When a devastating tragedy strikes the Marvel Universe, the American government decides it’s time to impose its will on underage superheroes, and ban them from fighting crime as vigilantes. But whether or not the next generation will listen is the story Outlawed will tell when it arrives to change Marvel Comics for the next year, at least.
The special one-shot has just been announced for March 2020, with writer Eve Ewing and artist Kim Jacinto beginning what’s being called “a bold new era for Marvel’s most promising heroes.” The adult superheroes may wage war on a yearly basis, too powerful for any world government or special committee to truly police. But when it comes to young heroes like Nova, Ironheart, Viv Vision, Spider-Man, and their fellow teen heroes, it seems some government officials decide to crack down on powered heroism. After all… they’re just kids.
The Outlawed story may be just one issue, but Marvel is promising that this will not be a contained event, but one which sends shockwaves throughout the entire Marvel Universe, generating new stories for several heroes (especially those familiar to fans of Marvel’s Champions). On the surface the similarities between this event and Civil War should be obvious. The most famous case of the American government attempting to control superhumans, Outlawed editor Alanna Smith explained to A.V. Club that Civil War was about personal liberty over national security. But this story is specifically about applying the same political thinking with the added layer of a generation gap:
When you boil it down, Outlawed is about the conflict that arises when widespread decisions that affect an entire generation are made by people outside that generation, while ignoring the input of people who will have to live with those decisions. In this case, there are real, heartfelt concerns on both sides of the conflict that make it that much more complicated for our heroes to overcome. It’s not a problem they can punch.
Outlawed introduces an ongoing status quo that will be reflected in books across the line—almost every active character who’s under 21 (and even a few who are older) will be affected by the decisions made in Outlawed, and they won’t all agree on whether the new world order is good or bad. But there are real, serious consequences now for those who go against the ruling passed down in Outlawed, and it’ll interfere with their lives in a way they’ve never experienced, leading to some really interesting stories.
The first cover artwork from Pepe Larraz certainly puts the teens in the spotlight, as opposed to the specific politics at work. That may not be a coincidence, either. Praising the heroes’ depictions in the most recent Champions series, it’s safe to assume Ewing witnessed the most recent Champions version of Civil War. But it sounds like the generational gap, more than politics of national security, are what Ewing is most eager to explore:
To me, this story isn’t just about young people being in conflict with the government, but much bigger questions about what we ask of young people, how they’re expected to be independent sometimes and subservient other times… I just wanted to explore that tension, and them being superheroes really ups the stakes because they’re literally out there saving lives every day, but aren’t seen as full people or full citizens. And, at the same time, maybe the law is a good idea? Maybe it really is for everyone’s protection? It’s intentionally kind of morally ambiguous.
In addition to these first details, readers can head below for the first preview pages from Outlawed. Although fair warning: it could make it that much more difficult to wait for the rest of the issue arriving in March.
With the lives of Marvel’s most popular heroes from Miles Morales to Ms. Marvel thrown into chaos, Outlawed will raise tough questions that the writer, artist, and editor seem ready to tackle. Marvel fans can look for the one-shot (and all stories spinning out of it) at your local comic book shop in March 2020.
