Most fans remember America Chavez when she made her big arrival in Young Avengers, when she invited by Kid Loki to deal with Wiccan and then taking the side of the young heroes and becoming a key member of the Avengers team.
However, that was not the first appearance by America Chavez in Marvel Comics, and it wasn’t even her first time dealing with Kid Loki. This all happened in an obscure series called Joe Casey, Nick Dragotta, Brad Simpson & Rus Wooton’s Vengeance, where she was part of a very different team known as the Teen Brigade.
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The Teen Brigade was a new version of an old group. The original Teen Brigade was formed in 1963’s The Incredible Hulk #6, by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Dick Ayers & Artie Simek. Marvel sidekick Rick Jones coordinated this earlier version, which joined forces to help Hulk defend the planet from Metal Master. Their goal was to set up a base and send messages to the heroes about what the villains are doing. This team had a huge impact on Marvel Comics history. When Loki manipulated Hulk into his rampage, Rick Jones worked as part of the Teen Brigade and called the Avengers to stop him in Avengers #1 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Dick Ayers, Stan Goldberg & Sam Rosen. The Teen Brigade continued to help the Avengers for a short time after that.
The new version of the Teen Brigade first debuted in 2011’s Vengeance #1. The first issue showed an already formed team on a mission. They were no longer just a group of teens who called the big superheroes when villains showed up. Instead, this was a group of brash and self-reliant teens who looked down on authority and did what they did for the greater good. The members included Ultimate Nullifier, America Chavez, Angel Salvadore & Burnell Bohusk, among others.
That first issue saw the Teen Brigade set up similar to the classic team in a bunker to call and coordinate plans. However, Ultimate Nullifier was out protecting the mutant Angel Salvadore and even took down Magneto when he came for her. America Chavez was the group’s muscle, sent in to help rescue a prisoner that turned out to be the In-Betweener. Once they captured him, they found a conspiracy that included the Red Skull. Eventually, Kid Loki showed up and sent her to the Sixth Dimension, knocking her temporarily out of the fight.
The series ended with Doctor Doom’s son Kristoff throwing a major party in Lateveria while his dad was gone, which opened up Latveria for an attack. The Teen Brigade and Last Defenders were in a giant war in Latveria when Miss America showed up to help even the odds. When it was all over, the Last Defenders and the Latverian ruler stood talking while the Teen Brigade took off without a second thought. However, this set up America Chavez for bigger and better things.
In 2013’s Young Avengers #1 by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, Mike Norton, Matt Wilson and Clayton Cowles, America Chavez showed up to stop Loki from taking out Wiccan, which was his plan to stop the young wizard from becoming the Demiurge, who, coincidentally, is the being responsible for America’s powers in her reality.
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