Hulkling

Found him while digging through a beat-up longbox at a con once and it felt like striking gold: Hulkling's first full appearance is in 'Young Avengers' #1, cover-dated April 2005. Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung created him, and they gave us Teddy Altman — part Kree, part Skrull, and delightfully complicated. The issue introduces the team and plants the seeds for Teddy's relationship with Billy Kaplan (Wiccan), which became one of the most beloved romances in modern superhero comics.

I still chuckle thinking about how the opening scenes play like a teenager’s summer of secrets and sudden heroics. Beyond that first issue, Hulkling's arc grows into something huge: his heritage as a hybrid prince becomes central in later stories like 'Avengers: The Children's Crusade', and his powers mix shapeshifting with surprising brute strength. If you want to start with his origin, grab the 'Young Avengers' trade — that first issue is the perfect doorway into his whole vibe, messy feelings and all.

On the page, Teddy Altman never reads like an ordinary kid — and that's because he's not ordinary. He gained his shape-shifting abilities through his Skrull heritage: Skrulls are a race of biological shapeshifters in the comics, able to rearrange their tissues to mimic other forms. Teddy is revealed to be a Kree–Skrull hybrid (the son of Mar-Vell and a Skrull princess), so he inherited that Skrull cellular flexibility.

Because he's a hybrid, his powers don't behave exactly like a run-of-the-mill Skrull. The Kree side seems to amplify his durability, strength and ability to take on hulking, armored forms — which is why he can bulk up into a powerful green warrior rather than just swap faces. That mix is explored across stories like 'Young Avengers' and later the 'Empyre' event, where his dual lineage becomes central to who he is and what he can do.

I love how writers used biology and family lore instead of a single gimmick: his shape-shifting feels organic, rooted in identity and history. If you want a starting point, flip through 'Young Avengers' and then 'Empyre' — you'll see the evolution of his abilities and why being part Skrull matters so much to Teddy.

When I picked up the recent issues, the first thing that hit me was how much Hulkling’s shapeshifting keeps stealing the show. He’s not just doing simple face-swaps anymore; I’ve seen him bulk up into massive, hulking forms that push his strength and durability into straight-up powerhouse territory. That size-shift is more than cosmetic — the panels show him taking hits that would flatten a normal Skrull or Kree and just shrugging them off, which reads like serious regeneration and superhuman stamina.

Beyond the brute-force stuff, he still uses the classic Skrull/Kree hybrid tricks: forming armor pieces, creating blades or shields from his own body, and even reshaping limbs into wings for short bursts of flight. There are moments where he looks comfortably at home in space, so environmental resilience (vacuum survival, extreme temps) is on display too. If you liked his royalty arc in 'Empyre' and the more character-driven beats in 'Young Avengers', these issues feel like a mash-up of political weight and upgraded physical powers — he’s a fighter and a king in the same breath.

My take on Hulkling's costume evolution has always felt like watching a friend grow up in public, and I love that. Early on, in the pages of 'Young Avengers', he mostly looked like a scrappy teen—hoodies, casual layers, a mix of streetwear and tentative superhero colors. Artists leaned into that awkward-teen charm: familiar clothes with splashes of green or subtle emblem work that hinted at something more than human.

As the character matured, the outfits followed. The costumes shifted toward cleaner silhouettes, sleeker team uniforms, and then full-on regal armor when the story moved to his Kree–Skrull heritage. The 'Empyre' era really leans into ceremonial symbolism—ceremonial capes, segmented alien armor, crowns or headpieces that combine both cultures. You can see design choices that tell a story: protective plates for battle, blended iconography to show his dual lineage, and richer fabrics and metallics that read as political power.

What I enjoy most is the way artists use color and texture to track his identity: softer, human tones when he’s Teddy at home; deeper greens, golds, and alien motifs when he’s leading armies. Cosplayers and fan art reflect that full arc, too—neat homemade hoodies alongside baroque, layered armor pieces—so his wardrobe feels alive and evolving with the narratives.

I was hooked the minute I flipped through the pages of 'Young Avengers' — that run is where Teddy Altman (Hulkling) is born as a character, and it’s the essential starting point. If you want the way he acts, the jokes, the awkward teen hero energy, and the early hints about his mysterious heritage, read 'Young Avengers' (the original 2005 series) straight through. It introduces his friendship and romance with Wiccan, his shape-shifting powers, and the social dynamics that make him feel real.

For the deeper origin stuff about his Kree/Skrull lineage and the political weight of who he really is, follow up with 'Avengers: The Children's Crusade' and then jump to the big event 'Empyre'. 'Children's Crusade' digs into his identity and the emotional fallout, while 'Empyre' gives you the full-on revelation and payoff where he goes from kid on the team to someone with a throne-sized destiny. If you like collections, look for the 'Young Avengers' trade(s), the 'Children's Crusade' TPB, and the 'Empyre' main and tie-in books — together they tell the origin-to-leader arc in a satisfying, layered way.

