I thought it might be fun to work out the approximate ages
of the various members of the MC2’s Avengers. Keep in mind this
isn’t definitive unless it’s spelt out on the page and is merely a rough
estimate based on in-universe information or- where necessary- statements from
the creative teams involved in the characters creation and development.
For the fifth entry in this occasional series of A-Next
Ages, it’s time to figure out the age of the team’s iconic, patriotic and statuesque
blonde heroine: American Dream.
Much of the evidence you’ll see in this post was also used
when I covered Freebooter’s
Age but it’s important to lay out everything to make sense of it. Firstly,
let’s take into account Shannon Carter’s height, which is first mentioned
in-universe as 6’2” in A-Next #4 and later confirmed in the Official
Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Update #1. It’s a safe bet based on
this that Shannon is an adult and unlikely to grow any taller.
Argo the Almighty refers to Thunderstrike, American
Dream and Bluestreak as ‘all around my age’ in A-Next #6.
It appears Argo himself is a teenager (albeit one of godly stature)
which helps give us a ball park figure to determine American Dream’s own
age.
While it was initially established that Shannon Carter
was a Tour Guide at Avengers Compound first seen in A-Next #1
and revealed in A-Next #3-#4, we get plenty more details about her early
life in the American Dream mini-series. We know that Shannon was
training to become a ‘super-athlete’ like her hero Captain America while
still in high school. It was during this period that she first met Clint
Barton (formerly Hawkeye) and Brandon Cross (later known as Freebooter)
as seen in American Dream #3.
As mentioned above, Shannon works as a Tour Guide.
According to American Dream #1, Shannon used her great Aunt
Peggy’s connections to secure the job ‘right out of high school.’ Shannon
notes it put her on the front lines and helped pay her expenses. This tells us
that Shannon has already graduated high school and also paid for her own
living expenses.
Shannon is seen leaving work and returning to what is
presumably her own apartment to meet up with her fellow Dream Team
members in (A-Next #3). Later on, in the pages of American Dream #1,
Shannon notes that she ‘moved into Avengers Mansion over a
year ago.’ This makes it clear that after becoming a member of the Avengers,
Shannon must have moved into the team’s headquarters. Additionally, we now
know over a year has passed since the events of A-Next #4, making Shannon
another year older.
In Last Hero Standing #2 when, during a visit to their
former mentor and teacher Clint Barton, the narration box refers to both
American Dream and Freebooter as teenagers. This estimation is
reiterated in the follow up mini-series’ Last Planet Standing #1 when Vision
describes the current Avengers team as ‘mainly a group of idealistic,
enthusiastic and powerful teenagers.’ It should be noted that Shannon
was not an active member of the team at this point, however.
As American Dream, Shannon ran one of Clint’s
training exercises known as the Gauntlet. It was at this time that Barton’s
fellow students learned of the new Avengers team. Shannon notes
when reflecting on this time that she hadn’t thought about the Gauntlet ‘in
years’ (American Dream #4)
As noted in this series’ Freebooter entry, Brandon
and Shannon appear to be around the same age. While Brandon has
moments of maturity, Shannon is the more mature of the two, as noted by Ron
Frenz on Adam Chapman’s podcast Comic Shenanigans Episode 744:
‘I liked the way they interacted, I liked the way Brandon
and Blue came across as brother and sister, carping at each other. And Shannon
kind of came across as the oldest sister who was constantly going ‘Bluestreak!’
and telling her to mind herself and all that kind of stuff.’
Now let’s look at what we can conclude by putting several
smaller points together:
·
Shannon began training under Clint Barton
while still in high school
·
Shannon began her tour guide job at the Avengers
Compound right after finishing high school, moving into her own apartment
·
While working at Avengers Compound, Shannon
witnessed the formation of the new Avengers team in A-Next #1
·
Shannon runs the Gauntlet training
exercise and Barton’s other students learn of the new Avengers
team
·
American Dream joins the Avengers
alongside the rest of the Dream Team and at some point afterwards, Shannon
takes up residence at Avengers Compound
·
During the events of Last Hero Standing, Shannon
is said to still be a teenager
·
By the time the events of the American Dream
mini-series occur, Shannon had resided in Avengers Compound for over
a year
With all of that out of the way, we have another case of an
easy-to-ascertain age within the MC2. Shannon Carter aka American
Dream is at least 19 years old, at least up until the events of Last
Hero Standing. It’s very likely she’s 20 or even 21 years old
by the end of the MC2’s publication history, given we know over a year
has passed in-universe. If you have any arguments to the contrary or you feel
I’ve missed something, don’t hesitate to let me know!
Until I adorn myself after a super-athlete patriotic war veteran
super hero and attempt to honour his legacy, I remain
frogoat