The New Warriors is a Marvel Comics superhero team, traditionally consisting of teenage and young adult heroes. They often are 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 first appeared in The Mighty Thor #411 (December 1989). Over the years the New Warriors, in their various incarnations, have been featured in five different volumes.
History[]
Forming a Team[]
During the team's first adventure against Terrax, they had been aided by a scientist from a company called Genetech. Genetech became interested in the New Warriors, and were inspired by them to create super powered humans. After sending the Mad Thinker to investigate the New Warriors, Genetech proceeded with their plans. The people that they gave powers to were named Psionex, and became some of the New Warriors' deadliest foes.
They also had a run-in with Night Thrasher’s old team. It consisted of sibling duo, Midnight’s Fire and Silhouette. They were baiting local gangs and cracking down on the ones that fell for it. One night, when a beat cop got involved, Silhouette was shot and paralyzed. Midnight’s Fire blamed Thrasher and, in his anger, took over a neighborhood as a local kingpin.
The team starts to gel while in the Amazon searching for Speedball’s mom, who fell in with a group of eco-terrorists. However, Thrash is rattled when he finds out the Taylor Foundation, the charity that had been backing him, was a front for illegal activity. This activity could be traced back to the External, Gideon, and The Hand. In the wake of this information, Thrash quit and Chord was in critical condition after a suicide attempt.
Nothing But the Truth[]
Recovering from his wounds at home, Vance had to contend with his mutant hating father. After an especially aggressive confrontation, Vance accidentally killed his father with his telekinesis and is now standing trial.
Meanwhile, the team is reunited with Silhouette, who needs their help investigating the secrets of the Taylor Foundation. Sil reveals Chord is her father, and from his hospital bed, he sends the team to Cambodia where Thrash already is. He had joined up with the Folding Circle, Midnight’s Fire’s new team, and was being targeted by Tai. Before they go, they bolster their ranks with Darkhawk and Rage, who helps them steal an Avengers quinjet.
The team tracks Thrash to the Temple of the Dragon’s Breadth, where Tai revealed that the members of the Folding Circle were the result of a deal she made with American soldiers during the Vietnam War. She offered wives to the soldiers in exchange for warrior sons to be used as sacrifices to the Well of All Things. She tricked Thrash into creating the Warriors as a backup plan, by killing his parents and starting his war on crime. The Warriors and The Folding Circle team up to take her down, ending with Thrash sacrificing her to the Well to fulfill his vengeance.
Back in the US, Vance was found guilty of negligent homicide and taken into custody. The Warriors tried to free him from his prison transport, but he refused their help. Instead, Vance wanted to take responsibility for his crimes.
Poison Memories[]
Kimieko Ashu, a rival of Night Thrasher and leader of the Poison Memories gang, targeted Namorita at a nightclub and engaged in a one-night stand with her. While sneaking out in the morning, he stole her address book including the real identities and contact information of the New Warriors. His big plan to get revenge on Thrash was to torture his old team, and his plan to do that was to target their loved ones.
The Poison Memories blew up Rage’s grandmother’s house and shot Firestar’s dad. They also kidnapped Nova’s brother and Speedball’s dad. With the kidnapped as leverage, The Poison Memories demanded the Warriors to give themselves up. All but Rage did. Meanwhile, Speedball’s friend, Carl, who recently tried joining the Warriors as Hindsight Lad, contacted estranged member, Night Thrasher, for help. Thrash tracked them to a greenhouse in New Jersey and freed them.
He led them to the Newark Port Authority, where the Poison Memories were holding their family members. They were being guarded by Ashu in mecharmor. While their flyers get the hostages to safety, the others work on destroying the mecharmor. Once Ashu abandons the armor, he is suddenly attacked by Rage, who finally caught up with his teammates and snapped Ashu’s neck.
In the aftermath, Firestar’s dad survived his gunshot. Rage was acquitted in self-defense and released into the guardianship of Chord. Nita resigned from the team for her role in the attacks on their families, but Thrash returned to the team.
The New New Warriors[]
Since the attack on their families, everything has been going well for the Warriors. Justice was released from prison, and Nita returned to the team after an Atlantean power upgrade. They had just helped X-Force take out the Upstarts and were looking forward to some quality time, when The Sphinx, an enemy from one of their earliest adventures, plucked the Warriors from the timestream, knowing they would stop at nothing to stand in the way of his vengeance on Karim for stealing his powers.
Thrash wound up in the antebellum south besieged by slave-catchers, while Rage was in North Africa facing slave traders. Silhouette found herself in Cambodia at a time where the Temple of the Dragon’s Breadth was full of worshippers, including a young Tai. Nita is stuck in early Atlantean history, where submariner villages were still warring for control, while Justice witnesses his father as a boy be victim to the same cycle of abuse that caused him to lash out on Justice. Nova was in a future where he failed to stop a dark storm from destroying Earth, and Firestar was persecuted during the Salem Witch Trials for her mutant abilities. However, Speedball found himself not even on Earth but rather the home dimension where his powers originated from.
Back in the present, Hindsight Lad recruits a new roster of the New Warriors: Turbo, Darkhawk, Dagger, Alex Power as Powerpax, and Thrash’s half-brother and Sil’s current boyfriend, Bandit. They work with Karim to siphon back the power from Spinx in exchange for the return of their friends. They teleport to Egypt and confront Sphinx. He is seemingly no match for them, but when his chronal energy accidentally hits his portal device, Nova is freed.
With Sphinx engaged in battle with Nova and Bandit, Karim and the rest of the Warriors were able to locate Speedball and use his powers of kinetic motion to locate and free the rest of his teammates. With a full roster, they take on Sphinx. With defeat inevitable, Sphinx is given another choice by Karim for the two to go back in time and live a life with purpose.
Bandit and Silhouette ultimately decide to leave the team, while the rest of Hindsight's impromptu roster gladly accept part-time status.
In Other Media[]
Fantastic Four Animated Series[]
The New Warriors made brief cameos in two episodes of the Fantastic Four series. The episodes were "To Battle the Living Planet" and "Doomsday." They can be seen responding to various collateral damage in New York. The characters specifically seen are Speedball, Darkhawk, and Justice. Rage is also seen, but he is with the Avengers.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2[]
The video game Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 adapts the Civil War storyline. The New Warriors are referenced heavily but not featured together. Namorita's confrontation with Nitro leading to the Stamford explosion appears as a cinematic. Speedball appears as a playable character in his Penance form, and Firestar is featured as a boss during the Pro-Registration story mode.
Ultimate Spider-Man[]
Over the course of season 3 and 4 of Ultimate Spider-Man, a SHIELD trainee squad designated "The New Warriors" shows up to learn and operate in the field with Spider-Man and his original squad. However, their membership is much different. The only character who was a member in both comics and the show was Dagger. Speedball is also seen among a list of potential recruits.