Since the release of WandaVision, the MCU has introduced us to a slew of new characters. I didn’t think anything of it at first, but my opinion has started to change with the recent introduction of Skaar in the She-Hulk finale.
Remember de Fontaine from the TFWS and Hawkeye finale? She is obviously trying to make a team of her own. Well, I started thinking – if the big guys are gonna be involved in the Secret Wars who will foil Fontaine’s evil plans? One possible answer is the Young Avengers.
In the comics, the Young Avengers are a group of heroes formed when the original Avengers had been disbanded. It might be interesting to note that their first real battle was with Kang the Conqueror.
There are many reasons to believe we might see the Young Avengers in the MCU. Many of the characters that make up the group in the comics have already been introduced to us throughout the various TV shows over the last two years.
Let’s review a list of characters and see how they might play a part in the Young Avengers.
1. Billy and Tommy Maximoff (Wiccan and Speed)
The existence of Wanda’s children is still under a lot of doubt. The “Multiverse of Madness” events have only furthered that confusion. According to the comics, Billy, aka Wiccan, has a significant role in creating the Young Avengers team.
Billy is a magic user like his mother and would be quite an interesting addition to the MCU if we see him in the future. In the comics, Billy’s brother Tommy aka Speed, doesn’t have a big role. Only time will tell what the MCU has in store for the superpowered siblings.
2. Elijah Bradley (Patriot)
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier TV show introduced us to Isiah Bradley and his grandson Elijah Bradley. Isiah was the subject of a similar experiment to Steve Rogers. The TV show does not mention whether Isiah’s grandson also had superpowers.
But in the comics, Isiah Bradley is the first member of the Young Avengers. At first, it is believed that a blood transfusion from his grandfather is what gave him his powers. Later it is discovered that his superpowers are actually because of a drug called MGH (Mutant Growth Hormone)
And Marvel has been trying to introduce the whole mutant idea into the MCU, so who knows?
3. Kid Loki
A common trend in Phase 4 of the MCU has been introducing characters and not expanding on their stories. They did something similar with Kid Loki. In the TV show Loki, we meet several Lokis who have managed to survive in the Void.
The Lokis are ruled by the child Loki. We don’t know much about him except that he killed Thor in his universe. He helped Tom Hiddleston’s Loki and Lady Loki escape the Void, but he chose to remain.
Kid Loki is another prominent member of the Young Avengers. Should the MCU decide to introduce the Young Avengers to us, we expect to see more of Kid Loki.
4. Kate Bishop (Hawkeye)
The Christmas-time TV show Hawkeye was not all wholesome fun. We were introduced to Kate Bishop, the hero that picks up Hawkeye’s baton after Clint Barton retires. In the comics, she has her adventures but is also a key member of the Young Avengers.
It remains to be seen how the MCU will take her character forward. But the Young Avengers is becoming less and less a theory and more of an unconfirmed fact.
5. America Chavez
In the Multiverse Saga, someone with multiverse powers will be very important. We can expect America Chavez to play a significant role in helping defeat Kang the Conqueror. Her ability to jump through different universes at will is sure to come in handy at some point.
But it is not yet known how she will be involved in future MCU projects. She is a late member of the Young Avengers, but the MCU might want her to join the team a bit earlier than she does in the comics. Currently, she is training as a sorcerer with Dr. Strange.
6. Kamala Khan
Although not a part of the Young Avengers in the comics, the MCU has changed Kamala Khan’s (Miss Marvel) origin story considerably. The young hero’s position in the Young Avengers team could be on the cards.
7. Skaar
Skaar, the son of The Incredible Hulk, is another example. According to the comics, Skaar started as an evil character who fought Hulk. The MCU has rewritten his origin story along with his look, and he seems like a peaceful character.
We only saw him for a second at the end of the She-Hulk series finale, but it makes us ask what different plans they have for the character. A position on the Young Avengers team seems like the obvious answer.
8. Other Potential Candidates
1. Cassandra Lang (Stature)
Did you know that according to the comics, Scott Lang’s daughter Cassie Lang is also a superhero? Ant-Man 3: Quantumania is expected to be her origin story. After the death of her father, Ant-Man, in the comics, Cassie begins stealing Pym Particles herself to become the superheroine Stature. She, along with Elijah, form the Young Avengers.
Cassie’s origins in the comics and the fact that Kang is supposed to be introduced in this movie could indicate bad news for Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man. Cassie is another potential candidate for the Young Avengers if the MCU brings the team into the cinematic canon.
2. Riri Williams (Ironheart)
The trailer to Wakanda Forever: the second Black Panther movie, gave us our first look at Riri William as Ironheart. Her suit appears to be a variation of Veronica, the Hulkbuster armor. Ironheart is another character that, so far, isn’t a part of any team. In the MCU, though, she is a potential candidate for the Young Avengers.
Every team needs a tech genius, and Riri could fill the spot Iron Man left behind. Her suit could also indicate that she might need it to fight a Hulk in the future.
3. Nathaniel Richards
In the comics, Nathaniel Richards is a good version of Kang the Conqueror. When he sees the destruction that the evil Kang causes, he goes back in time to ask the Avengers for help. When he doesn’t find them, he forms the Young Avengers.
We could see a similar storyline following the introduction of Kang in the third Ant-Man movie. Nathaniel Richards becomes the superhero Iron Lad after he forms the Young Avengers.
4. Hulkling
Teddy Altman, aka Hulkling (not to be confused with HulkKing from She-Hulk), is a Skrull shapeshifter. He can fly, quickly regenerate from his injuries, and has super strength when he changes to his green-winged form.
He was raised to believe he was human till he was 16 when the Kree and the Skrull came to claim him. This causes the two races to battle each other on Earth.
Marvel has not revealed much about the soon-to-be-released Secret Invasion TV show, except that the Skrull are looking for something on Earth. A possible theory is that they are searching for Teddy Altman and need to find him before the Kree do.
Teddy is another member of the Young Avengers and one of only two primary members that have not yet been introduced to the MCU.
The Young Avengers were formed to battle Kang and replace the old Avengers. We may see the group play a similar role in the movies should they become a reality in the MCU. They also fought with groups like the Wrecking Crew and teamed up with The Runaways.
9. About Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films and TV series, independently produced by Marvel Studios and based on characters that appear in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
The franchise includes comic books, short films, television series, and digital series. The shared universe, much like the original Marvel Universe in comic books, was established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters.
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