched as part of the ''All-New Marvel NOW!'' initiative in 2014. The book lasted for 12 issues before being cancelled. The story saw original New Warriors members Justice (formerly Marvel Boy), Speedball, and Silhouette return to team up with the new Nova, Scarlet Spider, Hummingbird, Sun Girl, Haechi and Water Snake.

General publication history

The New Warriors first appeared in issues 411 and 412 of the Marvel Comics title ''The Mighty Thor''. The team was compiled by writer/editor Tom DeFalco, consisting of the young superheroes Firestar, Marvel Boy, Namorita, Nova and Speedball, all of whom were once featured in solo series or were supporting characters in more established series. To this mix DeFalco added Night Thrasher, an original character to serve as the team's founder and leader. The New Warriors were not sidekicks, as some prior teen superhero teams had been.

The New Warriors were featured in an eponymous series from 1990 until 1996, written by Fabian Nicieza with art by Mark Bagley. Nicieza wrote the series for the first 53 issues. The series lasted for 75 issues and four annuals, spinning off a number of titles, including mini-series featuring Night Thrasher and Marvel Boy (by then renamed Justice) and ongoing series with Nova and Night Thrasher.

A short-lived revival was launched in 1999, lasting for ten issues, and a mini-series followed in 2005. In the mini-series, the New Warriors agreed to star in a reality television show to fund their team. A fourth series was launched in June 2007, spinning off of events in the ''Civil War'' crossover.

A new ongoing series started in February 2014, where a new team of New Warriors was brought together by the threat of the High Evolutionary who intended to eliminate the super-powered population of Earth.

''The New Warriors'' (vol. 1)

Fictional team history

Dwayne Taylor, the vigilante known as Night Thrasher meticulously researches a group of young heroes to help him wage a war on crime. They are Vance Astrovik aka Marvel Boy, Angelica Jones aka Firestar and Richard Rider, who at that time believed he had been depowered after quitting the Nova Corps. During their first battle with Terrax, a former herald of Galactus, they are joined by Robbie Baldwin aka Speedball and Namorita. They defeat Terrax, but the Avengers unintentionally end up taking the credit. The team decides to stay together and Speedball dubs them the New Warriors after a news report he had seen on the battle.

The newly created team gets involved in a fight between Thor and Juggernaut, helping Thor to send the Juggernaut to another dimension. In the team's second issue Night Thrasher's past comes back to haunt him as the brother and sister team of Midnight's Fire and Silhouette is introduced. Next, the corporation Genetech hires the Mad Thinker to gather information on the New Warriors in order to create their own superhumans, resulting in their battle with Genetech's team of superhumans, Psionex. The Warriors travel to stop a superhuman named Star Thief that is destroying space launches, with Firestar, Marvel Boy and Namorita ending up on the Moon with the Inhumans. The Team minus Night Thrasher travels to Brazil to rescue Speedball's mother from an environmental terrorist group and battle the Force of Nature. Night Thrasher stays behind to patch things up with Silhouette and confronts the Punisher. Upon the Warriors return to New York, their headquarters (the Ambrose building) is trashed in a battle with the Hellions for the claim of Firestar.

"Forever Yesterday"

Their next adventure involves the transforming of the world into an alternate one at the whim of Meryet Karim, the second Sphinx as seen in the ''Forever Yesterday'' storyline. This alternate world involved Egypt becoming a super-power and the formation of the United States of Assyria where that reality's Avengers served as Meryet's government task force. This is undone by the New Warriors Nova, Marvel Man (Marvel Boy's alternate counterpart), Firestar, and Dwayne Taylor (who is not Night Thrasher in this reality).

Folding Circle

The New Warriors, together with a few Psionex members, the Fantastic Four, and the Silver Surfer, fight a revitalized Terrax sometime after. Around this time, Silhouette joins, and the New Warriors meet Avenger Rage and solo hero Darkhawk. The Left Hand has also begun collecting random superpowered individuals for a team he names the Folding Circle, one member being Silhouette's brother Midnight's Fire.

The Warriors also fought the Fantastic Four when Marvel Boy, who was under the Puppet Master's control, kidnapped the Puppet Master's daughter Alicia Masters. The Puppet Master knew something was wrong with her. It was later revealed that a Skrull, Lyja had been impersonating Alicia.

Night Thrasher discovers his company, the Taylor Foundation, is involved in illegal dealings and sets out to find the truth. In the process, he discovers that his legal guardian, Andrew Chord, has been betraying him for an unidentified period of time. The team confronts the mutant immortal Gideon concerning his involvement and he handily defeats and tortures them before giving them the information they seek. Shortly thereafter, the team comes to a moral crossroads in a mission involving cocaine traffickers, and Thrasher leaves the team. Night Thrasher then comes into contact with the Folding Circle.

