Speed Crash Course
To say Tommy Shepherd, aka Speed, lives in his brother’s shadow feels like an understatement. Billy and Tommy, Wiccan and Speed, one was reborn into a happy, loving family, created the universe, ruled space, got one-shots and mini-series. The other was born into a nightmare, runs fast and shows up in the background every now and then. But there’s a lot to love about Tommy independent of his brother, even if you sometimes have to dig deep to find it, both into the character and the back issues. His kindness, seen through relationships with the old and young, his strong friendships with characters like Kate Bishop, and his love for his brother, who he loves unconditionally despite being raised by a family that never treated him right. There’s a lot to love in Tommy Shepherd, and he’s worth digging through those issues for the crumbs.
Start here
The Bread
This is the stuff that makes Tommy who he is, the essential reads that shaped Speed into the character we know today. Start here before venturing anywhere else.
Debut
Young Avengers (2005) #10-12 & Special #1
Written by Allan Heinberg · Art by Jim Cheung
Tommy may be remembered as a Young Avenger, but it took a few issues for him to appear as they begin to expand their ranks and find a young boy with speed powers locked up in prison. Upon rescuing him, they notice a shocking similarity to their member Wiccan too, they could almost be…twins
Bonus Read
I Am An Avenger #1 and #5
Two short stories I really enjoyed showing Tommy as part of the Young Avengers from their early days. Not the biggest spotlight on him, but some great moments.
The Spotlights
Young Avengers Presents #3 & #6 (2008)
Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (#3) & Matt Fraction (#6) · Art by Alina Urusov (#3) & Alan Davis (#6)
These two one-shots flesh out the Young Avengers as individuals, and in pairs, as Tommy and Billy begin to explore the secret of their past in a meeting with Master Pandemonium, and Tommy helps Kate Bishop prove her worth as the new Hawkeye. Two great spotlights on two of Tommy’s most important relationships!
The Ordinary Life
Young Avengers (2013) #6
Written by Kieron Gillen · Art by Jamie McKelvie
Tommy may not have been overly involved in this Young Avengers run, but this issue gives a great glimpse into the ordinary life of Tommy Shepherd, and people with superpowers in general. It also introduces him to his most notable love interest, David Alleyne, aka Prodigy, who stuck with the team throughout this run.
Bonus Read
Krakoa-Era Cameo — X-Factor (2020)
With Prodigy a main member of X-Factor, Tommy pops in for a few quick appearances. Maybe brief, but a key read for any fans of the relationship between the two as we finally see subtext become text.
Go deeper
The Meat
Once you’ve got the essentials down, here’s where you dig deeper into who Tommy really is, from the team-up crossovers through the story where the twins finally meet their extended family.
The Crossover
Civil War: Young Avengers/Runaways #1-4 (2007)
Written by Zeb Wells
There was a time when the Young Avengers were everywhere. If there was an event, they were there, floating about in the background and they’d have a miniseries of their own too. Civil War is one of my favourites of these, showing the meeting two of my favourite teams and leading to some delightful duos, like Tommy Shepherd and Molly Hayes.
The Sequel
Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers #1-4 (2008)
Written by Chris Yost
The two teams come together once again for yet another mid-2000s event tie in, continuing the great dynamics of the last mini. It’s not overly Speed-centric honestly, but as a Speed fan you learn to live off of crumbs like these
The Family Reunion
Avengers: The Children’s Crusade (2010) #1-9 & Young Avengers #1
Written by Allan Heinberg · Art by Jim Cheung
With the Scarlet Witch returning, the Young Avengers lead the charge in the search for her. Tommy and Billy meet their extended family for the first time, including their grandfather, Magneto, and finally come face to face with their sort-of mother, Wanda Maximoff.
The hidden gems
The Sauce
Beyond the essentials, there’s a whole run of Speed stories worth exploring, from the strange origins of the Maximoff twins to a modern reunion with his brother.
Origin
The Vision and the Scarlet Witch (1985) #12, Avengers: Disassembled (2004) #1-4 & House of M
Written by Steve Englehart & Brian Michael Bendis · Art by Richard Howell, David Finch & Olivier Coipel
You really don’t need to understand the complexities of the origin of Billy Kaplan and Tommy Shepherd, but if you want to dive into the strange world of partial demon-souls, sock puppets and cosmic rebirths, these books are the place to start as the origin for Tommy Maximoff, the not-a-real-boy who served as something of a blueprint to Tommy Shepherd.
Imposter Team
Dark Reign: Young Avengers #1-5 (2009)
Written by Paul Cornell
The weakest of the Young Avengers mini series of this era, and the one that features the least actual Young Avengers, but still includes a good showing for Tommy at times, especially with his brief relationship with the Young Master of Evil – Coat-at-Arms.
The Grander Fate
Young Avengers: Paradox Lost — Marvel’s Voices Infinity Comic (2022) #5-10
Written by Anthony Oliveira · Art by Jethro Morales
You ever wonder why Billy Kaplan is the most powerful mage in all of existence and his brother…runs pretty fast? So did Anthony Oliveira in this brief Young Avengers reunion story that suggests a grander fate for Tommy Shepherd, and that his powers may be less to do with Speed than Time itself. It also shows his friendship with Master Pandemonium, the man once seen as the source of the twins soul, now just a scared old man.
Bonus Read
Modern Relationship Check-In — Avengers Academy: Marvel’s Voices Infinity Comic (2024)
A continuation of the ideas started in Paradox Lost, including an appearance by a young Tommy Maximoff that starts to unravel the secrets of their powers and relationship to the universe itself
The Brotherly Return
Wiccan: Witches Road #4-5
Written by Wyatt Kennedy · Art by Andy Pereira
As Wiccan returns from his time as Court Mage and Consort to the Kree/Skrull Empire in his own mini-series, Tommy shows up when things seem lost to help his brother, alongside a few other Young Avengers. A great modern story for the two brothers.
Tommy Shepherd has plenty of stories scattered through the back issues, and it’s impossible to capture them all in one list. If there’s a Speed story that means something to you that didn’t make the cut, let us know!
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