Hulkling

Hulkling
Teddy in Young Avengers vol. 1, #9 (December 2005) by Jim Cheung.
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	Dorrek VIII
Species	Kree/Skrull hybrid
Team affiliations	Young Avengers New Avengers
Partnerships	Billy Kaplan
Notable aliases	Theodore "Teddy" Altman
Abilities	Superhuman strength Shapeshifting Accelerated healing factor Metamorphic adaptation Biological Pheromone Immunity

Hulkling (Dorrek VIII, also known as Theodore "Teddy" Altman) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been depicted as a member of the Young Avengers, a team of superheroes in the Marvel Universe. Hulkling's character is patterned on the Hulk. He has shapeshifting abilities that go far beyond the ability to mimic the Hulk, and superhuman strength.

Hulkling was created by writer Allan Heinberg and artist Jim Cheung and first was in Young Avengers #1 (April 2005) along with other teenage heroes patterned after founding Avengers members.

Hulkling was originally planned to be a female character. According to Tom Brevoort, "Originally, Allan pitched Hulkling as a female character using her shape-changing abilities to pose as a man. I suspect this was as close as Allan felt he could get to depicting an openly gay relationship in a Marvel comic. But as we got underway... he started to have second thoughts and approached me about maintaining Hulkling and Wiccan as two involved male characters."

He also featured in Civil War: Young Avengers/Runaways and appeared in the Civil War crossover event.

Hulkling most recently appeared in the 2013 Young Avengers series by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie. and will appear with Wiccan in New Avengers as part of All-New All-Different Marvel.

In his first issue, little is revealed about Hulkling except for the fact he is raised by a single mother. All this changes when the shapeshifting extraterrestrial known as the Super-Skrull appears, stating that Teddy is a Skrull. The Super-Skrull is surprised to learn that Teddy has super strength and wonders "perhaps the rumors about his father are true." The Super Skrull follows the Young Avengers to Wiccan's house, where Teddy's mother is waiting for him. The Super-Skrull releases a device designed to turn Teddy into his true form in an attempt to prove his Skrull heritage. While the device does not change Teddy's physical appearance, Ms. Altman, who is also caught in the device's beam, turns into a Skrull. When the Super-Skrull accuses her of being a traitor to her race, she responds by saying that the Empress ordered her to protect Teddy, even from the likes of the Super-Skrull, pulling out a gun. The Super-Skrull responds by killing her, though it was unintentional.