Returning home after the confrontation with Gideon, Marvel Boy accidentally kills his father when his father attacks him (as he has done in the past). Marvel Boy is arrested and found guilty of negligent homicide, while Firestar reveals her love for him.

With previously unrevealed abilities, Tai (Thrasher's surrogate mother) confronts and seemingly kills Silhouette. Silhouette survives and assembles the remaining New Warriors. They learn from Chord of a mystical plot to take control of the world in Cambodia, and they recruit Rage and Darkhawk to help them. The Folding Circle also travels to Cambodia. The New Warriors (with later help of the Folding Circle) fight Tai, who reveals her plans for world domination. Tai is defeated and sacrificed in a mystical well along with the Left Hand. In the end, Thrasher rejoins the Warriors.

After the adventure Rage is kicked out of the Avengers and Speedball invites him to join the New Warriors. Meanwhile, just having been convicted of his father's murder, Marvel Boy is being escorted to the Vault via a Guardsman-guarded prison van. Namorita, Nova, and Firestar try to free him from the van, but he refuses, determined to serve his sentence. Firestar and Marvel Boy share one last moment and declare their love for one another.

Namorita as leader

Night Thrasher leaves the team to put the Taylor Foundation in order, and Namorita assumes leadership. The team meet Turbo (Michiko "Mickey" Musashi), and get involved in the civil war in the country Trans-Sabal. Although they eventually retreat, the actions of the Warriors (most notably Namorita) have not helped the country. Meanwhile, Silhouette has gone missing and Speedball's parents split up. Speedball moves to New York with his mother to be closer to the New Warriors.

The team faces the new villain Darkling and meet Cloak and Dagger and a second Turbo (Michael Jeffries). Marvel Boy adapts to prison life and becomes good friends with the guards, most notably the man who would become Hybrid. Marvel Boy helps find a compromise between the inmates and the Vault staff, quelling an inmate uprising. Meanwhile, Carlton LaFroyge ( Hindsight Lad), Speedball's new neighbor, blackmails him into giving him Warriors membership after Carlton discovers Speedball's secret identity.

Some time afterward, Namorita has a one-night stand with Kimeiko Ashu, a former adversary of Night Thrasher (unknown to her at that time). Ashu steals Namorita's address book, discovers the secret identities of the Warriors and kidnaps their families. Rage's grandmother, the last member of his family, accidentally dies. In retaliation, Rage kills Ashu. Night Thrasher justifies Rage's actions in court and the judge rules in Rage's favor and he is released into Chord's custody. Namorita leaves the team, feeling guilty.

Nova is attacked by Garthan Saal, a Nova centurion, and after a conflict between the Warriors, Saal, Firelord, Air-Walker, and a power-mad Nova, Xandar is restored. Nova is promoted to the rank of Centurion Prime and allowed to return to Earth to continue his activities as a superhero.

Meanwhile, Namorita faces trouble in Atlantis, and is captured. Her body is undergoing a cellular change, as a result of her being a clone, into a blue-skinned Atlantean. After a conversation with Namor, she renames herself Kymaera and decides to rejoin the New Warriors. Later, Marvel Boy is released on parole, but after anti-mutant attacks on his mother, decides not to rejoin the New Warriors, instead joining Shinobi Shaw and the Upstarts (as planned by him and Thrasher) and renaming himself Justice.

"Child's Play"

Soon after, the " Child's Play" arc begins, with the Upstarts going on what is called the Younghunt, a mission to capture all of the surviving New Mutants (who are by then called X-Force) and Hellions. This competition brings the Upstarts into conflict with the Warriors ( Firestar is a former Hellion) and X-Force. The Upstarts capture most of their targets, but Paige Guthrie convinces the Gamesmaster to play another game: instead of killing mutants, the Upstarts should try to find and train young mutants like her. The Gamesmaster is intrigued and cancels the competition.

"Time And Time Again"

Shortly thereafter, the original Sphinx returns, stealing a portion of the power held by Meryet Karim. New Warriors had earlier encountered her in ''New Warriors'' #10–13. Anath-Na Mut plans his revenge against the Warriors, transporting away its eight active members ( Firestar, Justice, Kymaera, Night Thrasher, Nova, Rage, Silhouette and Speedball) to different places in the time-stream. In response, Hindsight Lad and Bandit gather a new team of Warriors (Dagger, Darkhawk, Powerpax and Turbo) to go and rescue the others with the aid of Meryet. They succeed and the two teams of Warriors combat the Sphinx together, who surrenders after learning of his own true nature and finally accepts Meryet's ages-old offer of love. They merge into one composite being and depart into the time-stream to begin their life together anew. In ''New Warriors'' #51 the team is restructured as the Mad Thinker again advises the team, especially on the difficulties of growing up as individuals as a team. The main team is made up of the six original founders (Firestar, Justice, Kymaera, Night Thrasher, Nova, and Speedball). Rage. Hindsight Lad, Dagger and Alex Power become reserve members. Bandit and Silhouette leave the team.

