"And there came a day unlike any other when Earth’s mightiest heroes decided to open their doors to train the next generation to fight the foes no single hero could withstand, and on that day, the Avengers Academy was born!"
After the Initiative
The Initiative was a place where young and unregistered individuals with incredible powers would be taught how to use them, making sure an incident that endangered the lives of normal humans would not happen again. Norman Osborn distorted that idea into something he could manipulate for his own fiendish desires. Along with the siege of Asgard came an end to Osborn's twisted reign, leaving many without a place or a purpose. Following in the same premise as the Initiative, the Avengers Academy was formed – a place to properly train the heroes of tomorrow. Founding Avenger, Henry Pym along with Tigra, Quicksilver, Justice and the newly returned Speedball were to act as mentors to the first class of hopefuls. Filling the minds of their students with positive reinforcement, Pym and the others were lying through their teeth. Instead of choosing their new recruits based on stellar skill sets, they picked those who were tortured the most by Osborn, hoping to set them on the right path before they could use their powers toward more destructive ends.
Super Powered Encounters
Aside from being trained by the official staff and guest instructors, the trainees were brought to the superhuman prison, the Raft, as part of a "Scared Straight" program under the supervision of Luke Cage. While there, Hazmat, Veil and Mettle disabled the security system and confronted Osborn with threats to make them normal again. In the process the kids started a prison riot, forcing the Thunderbolts to assist in rounding up escapees. The three were not able to resolve their issues with Osborn before the security system fired up again, but they were left with the impression Osborn could one day reverse their conditions. In an attempt to make the students feel more normal, Pym took them on a field trip where they were attacked by Whirlwind, but Striker managed to defeat him. Soon after that the teachers and students were at the mercy of Mentallo, but Reptil subdued him before anyone was seriously injured. The Academy was then asked to perform a routine prison transfer for the Absorbing Man, but during the assignment he escaped. Pym solely challenged Absorbing Man, defeated him and returned to his Giant-Man identity.
Regrets and Redemption
When Tigra's attack at the hands of the Hood came back to haunt her, Veil, Hazmat and Striker took it upon themselves to find the criminal and make him apologize. The students discovered the Hood was not in jail as the Avengers thought and tracked him to his hideout. The three of them beat him until he apologized on tape, but Tigra was not happy about it and wanted them expelled. The other instructors did not agree and gave them a second chance, although a third infraction would probably result in expulsion. Speedball wanted to show the students that redemption was not impossible by taking them on a trip to Stamford, the site of his deepest regret, and after stopping a gang of Cobalt Men, Speedball's lesson was met with success when a police officer forgave him for his part in the deaths of six hundred civilians. Veil previously overheard Pym contemplating bringing his ex-wife, the Wasp, back to life but decided the risks were too great and abandoned his idea, so she decided to undertake the challenge, hoping it would get her back in Pym's good graces. Although her intentions were good, Veil brought Carina Walters back instead of the Wasp.
Korvac's Return
Carina was hiding in Underspace to avoid detection from her ex-husband, Michael Korvac, but with her return to normal space she was no longer able to do so. Korvac followed, determined to win her love and take control of reality. The Avengers opposed him, but Korvac proved to be too powerful and defeated every challenger. Jocasta hid Carina and the trainees, but Carina knew it was only a matter of time before they were discovered and destroyed. In a desperate gamble, Carina placed the minds of the students into the bodies of their future selves, giving them the power and knowledge they were destined for in the hope they could defeat Korvac. The students immediately went on the offensive but were momentarily paused when Striker's adult body was killed. Carina told the frightened students Veil and Hazmat were the keys to victory, and while Veil temporarily entered Korvac's body, taking control of his form, Hazmat was able to generate an anti-matter burst which defeated Korvac but not before Veil could use his powers to slow the dissolution of her body's molecules. Carina attempted to revert all the students to normal, but Reptil chose to remain in his adult body and keep all the benefits it afforded him. As a result of his traumatic experience, Striker was unsure if he wanted to risk his life for any situation. Hazmat and Mettle, seeing their future fates, consoled each other as they were no closer to living the normal lives they craved.