I've been hunting down Hulkling stories for years and my favorite way to read them is on Marvel Unlimited — their search and collections make it so easy to follow a character across eras. Start with the original 'Young Avengers' run (the 2005 series) to see his origin and chemistry with Wiccan, then move to 'The Children's Crusade' (the collected edition) which really digs into both of them emotionally, and finally read the Kieron Gillen 'Young Avengers' run and the 'Empyre' event where Hulkling takes center stage.

If you prefer to own issues, Comixology (and the Kindle/Google Play stores) sell single issues and trade paperbacks. Your local library might have digital checkouts through Hoopla or physical trades like 'Young Avengers: The Collection' or 'Empyre' on the shelf — I once found a pristine 'Children's Crusade' TPB at a small branch and it felt like striking gold. For a comfortable binge: Marvel Unlimited for day-to-day reading, Comixology/ebooks for ownership, and library/brick-and-mortar shops for serendipitous finds.

I still get a little giddy thinking about how Teddy—Hulkling—grew from a shy kid into literal royalty. The person who started that whole trajectory was Allan Heinberg, with artist Jim Cheung, in 'Young Avengers' (the 2005 original run). Heinberg gave Teddy his heart: the tender, complicated romance with Wiccan and the gentle, awkward personality that made readers root for him. Jim Cheung’s designs cemented the visual identity—clean, heroic, with subtle cues that hinted at his alien heritage.

Years later Heinberg circled back in 'The Children's Crusade', and that arc leaned into the mystery of his parentage and the emotional stakes of being a hybrid Kree–Skrull heir. Then Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie’s 2013 take reshaped the team’s aesthetic and tone again—McKelvie’s minimalist costumes and Gillen’s sharper dialogue modernized Teddy without betraying his core.

The biggest structural reshaping came from Al Ewing and Pepe Larraz during 'Empyre'. Ewing turned Hulkling into a political, cosmic figure—an heir, a commander—while Larraz drew him as regal and dangerous. Those shifts moved him from a beloved side character to a key player in Marvel’s cosmic chessboard, and I still love how each creative team layered something new onto him.

I get why people keep asking this — the idea of Teddy Altman showing up in the MCU as part of a 'Young Avengers' grouping is just so tempting. I’ve spent countless evenings scrolling theories and watching old comic panels, and here’s my take: there’s no official confirmation from Marvel Studios that 'Hulkling' will appear in any specific 'Young Avengers' project. Still, Marvel loves planting seeds everywhere, and Teddy’s Kree–Skrull heritage ties neatly into threads like 'Secret Invasion' and the Skrull presence introduced in 'Captain Marvel'.

If Marvel wanted to bring him in organically, a few routes make sense: a sly introduction in a space-centric story (maybe a cameo in a 'Captain Marvel' sequel or a Guardians-related scene), a reveal woven into a Skrull-focused arc, or simply as a young hero who shows up in a larger ensemble piece. My gut says they’ll introduce him quietly—like casting a young actor as an oddball ally—then let fandom connect the dots. I keep thinking of how 'WandaVision' handled Billy and Tommy: subtle at first, explosive later. I’m crossing my fingers for a clever, slow-burn reveal rather than a clumsy rush.

I still get a little giddy when I think about how messy and brilliant Hulkling's origin is. Growing up, Teddy Altman was just another kid on Earth with a knack for shape-shifting and a huge heart, but the comics slowly peeled back his backstory. It turns out his parents were a literal political power couple from opposite sides of a galactic war: his mother was a Skrull princess named Anelle and his father was the Kree hero Mar-Vell. That mixed blood is what made him such a unique figure — both the living symbol and the biological heir of a forced union meant to bridge two empires.

The arc in 'Young Avengers' teases that heritage, but it’s really during the events that build up to and include 'Empyre' where everything clicks: Teddy’s lineage is publicly recognized and he’s thrust into the role of emperor of a new Kree-Skrull Alliance. I love how the story doesn’t just give him a crown for shock value; it wrestles with political legitimacy, identity, and duty. Plus, his relationship with Wiccan adds an emotional anchor — he’s not just a galactic ruler, he’s a person who found love and chose responsibility. It’s one of those character evolutions that feels earned, messy, and surprisingly heartwarming.

Wiccan and Hulkling share a beautiful and complex relationship that really showcases the depth of superhero identities and bonds. As characters from the 'Young Avengers,' they're not just allies in battle but also partners in love and life. Their connection stems from a deep understanding of each other's powers and their struggles. Wiccan, with his reality-warping magic, often grapples with the immense responsibility that comes with his abilities. On the other side, Hulkling, a shapeshifter and warrior, navigates his own cultural heritage as a half-Kree, half-Skrull. Their differences make them stronger as a couple, allowing them to blend their unique perspectives and experiences.

What I love most is how their relationship evolves over time. They start as friends who support one another during tough times, eventually stepping into a romantic relationship that feels genuine and poignant. Their adventures together are packed with excitement, from battling formidable foes to facing internal conflicts about their identities. Each story arc they journey through makes me root for their happiness even more.

From navigating the challenges of being young heroes to addressing each other’s emotional needs, their bond is well-written, making their love story resonate with many, including me. It’s not just about superpowers; it’s about trust, love, and the challenges of being extraordinary in a world that doesn't always understand you.