Avengers Assemble “Molecule Kid” Review

Season 1 Episode 9 – “Molecule Kid”

Finally we get a confirmation that this show is in fact a continuation of Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. After being informed that the Molecule Man (a/k/a one of the most powerful villains in the Marvel Universe) has escaped prison and is at large, Hawkeye has a flashback of when the team last fought the “Master of Molecular Manipulation” featuring the animation and costumes of the former series. Though this is of little consolation to fans of the EMH series (I count myself among them), it does at least tell us that those epic adventures weren’t had in vain. Now onto my review for this week’s episode of Avengers Assemble:

First of all, this is a Black Widow and Hawkeye heavy episode (perhaps to make up for their lack of screen time in last week’s episode). Now that’s not a bad thing, but I wanted to get it out there in case some of you aren’t fans of 2 not-so-super members of the Avengers superhero team. We start out with Hawkeye and Falcon in street gear enjoying a rare off day at the Coney Island amusement park. Clint is using his “powers” of precision at a classic “Milk Bottle Game” booth. While Sam complains about Clint wasting his day off playing the same game repeatedly, Barton has amassed quite to collection of stuffed animals. As Sam leaves to find something fun to do, Clint is yanked to the roof of the booth by Black Widow. She informs him that the Molecule Man is back in town and that S.H.I.E.L.D. has ordered them to stop him. Hawkeye’s first instinct is to assemble (pun intended) the team, but Widow stops him. She says that Nick Fury doesn’t want Molecule Man’s molecule-altering technology to fall into the hands of the ever-curious Tony Stark. Realizing that it’s probably for the best, he agrees to help Natasha track down MM. Shortly after, they find Mr. Molecule being chased by agents of A.I.M. (a scientifically-advanced terrorist group). Once cornered, he unleashes the power of the wand to turn the surrounding buildings into melting goo. It’s also about that time that Hawk and Widow discover that this is not the Molecule Man at all, but his teenage son Aaron (henceforth known as the Molecule Kid). Escaping the clutches of A.I.M. and the 2 Avengers, Molecule Jr. uses his extremely powerful wand (yes a wand) to turn the urban environment against his pursuers. He raises sidewalks, levitates cars, and turns the ground into quicksand in an effort to keep his dad’s wand (his only memento of his imprisoned father) from being stolen. He’s doing quite well until the Super Adaptoid makes an appearance.

The Adaptoid (an ever-adapting android created by Justin Hammer) is now under the control of the techno-path M.O.D.O.K. Now that things have gotten serious (and a good chunk of NYC is getting tore up) it doesn’t take long for the other Avengers to join the battle. Hawkeye and Black Widow are first joined by Captain America (who also agrees that it’s best if Stark doesn’t get his hands on the “wand”) and shortly after Falcon returns on the scene. While Cap and Falc battle the Adaptoid, Hawk and Widow attempt to reason with the kid. While Natasha tries to soothe the teen’s fears in an effort to get the wand, Clint goes for the “buddy-buddy” approach. This leads to the 2 of them arguing over which way is better. The fighting causes the hyper-sensitive youth to snap and unleash the full power of the wand. Iron Man arrives on the scene just in time to be thrown into a reality-altering rift with the rest of the team and the Adaptoid. Using this much of the wand’s power (supposedly more than even the Molecule Man himself could use) weakens its structural integrity. When Clint and Natasha finally get the wand away from the kid, it breaks apart. This is when the M.O.D.O.K.-controlled Adaptoid makes his move an snatches the wand for himself. Absorbing the power of the wand into itself, the android begins breaking down the rift atom-by-atom. Realizing that if they don’t escape soon they will all be winked out of existence, Tony leads the team in a effort to distract the Adaptoid long enough for Molecule Kid to repair the wand and reverse the rift. Once back into the right dimension, the Avengers make short work of the Super Adaptoid just as Nick Fury arrives on the scene. Convinced that the young Aaron is nothing like his father, the team suggests that he should be trained by S.H.I.E.L.D. as a future hero (Hawkeye even mentions Fury’s team of high school kids, a/k/a/ the team from Ultimate Spider-Man). Tony then goes on to congratulate Clint and Natasha for helping this kid realize his potential, even if he is peeved for being left out of the loop.

Overall this was a decent episode. Both Hawkeye and Widow got some much-deserved spotlight and we were introduced to a character who may pop up again (or pop up on USM). Though both Thor and the Hulk were a bit conspicuous by their absences (I guess Hulk was off adventuring with his pals on Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.) and Tony was dumped on quite a bit, it was still enjoyable. I give this week’s episode “Molecule Kid” and 3.5 out 5. Join me again next week when I review Episode 10 (as well try to get reviews up for a couple other shows). Until next time, Fanboys Assemble!!!