During the "Dark Reign" storyline, Eli was outraged when Norman Osborn formed his "official" team of Avengers and even more so when he announced . Eli's Young Avengers confront the latter and demand that they either join the first team of Young Avengers, or find another name for themselves. Near the end of the issue, Hawkeye (Kate Bishop) admits her love for Eli after he breaks his hand, to which he responds 'I may break my hand everyday', making their relationship clear after a few months of dating.