Haunted by the memory of accidentally killing his parents at a very early age, Chris is a fragile young man afraid of his own power, hiding behind false courage and confidence. His sporadic control over his melting abilities saved his teammates from a hail of bullets, but once his poise was shattered or his frustration rose, the results were disastrous. Wanting desperately to be a heroic leader, Chris was dumbfounded when confronted by Patriot (Elijah Bradley) and the rest of the Young Avengers as to what right Chris' team had to use their name. The two teams fought, and although Chris tried to calm Patriot, the Enchantress (Sylvie Lushton) had to step in and subdue all the combatants simultaneously. Patriot then offered the upstarts a chance to join his team, or they would have to call themselves something else. Chris wanted to run away with the Enchantress, but she convinced him to stay since she wanted to be a true Young Avenger.
Each member of each team paired off, and Chris drew Patriot as a partner. Taking on goons dressed as Hydra, he refused to use his powers which Patriot said was the sign of a real hero; however, when the Young Avengers made their final decision, Chris wasn't on the list of those they wanted to recruit. Patriot wanted him to act as a liaison between the two groups, adding to his insecurities, and out of anger he called Norman Osborn using the number his teammate, Coat Of Arms, had on a business card. When the Young Avengers returned, Osborn's Avengers were there to greet them. Osborn wished to control both teams of super-powered youths, but that led to a violent confrontation. Osborn soon called for assistance from Sentry (Robert Reynolds), but Coat of Arms, Enchantress and Wiccan magically expelled him from the battlefield. Chris thought Sentry was killed, and based on that assumption, he figured he backed the wrong Avengers. Patriot explained killing isn't the way a hero acted and to choose his path instead of hiding from it. Chris instead chose to retreat, asking Enchantress to teleport their team away, so he could consider which path to follow.
