Summary
There are plenty of questions about what’s next for theMarvel Cinematic Universe, and while fans know twoAvengersmovies are coming to round off the Multiverse Saga, they’re expecting some major losses on a par withAvengers: Endgame. Despite rumbles of a ‘New Avengers’ lineup that will presumably leap into action forDoomsdayandSecret Wars, multiple teams are expected to rise from the ashes of the MCU’s latest stage.
The MCU has already sowed the seeds for everyone from the Dark Avengers tothe Midnight Sons, while the Fantastic Four and X-Men (although there are whispers of a name change) are officially on their way. Looking even further ahead, there are hopes that a younger crop of heroes could lead the way when the old guard eventually bows out. There’s been a lot of talk about the Young Avengers, but for whatever reason, they’re not officially on the roster yet.
The Young Avengers get Another Tease
As soon as Emma Fuhrmann was cast as a more mature Cassie Lang inAvengers: Endgame, there was speculation about whether she could join the Young Avengers in the MCU. Since then, there has been plenty of speculation about who could make the cut, as well as an actual tease of the team thanks to Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) trying to recruit Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) inThe Marvels’ mid-credit scene.
The Marvels’ box office disappointment and toxic response to the movie largely overshadowed the potential of its Young Avengers tease, but with Kamala named dropping Cassie Lang, Kathryn Newton (who replaced Fuhrmann) can likely add her name to the list. Velani confirmed that ‘more’ characters werecut fromThe Marvels’ Young Avengers scene, but now two more members of the Young Avengers have seemingly been locked in.
The latest Worlds of Marvel experience dining experience is being showcased on the new Disney Treasure cruise ship, with a brief clip includingTony Stark’s AI assistant, FRIDAY. FRIDAY introduces diners to the MCU’s ‘youngest heroes,’ with America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) Cassie Land (Newton), and Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) celebrating their ‘latest victory.’ As none of these characters have shared any screen time yet, it suggests something has been happening off-camera.
Before fans get their hopes up that this is one step closer to the Young Avengers in the MCU, Imagineer Danny Handke, the Creative Director for Worlds of Marvel, explained (viaThe Direct) that the cruise ships are in their own ‘variant’ timeline:
“We are kind of in our own theme park universe, and the Multiverse concept’s great because we’re a Variant of the main MCU timeline, so it helps everyone understand that. Canon is the official canon we see on screen and our park universe mirrors that, but our stories go in different directions, mainly because we as the audience are protagonists.”
This explains why the Avengers: Quantum Encounter stage show can’t be considered canon with the Earth-616 timeline, why Iron Man is still alive atDisneyland’s Avengers Campus, and Groot is still in his Baby Groot form in Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: Breakout! That isn’t to say the Young Avengers aren’t forming from the sidelines, but yet again, it’s another frustrating tease that might be heading nowhere.
What’s Going on With the Young Avengers?
There’s been a recent flurry of activity surrounding the Young Avengers, with reports thatFargoandAlien: Earth’s Noah Hawley is being tapped todirect aYoung Avengersmovie. This goes against what others think, with bubbling rumors that the project has evolved into a Disney+ series. The MCU has faced a mixed bag with its shows, with the likes ofCaptain America and the Winter SoldierandSecret Invasionfalling flat while others likeAgatha All AlongandLokihave flourished.
At least ifYoung Avengerswas reworked as a series, it could feel like a small-scaleAvengersfor Disney+ and unite the various strands as a major crossover event. Here’s hoping it fares better thanThe Defendersdid when uniting the Netflix heroes. As for who makes the cut, leakersDanielRPKandApocHorsemansuggest that the starting Young Avengers lineup will include:
Bishop is said to be leading the team, and with Steinfeld’s A-list credentials, she’s sure to be a popular choice. There’s a notable absence from the list, with no mention of Throne’s Riri, but with her getting her own standalone inIronheart, the events of the series could see her arc going in a different direction.
The addition of Viv Vision as the synthesized daughter of Vision also seems unlikely, because assuming Hulkling is the boyfriend of Billy Kaplan/Maximoff, that would mean four members of the team are tied to characters fromWandaVision. Even if the above characters make the team, it could be a way off.Phase One of the MCUgave the lead trio of Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor their own movie, while Mark Ruffalo was recast from Edward Norton inThe Incredible Hulk, Black Widow appeared inIron Man 2, and Hawkeye debuted inThor.
Several Young Avengers recruits have led their own projects, while Wiccan has only just been introduced but is expected to play a major part in theupcomingVision Questwith Tommy. It seems odd to jump from implying that Kamala is the Young Avengers’ answer to Nick Fury with Kate Bishop as her ‘Tony Stark’ and then suddenly see America, Cassie, and Riri together, suggesting there are some missing pieces of the puzzle. The strangest rumor is that the age of stars like Steinfeld means theYoung Avengersproject has rebranded asChampions. Given the popularity of theYoung Avengerscomics, this seems like a bizarre change that casts doubt over the whole inside scoop rumor.
The biggest problem facing the Young Avengers is the question of whether audiences will care. Much likeSpider-Man: Far From Hometeased a new owner of the Avengers Tower and it looks likeValentina Allegra de Fontaine has bought it inThunderbolts*, the wait between a tease of the Young Avengers and their presumed debut is getting increasingly longer. As much as fans might like Kamala and co., they’re destined to be overshadowed by more mainstream additions to the franchise like the aforementioned Fantastic Four and X-Men. While it seems likely the Young Avengers will officially form at some point, there’s a worry that the MCU has missed the boat on this one.
