Marvel's speculative sidekicks the New Champions become canon in their own comic - and it may be hiding a secret return

Remember how Marvel said way back when they introduced their original wave of New Champions variant covers that many of the speculative sidekicks of popular heroes they depicted would actually be introduced in the Marvel Universe? Well it only took about a year, but it's finally happening - Marvel is launching a New Champions ongoing title focusing on the teen heroes introduced by the eponymous line of variant covers.

Written by Steve Foxe and drawn by Ivan Fiorelli, the New Champions ongoing title will focus on a core group pulled from the 22 characters introduced on the variant covers, with more of them to come as the series rolls on. To start, the title will focus on four recruits: Liberty, who debuted on the cover of 2023's Captain America #2; Moon Squire from 2023's Moon Knight #28; Cadet Marvel from 2023's Captain Marvel #1, and finally Hellrune, from 2023's Immortal Thor #3.

They'll soon be joined by Scarlet Witch's new protégé, Amaranth , who debuted on the variant cover for 2023's Scarlet Witch #9, and will come to the Marvel Universe ahead of the other New Champions in November's Scarlet Witch #9 (yes, it's the same issue number in a new volume). And there are at least two more New Champions coming to the team in a still unnamed "cursed roller derby jammer" who debuted on the cover of 2023's Ghost Rider #19, and a likewise unnamed "Wakandan runaway" who first appeared on the cover of 2023's Black Panther #5.

Here's a gallery of covers for New Champions #1, including the main cover by Gleb Melnikov, and variant covers by Paco Medina, Luciano Vecchio, and Federico Vicentini, whose cover pays homage to Humberto Ramos' classic cover for 2016's Champions #1:

Interestingly, there are a few surprises in the cover by Luciano Vecchio, including several more still unnamed characters from the variants, as well an appearance by Spider-Boy, whose popularity partially inspired the initial New Champions variant covers.

There's also a young Juggernaut, who wasn't on any of the covers. Could this somehow be the return of Zane Yama, AKA J2, the son of Juggernaut who was one of the stars of the MC2 line, which depicted an alternate future reality populated by the children of many of the Avengers and their allies? The character seen on that cover does bear something of a resemblance, and if you look closely, it does kinda look like he might have J2's signature flannel tied around his waist...

"Who are the new champions? What do four kids whose lives were derailed by Hydra, Scarlet Witch’s mysterious protégé, a cursed roller derby jammer and a Wakandan runaway have in common? Not much! But when Hellrune’s mysterious powers activate to bring them together, they’ll have to learn how to work as a team quickly—or face the wrath of the Cult of Hela!" reads Marvel's announcement of New Champions #1.

"But not all are destined to be heroes and some have dark connections to established Marvel lore that could spell disaster for the fledgling team before they can get off the ground," it continues. "Each New Champion has a story to tell, and together, they have a world to change! Mystery, action, and drama awaits as Marvel Comics’ next beloved teen super hero team assembles!"

Of the 22 New Champions who debuted on the variant covers, one other has made it into comics, as Maystorm, who first appeared on 2023's X-Men #27, has since become part of the cast of the alt-reality title Ultimate X-Men .

"As soon as I saw the New Champions variants, my mind started racing, dreaming up possible origins and powers and codenames for these imagined sidekicks," says writer Steve Foxe in a statement. "Reverse-engineering the cast from the covers was unlike any other creative process I’ve ever been involved in, and I’m beyond stoked to debut a whole new class of Marvel heroes (and a few villains!) in NEW CHAMPIONS alongside Ivan Fiorelli, who makes each and every one of these new additions feel like they’ve been part of the fabric of the universe all along."

"I'm really looking forward to diving into New Champions!" adds artist Ivan Fiorelli. "What really excites me about this project is the opportunity to bring fresh faces into the Marvel Universe, and explore something completely new. These young heroes have their own stories to tell, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they’ll grow and evolve visually as the series unfolds. I hope readers will enjoy reading our pages as much as I will enjoy illustrating them!"

New Champions #1 goes on sale January 8.

Will the New Champions reach the heights of the best teen superhero teams of all time?