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| Hulkling | |
|---|---|
 Teddy in Empyre #1 (April 2020) Art by Jeff Dekal. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Young Avengers #1 (April 2005) |
| Created by | Allan Heinberg (writer) Jim Cheung (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Teddy Altman Dorrek VIII (regnal name) |
| Species | Kree/Skrull hybrid |
| Place of origin | Tarnax IV |
| Team affiliations |
|
| Partnerships | Billy "Wiccan" Kaplan (husband)[1] |
| Notable aliases |
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| Abilities |
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Hulkling is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A member of the Young Avengers superhero team in the Marvel Universe, Hulkling's visual design is patterned on the iconic Marvel character Hulk. In addition to being superhumanly strong, he possesses shapeshifting abilities that go far beyond the ability to mimic the Hulk, which give him the power to fly.
Hulkling was created in 2005 as part of a new series, Young Avengers, whose characters would all share common motifs with existing characters from Marvel's popular Avengers team. While Hulkling was patterned on Hulk, his backstory would later reveal he was in fact connected to a different Avenger: the Kree alien superhero Captain Marvel. Through his adventures with the Young Avengers, Hulking learns he was the product of a secret star-crossed romance between Captain Marvel and the shape-shifting Skrull princess Anelle. As the male heir to the Skrull throne, he was raised on Earth for his own safety under the human identity Theodore "Teddy" Altman.
Hulkling's creators originally considered creating a female character before deciding that Young Avengers offered them an opportunity to increase LGBT representation at Marvel, leading to his high-profile romantic pairing with his teammate Wiccan. The character was immediately popular with audiences and critics, with the pair becoming lauded by some as "Marvel's most popular gay couple". Since the time of their introduction, the characters have been at the centre of important Marvel company-wide crossover stories such as Avengers: The Children's Crusade and Empyre. The latter saw story Hulkling marry his long-time partner Wiccan, as well as bringing an end to the Kree-Skrull conflict, a mainstay of the Marvel Universe since 1971. He ultimately accepts the crown of the Kree-Skrull Alliance and the regnal name of Emperor Dorrek VIII.[2]