Marvel’s Most Powerful Hero Couple Fell in Love Over Comics

WARNING: Spoilers for Last Annihilation: Wiccan & Hulkling #1 ahead!

Fans of the beautiful marriage between former Young Avengers Billy (Wiccan) and Teddy (Hulkling) can see how a mutual love of comics brought the most cosmic Marvel power couple together in the one-shot Last Annihilation: Wiccan & Hulkling #1. Wiccan and Hulkling have been an adored couple since they were first introduced, and are considered to be one of Marvel’s most recognizable and beloved representations of young queer love. Both Wiccan and Hulkling have experienced “level ups” in recent years, with Billy becoming the cosmic entity known as The Demiurge and Teddy finding out he is Kree and Skrull royalty, making a full backstory of these two even more important as they continue expanding their influence in the Marvel Universe.

Introduced in 2005, Wiccan and Hulkling have been in a loving relationship for more than 15 years, and officially got engaged in 2010’s Young Avengers: Children’s Crusade series. The happy couple only recently tied the knot at the end of 2020’s Empyre event (they revealed they had previously eloped but this was their official wedding), which saw Teddy ascending the Skrull and Kree Alliance throne as Prince Dorrek VIII. The couple has been through a lot in recent memory, including succumbing to the reality-warping manipulations of Agatha Harkness where both experience what life would be like without the other before joyfully reuniting happier than ever.

Last Annihilation: Wiccan & Hulkling #1 – illustrated by Jan Bazaldua and Luciano Vecchio with writing by Anthony Olivieria – sees Billy and Teddy separated from one another, with Wiccan fighting against Dormammu’s invading Mindless Ones and Hulkling facing off against the seemingly reincarnated Kree Supreme Intelligence. Interspersed between these major fight scenes are flashbacks to when Teddy and Billy first met each other as young teenagers in high school. Billy seems to be a quiet, nerdy, clearly queer-coded young man while Teddy is at first shown as a stereotypical high school jock, at least until Teddy approaches a lonely looking Billy during their lunch period… and love begins to blossom.

Hulkling approaches Wiccan and Billy is wary at first, confused as to why a football player would be talking with him, but Teddy pushes ahead asking what Billy is reading. Wiccan shyly tells Hulkling that he is reading super hero comics, which is when the young couple’s first bonding really happens. Teddy is also a reader of comic books, and they both laugh about a common comic theme: the overabundance of clones in many stories. Billy mentions the Avengers Mansion, Loki, and Ultron when talking about the comics, indicating that they are both in fact fans of the in-universe Marvel Comics. Teddy brings up how he and his mom would got to conventions as a kid, calling them “dorky,” before Billy interjects saying “No, it’s cute!” This initial interaction between the two of them sets up a strong foundation for their future friendship and relationship, and also explains why they both are so passionate about being a part of the Young Avengers.

Billy and Teddy are one of the most powerful young couples in Marvel history, and their relationship spans multiple cosmos, so to know that their intense love for each other started from such a sweet and innocent place is truly nice to see. Not all of Marvel’s LGBTQ+ relationships are explored as intimately as Wiccan and Hulkling’s, and having Billy and Teddy start as high school sweethearts and progress to fully grown adults who are married and in love is wonderful representation for a comic to have. Former Young Avengers Teddy and Billys bonding over comics in Last Annihilation: Wiccan & Hulkling #1  is one of the sweetest elements of Wiccan and Hulkling’s early relationship.

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