In In Civil War: Marvels Snapshots, a new hero named the Helper makes his debut in an untold tale from Marvel’s superhero Civil War.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Civil War: Marvels Snapshots #1, by Saladin Ahmed, Ryan Kelly, Rachelle Rosenberg and VC’s Joe Sabino, on sale now.
In the midst of game-changing events such as Civil War, many smaller details get lost in the shuffle. Compared to epic battles between Captain America and Iron Man, everything else seems relatively unimportant. Marvel’s newest hero, the Helper, was active during Civil War when no one else was looking.
In Civil War: Marvels Snapshots #1, by Saladin Ahmed and Ryan Kelly, the Helper became a fugitive for defying the controversial Superhuman Registration Act. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents confronted and chased the Helper through the streets of Toledo, Ohio. Although Toledo’s citizens avidly defended the young hero, the Helper decided to take the fight elsewhere rather than let anyone get harmed for protecting him. The Helper demonstrated some impressive abilities to fend off his pursuers, creating fog to shroud his whereabouts and turning the ground to ice. Eventually, however, the Helper was caught and arrested. Once he was taken to a secure facility, the Helper was unmasked and revealed to be Yusef Abbas, a young man from Toledo. Yusef worshipped heroes like the Avengers when he was growing up, wanting to be just like them.
It appeared that Yusef later developed minor elemental mutant powers. Since Yusef’s powers weren’t anything major, he only used them for small tasks, such as fixing potholes and dousing fires. Becoming the Helper, Yusef donned a white bandana around his face and a red hoodie. Realizing he wasn’t a big-time superhero like Captain America, Yusef still did what he could to help others. Everything changed, however, when the SHRA was drafted, following the devastating explosion in Stamford, Connecticut.
For a while, Yusef questioned whether or not he should register with the government, despite his opposition to the registration act. When the Helper went in to help with a chemical spill, he received an unexpected assist from Captain America. The Sentinel of Liberty acknowledged Yusef’s good work, convincing him not to go along with registration. Yusef was inspired to oppose the law by Cap, a position which was later cemented when the Pro-Registration heroes used a clone of Thor to kill Goliath.
After he was found and taken into custody, Yusef was later joined by Olga, a little girl with the ability to fly. Outraged by the injustice of Olga’s capture, Yusef resolved to escape from their prison. Indeed, the Helper attempted to overload his power dampeners, to little success. Fortunately, Agent Clyde Dobronski was sympathetic to Yusef’s cause, betraying his partner and helping Yusef and Olga escape. Olga used her powers to fly the two of them away from their cells, while the Helper used the wind to offset his weight. Together, the two flew off into the coming dawn.