Later, they face the Psionex team again and travel to the country of Zaire, where the team is captured by the Soldiers of Misfortune. At the end of the battle Kymeara is brainwashed and teleports away along with the villains. Night Thrasher and Rage leave the team after a falling out over their absence on the team's previous mission, and the team also fights an enraged Namor, who eventually decides to help the team in their search for Kymeara.

The Warriors help out with a UN peace conference, assisted by Sabra. Nova loses his powers and Turbo and Alex Power become full members while Hindsight Lad becomes simply Hindsight. Night Thrasher and Rage decide to train Psionex. Next, the team involves themselves into " Maximum Clonage", fighting and capturing Helix. The Scarlet Spider joins the team afterwards.

The team faces Psionex again, now led by former Warrior Night Thrasher, and also deal with a young girl, Rina Patel, who has seen a vision of the future in which Speedball dies. Speedball has had trouble controlling his powers. They are almost able to retrieve Kymaera from the Soldiers of Misfortune, but fail. The team next deal with an impostor Scarlet Spider after the real Scarlet Spider replaces Spider-Man.

"Future Shock"

Eventually, the team comes into contact with the Guardians of the Galaxy, who are searching for Speedball, calling him a time anomaly, before they disappear again. The original Sphinx returns, citing the same reasons, and kills Speedball. Another player, Advent, comes into play, killing all of the Warriors but Timeslip. Advent is a time-traveler, trying to alter time so that the future will be molded to his own wish. His son, Darrion Grobe seeks to stop him, and creates a duplicate of Speedball's body from when he was trapped in the kinetic dimension during "Time And Time Again", so that he can travel to the first alteration point, leaving the actual Speedball in the kinetic dimension, meaning that Darrion Grobe replaced Speedball from ''New Warriors'' (vol. 1) #50 and onwards. Instead of dying, the New Warriors are transported to the year 2092, where they have seven minutes to save themselves before reality is unmade and stop Advent. Meanwhile, the Sphinx takes care of Advent in 1996, thereby stopping Advent in 2092 as well. The New Warriors are led into the kinetic dimension by a hologram of Darrion Grobe, and with the help of Timeslip and the real Speedball, are able to return to their proper time.

Volume's end

Later, a rogue faction of HYDRA reveals that it has been living in the team's basement even before the team moved in, but they are stopped by the combined actions of the Warriors and the Avengers. Helix and Turbo (Michiko) both decide to leave, but Turbo is confronted by a man called Dan Jones, who has come to reclaim the Torpedo suit the Turbos wear. Dan Jones is in fact the last Dire Wraith Volx, an enemy the Warriors fought against before and who killed the other Turbo (Mike). Volx claims the suit and kidnaps Friday (the Kymellian spaceship which is not only an ally of Power Pack, but also of the Warriors).

With the help of the Thinker, Night Thrasher and Rage rescue Namorita from the Soldiers of Misfortune, while the Warriors join forces with Garthan Saal to stop Volx, almost leading to the death of Friday. During the adventure, Firestar asks Justice to marry her, to which he happily agrees. Night Thrasher, Rage, and Namorita join their former teammates, thanks to the Thinker. Garthan Saal sacrifices himself against Volx, transferring his powers to Nova. Eventually, the reunited New Warriors defeat Volx, at the cost of Timeslip's powers. Timeslip sabotages the power neutralizer Volx meant to use to rid every superhuman on Earth of their powers. Turbo decides to use the suit to continue on in Mike's honor, and offers Hindsight the chance to share it with her as Mike did. Alex Power decides to leave the team, believing that Power Pack could've defeated Volx without nearly destroying Friday. Night Thrasher, Namorita, and Rage rejoin the Warriors as old grudges are mended and the team comes full circle. During a mission involving a Badoon invasion sometime later, Ultra Girl and Slapstick help out the Warriors and are made members.

''The New Warriors'' (vol. 2)

Publication history

A short-lived relaunch began in 1999 and ran for 11 issues. It was written by Jay Faerber and pencilled by a variety of artists, including Steve Scott, Karl Kerschl and Jamal Igle

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