Warning: contains spoilers forAvengers Assemble#1!
After 40 years, a Marvel hero from the 1980s joins theAvengers, giving them a god-tier speedster in the process. The publisher’s newAvengers Assemblebrings togethera new Avengers team for a new era, mixing up classic members with exciting newcomers. In the first issue,Lightspeed, of the 80s team Power Pack, joins Captain America’s new Avengers Emergency Response Squad, giving the team a serious boost in the process.
In the early 1990s, Power Pack starred in a pilot for a television series that was never picked up by a network.
Avengers Assemble#1 is written by Steve Orlando and drawn by Cory Smith. The Avengers Emergency Response Squad is holding their first meeting at the old Avengers Mansion. Captain America has already led a small contingent, including Shang-Chi, against Sin in Germany. Back in America, the rest of the team assembles, including Lightspeed. She is happy to have finally made it to the Avengers, but is also nervous.
Lightspeed reveals Cap brought her aboard to provide “fresh perspectives,”but a few, such as Hawkeye, are not sure.
Lightspeed’s Comic Book Origins, Explained
Lightspeed Is One of Marvel’s Best Speedsters
For Lightspeed, alias Julie Power, this moment has been literally 40 years in the making. Debuting in 1984’sPower Pack#1, Julie, along with three other siblings, gained powers from a dying alien. In Julie’s case, she became able to fly at supersonic speeds, leaving a distinct rainbow trail behind her.Power Pack, under the direction of creators Louise Simonson and June Brigman, was one of Marvel’s most critically acclaimed titles of its era, but its star faded over time.Power Packceased publication in 1991, and the characters entered limbo.
Gravity manipulation
Super speed
Density manipulation
Energizer
Energy powers
Julie Power would make her proper return to the Marvel Universe in the mid-2000s,in the pages ofRunaways.Now a young adult, Julie joined a support group for former child heroes. Soon, she and the rest were asked to bring in the Runaways, and this marked her return to being a superhero. After the recently concludedBlood Hunt, Captain America realized the world needed an Avengers team that could quickly handle major emergency situations. Hence, the Emergency Response Squad was born.
Lightspeed Is A Huge Asset to the Avengers
Will the Other Avengers Accept Lightspeed?
Lightspeed brings to the table not only a lifetime of experience being a hero, but also god-level speed powers. So far, her maximum speed has been clocked at around 800 miles per hour. While this may be pale in comparison to other speedsters, like Quiksilver, it is still fast, and puts her above other members of the Emergency Response Squad. There is also a possibility that Lightspeed’s powers could increase the older she gets, meaning there might still be a potential to be tapped. Regardless, it is a big moment for Lightspeed, and could open the door to other opportunities.
The Avengers' Newest Member is Too Cool to Stay On the Team
[SPOILER] is one of the rare inductees into the Avengers who might be too cool to stay with the team. They have better things to do than be an Avenger
However, some of Lightspeed’s new teammates on the Avengers are not so sure about her being there. Most of the uncertainty stems from her age, despite her having just as much experience as Night Thrasher, the other new recruit. Lightspeed will have to work to prove herself worthy of Avengers membership, but her time with Power Pack will certainly count for something. Speedsters are always a solid asset to any team, and theAvengershave gained one of the best–it only took them 40 years to do so.
