You don’t need to have the mental powers of Professor X to see the future the MCU is headed in: Marvel Comics’ Young Avengers are on the way to live-action sooner rather than later. The ending of The Marvels made that abundantly clear. Whether it’s for the big screen or Disney+, that part remains a mystery. But the most prominent members of the original Marvel Comics roster— Patriot, Iron Lad, Hawkeye, Speed, Stature, and now Wiccan on Agatha All Along—have already been introduced, announced, or broadly indicated. Of that first roster, only Hulkling, Wiccan’s boyfriend and eventual husband, has not appeared in the MCU yet.
Which Young Avengers Are Already in the MCU?
Let’s take a look at the Young Avengers roster and who has already joined in the MCU fun. Cassie Lang, a.k.a. Stature, has already been introduced in the Ant-Man films. And post Endgame, Ant-Man’s daughter is also now conveniently a teenager, played by Kathryn Newton. WandaVision introduced us to the Scarlet Witch and Vision’s twins, Wiccan and Speed, as children. Now, thanks to Agatha All Along, we’ve met Wiccan’s teen self, Billy Kaplan. That means his brother Speed, Tommy Shephard, is also out there somewhere. And Kate Bishop was the co-lead of the Disney+ series Hawkeye.
We also met the African-American Captain America from the ‘40s, Isaiah Bradley, in 2021’s Falcon and the Winter Soldier. In the comics, his grandson Eli Bradley is a founding member of the Young Avengers named Patriot, who was almost in Black Panther. Eli showed up, however briefly, in Falcon and the Winter Soldier though, establishing his MCU existence. Next up, America Chavez had a prominent role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Meanwhile, “Kid Loki” appeared in the Void in Loki. So That’s seven members of the team down.
As for the rest of the original members of the Young Avengers team, we only have conjecture to work with. But the possibilities are looking good. Hulkling is the half Kree/half Skrull child of Mar-Vell and a Skrull Princess. Mar-Vell made a splash in 2019’s Captain Marvel, played by Anette Bening, meaning we’ve already met one of Hulkling’s parents. While the film did not refer to her having offspring, who’s to say she didn’t have a secret child? How long does the average Kree live for anyway? And, of course, the MCU has already met Kang the Conqueror in Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Jonathan Majors might not be coming back, but a version of his heroic teenage self could certainly exist. If that’s the case, we’re likely also being primed to meet his younger self, Iron Lad.
Also, Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan and IronHeart/Riri Williams will likely be part of the MCU Young Avengers, even though in the comics, both were members of the adult Avengers. So, given all that, it’s safe to say that we are likely seeing the team take shape in some form soon. But what stories might we see them adapt? Although the team has only been around in comics for about twenty years and a couple of series—a drop in the bucket when it comes to comic book legacy—there is still plenty to draw inspiration from. Here are some Young Avengers stories that we’d love to see adapted, either on the big screen, or as a Disney+ series or special event.
Young Avengers: Sidekicks
The first volume of Allan Heinberg’s series from 2005 introduced a team of heroes who looked like teen versions of the original Avengers. And they arrived just in the nick of time, as the original Avengers had disbanded after the events of Avengers: Disassembled. But as far as the world knew, Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, and the Hulk never had teenage sidekicks. So, who the heck were these kids? Their first adventure revealed who these new teen heroes were, and it turns out they weren’t exactly related to the Avengers we thought they were.
As it turns out, Patriot was the grandson of the first African-American Captain America, and not related to Steve Rogers. Asgardian wasn’t from Asgard or related to Thor at all. But rather, he was the long-lost son of the Scarlet Witch (he’d later change his name to Wiccan). Hulking wasn’t related to the gamma-irradiated Bruce Banner but was the half-Skrull son of the original Captain Marvel, Mar-Vell. And Iron Lad wasn’t the secret protégé of Tony Stark but was the heroic younger self of one of the Avenger’s greatest foes, Kang the Conqueror. And speaking of Kang, the team’s first big obstacle was defeating the lord of time himself. This original run of the comic would be the perfect template for any future film or first season of a series.
Young Avengers: The Children’s Crusade (2010-2012)
After a long hiatus, the Young Avengers returned to comics with the Young Avengers: The Children’s Crusade event mini-series, which chronicled Wiccan and Speed’s quest to find their long-lost mother, the Scarlet Witch. At this point in the Marvel Universe timeline, Wanda Maximoff was hated by just about everyone. She had used her powers to decimate the original Avengers team, causing them to disband. And in the series House of M, she used her incredible reality altering abilities to take away the powers of 99% of the world’s mutant population.
Yet deep down, Wiccan believed his mother, the Scarlet Witch, was still a hero. Along with his teammates, he finally discovers the truth about her supposed turn to the dark side. And yes, it involved Doctor Doom, soon to be played by Robert Downey Jr in the MCU. This series heavily involves mutants, particularly the X-Men, so Marvel Studios couldn’t have adapted it properly before. But now? All bets are off. There’s no reason The Children’s Crusade couldn’t be adapted properly anymore.
Young Avengers Vol. 2 (2013-2014)
The Young Avengers spent some time without their own series. Eventually, though, Marvel Comics brought back the ongoing Young Avengers comic book, though without the team’s creators, Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung. This new series from writer Kieron Gillen and artist Jamie McKelvie saw the teenage heroes reform under the guidance of Wiccan, his boyfriend Hulkling, and Kate Bishop/Hawkeye. They added new recruits like Miss America Chavez, Prodigy, Marvel Boy, and the so-called “Kid Loki.”
This series focuses heavily on Wiccan discovering he potentially has a dark future ahead of him as the Demiurge, a threat as powerful as his mother once was. Wiccan’s power upgrade and possible slide to the dark side could be the perfect story fuel for a full season of television. And bringing in diverse characters like Miss America would only benefit the MCU. Whatever happens, Marvel’s new generation of heroes are clearly on their way. Here’s hoping the brain trust at Marvel Studios uses these great Young Avengers comics as proper inspiration when the time comes.
Originally published February 26, 2020
