The new series recounts his early rise years ago, what happened to him and what he’s been doing since teenage heroes were outlawed.
Warning: The following contains spoilers for Reptil #1 bt Terry Blas, Enio Balam, Victor Ozabala, Carlos Lopez, and Joe Sabineo, out now.
Reptil was once part of a promising generation of new young Marvel superheroes who seemed destined to be the next big thing among the ranks of heroes like the Avengers and the X-Men. Unfortunately, a variety of poor circumstances, most notably pure obscurity, befell many of these characters, with those who weren’t killed off simply falling into a void of disuse.
Thankfully for Reptil, he’s currently coming back in a big way and finally receiving his own series. The new ongoing series recounts his early rise years ago, what happened to him and his friends and what he’s been doing since teenage heroes were outlawed in the Marvel Universe.
Avengers Academy
Created by Christos Gage and Steve Uy, Reptil first appeared in the eponymous Avengers: the Initiative featuring Reptil #1, which gave a first look at the young hero who would become the face of a generation. His real name was Humberto Lopez, and his parents were paleontologists who had found a strange crystallized bone. This gave Humberto the power to transform parts of his body into dinosaur limbs, as well as sense and communicate with reptiles. Though he’s initially part of the Initiative that was prominent following Civil War, he eventually finds himself as part of Avengers Academy.
The students of Avengers Academy initially believe that they are there because they are desired, but it’s actually because they have the most potential to become impressionable villains. Reptil soon unlocks the power to transform completely into a dinosaur, but it costs him his mind whenever he does it. He would, however, gain more control over this transformation when he was given Pym particles. Things become even more complicated after encounters with the team’s older future counterparts, though the experience hones Reptil to become the group’s leader. After more harrowing events, however, Humberto and the others decide the disband, ending Avengers Academy.
Return of Reptil
Humberto’s solo heroic life recently became more complicated following the implementation of Kamala’s Law. This outlawed any teenage superhero from operating openly without a guardian or mentor present, turning the young do-gooders into criminals. To make matters worse, his grandfather began to deal with increasingly debilitating health issues around this time, forcing Reptil to reevaluate his role as a young hero.
To better connect with his family and lay low in the current political climate, Humberto decides to temporarily give up being Reptil and leave being a superhero for others who won’t be hunted down for it. He and his Papa Vic move in with Humberto’s aunt, hoping that her medical expertise can help them both deal with Vic’s health. For the majority of the issue, it seems that Vic’s life would be taking a slow descent back into normalcy, with most of the issue dedicated to introducing his cousins. In fact, his aunt forbids him to turn into a dinosaur, and he reminds his cousin Julian that he hasn’t been acting as a superhero lately.
The issue ends, however, with Humberto and his cousins being attacked by a mysterious assailant who’s after Humberto’s bone crystal. This foe controls the rocks and terrain around him, with his endangering a nearby child forcing Humberto to become Reptil and face him one on one. It’s still unknown what connection this villain has to the crystal or how peaceful, if at all, Humberto’s life will be from here on out, but it’s certain that Reptil is officially out of retirement.
