AVENGERS 5: Young Avengers

Given the size of the MCU, it was already obvious that the story of the Avengers would not end after Iron Man and the others. However, many of our heroes are now retired and new Marvel releases like "Eternals" suggest that even more stories will take place outside of Earth. Nevertheless, in 2021, new superheroes have gradually crept in, which will protect the Earth together in the future: There is talk, of course, of the Young Avengers. What you could guess from Tommy and Billy Maximoff in "WandaVision" is pretty certain at the latest through the series "Hawkeye": The Young Avengers are coming. A date has not yet been announced by Disney, but a lot is already known about the cast. In addition, we can draw some conclusions about the story based on the villains introduced so far and the comics themselves. Of course, here is a certain risk of spoilers, since we refer to available information from the MCU and the comics. 

History

Let's first look at the history of the Young Avengers so far. The first appearances of the young superhero squad were in the comics of 2005, where they began to replace the superheroes who had already chucked the hammer in. At that time, they were led by Nathaniel Richards, also known as Iron Lad. Even though this group was quickly disbanded by the old Avengers, the young superheroes reformed under Scott Lang's daughter Cassie and Kate Bishop. These two we've already had the pleasure of meeting in the MCU. Bishop actress Hailee Steinfeld also said at the press conference for "Hawkeye" that she is happy to sit here with all these heroes, but that this is just the beginning. A lot is possible: the screenwriters have plenty of material. Since 2005, the up-and-coming heroes have already played a minor or major role in 69 comics. 

Young Avengers

But what can the new heroes do, who are they and in which movie or series do they play a role? We've taken a closer look for you below. 

Kate Bishop aka Hawkeye

Only recently introduced Kate Bishop, who will follow in the footsteps of Clint Barton aka Hawkeye. The series with the same title ran in late 2021 and surprised many fans and critics. Although it was more of a family series in time for the Christmas season, there were enough storylines and action. The fact that Clint can now finally retire and focus on his family is certainly pleasing to all the fans who have been with the show since the very beginning. Kate has a hard job ahead of her until she lives up to the big name. What we have already seen, however, convinces us all along the line. If you haven't watched the series "Hawkeye" yet, you should do so as soon as possible. 

America Chavez aka Ms America

America Chavez comes from the so-called "Utopian Parallel", a utopian parallel world, which exists outside of space and time. She can travel through the multiverse and lands on our Earth after the destruction of her universe. Since she has supernatural abilities unlike humans, she starts protecting humanity and joins the Young Avengers. In the MCU, she will appear for the first time in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness", which is expected to be released in the US on May 06. The young heroine is played by Xochitl Gomez, who was last seen in "The Baby-Sitters Club".

Tommy and Billy Maximoff aka Speed and Wiccan

The two brothers Tommy and Billy Maximoff made their debut in the series "WandaVision" and are the children of Wanda and Vision. In this, they have the superpowers of their mother and their uncle Pietro Maximoff aka Quicksilver, who gave his life in the fight against Ultron. They haven't gotten their superhero names in the series yet. But the comic readers among you know, of course, that Billy is Wiccan – with the powers of his mother Scarlet Witch – and Tommy is Speed. We certainly don't have to explain to you where this name is derived from. In the credits of "WandaVision" Wanda is seen performing a powerful spell and hearing the voices of her children. Surely a sign that they will still play a role. 

Cassie Lang aka Stature

In the first two "Ant-Man" parts, you quickly fell in love with little Cassie Lang. Her humor and unwavering loyalty to her father quickly made her one of the most popular characters in the films. Of course, after not being killed by Thanos, she aged quite a bit in Endgame and is now a teenager. In the comics, she lives with her father at the Avengers headquarters, where she secretly injects herself with Pym particles without the knowledge of the others. By doing so, she alters her genes and develops superpowers. Like her father she can shrink or grow taller – without the suit though. That the producers at Disney are serious about the character can be seen in the fact that she was recast in the upcoming "Quantumania" once again, with Kathryn Newton. Most of you know her from "Pokémon Detective Pikachu". There she plays the role of Lucy Stevens. 

Eli Bradley aka Patriot

A character that few of you might have actively noticed is Eli Bradley, known in the comics as Patriot. This one is the grandson of Isaiah Bradley, who like Captain America was subjected to the Super Soldier program. Eli and his grandfather are already known to us through the series "Falcon and the Winter Soldier". In the comics, Eli is sought out by Iron Lad, who wants to assemble a new squad. Eli says he received superpowers through a blood transfusion from his grandfather. However, this turns out to be a lie. Instead, he has injected himself with the drug Mutant Growth Hormone, which is also supposed to give superhuman strength. Whether we will see Eli Bradley again is not yet known. However, the creators have already opened the door for further appearances in the MCU. 

Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel

With Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel, a new superheroine is coming home to us with a series in 2022. It's about a young teenage girl whose great role model is none other than Captain Marvel herself. Kamala is growing up in a Pakistani family in the middle of New Jersey. Her parents are strict Muslims, which makes it difficult for her to fit in. When she sneaks into a party at night, she gets caught up in the so-called Terrigen Mist, a cloud that causes inhuman powers in some people. Henceforth, she possesses elastic abilities similar to Mr. Fantastic. The heroine is played by Iman Vellani – it is her biggest role so far. The fact that she will meet her great role model has also been confirmed in the meantime, as she has been given a role in the "Captain Marvel" sequel "The Marvels" in addition to her solo series. 

Riri Williams aka Ironheart 

Another superhero series is set to fill the void left by Tony Stark. We're talking, of course, about the superhero Ironheart. Behind the new super-suit is young Riri Williams, a fifteen-year-old prodigy studying on scholarship at the MIT. Secretly she builds a suit, which is in no way inferior to that of Iron Man. The heroine is supposed to make her first appearance in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever", so she may have her roots there. In 2023, she will get her own series on Disney+ - of course it will be named "Ironheart". 

Storyline

At this point, we still don't know anything about the plot. Online, however, the fans have settled on two theories, which we will go into in more detail. But as we said, these are pure theories and not confirmed facts. 

Kang the Conqueror

His story in the Loki series has shown that Kang could play a huge role in the MCU. After all, he's also arguably the greatest time-travel villain in the comics. He, like Iron Lad, is an incarnation of Nathaniel Richards, the father of Reed Richards, who is the leader of the Fantastic Four. Iron Lad could therefore have traveled back in time with the idea of forming the Young Avengers and thus preventing himself from later becoming Kang the Conqueror. It would also be conceivable that, as in the comics, Patriot and Iron Lad bring the Young Avengers into being, but Nathaniel gradually becomes aware of his true nature and becomes a villain. After that, it would be up to the new superheroes to fight Iron Lad or rather Kang. This would be supported by the fact that Kang has already been introduced and that, in addition to the multiverse, time travel could also play a larger role in the MCU. In addition, the cast would already be almost complete. Of course, the character of Iron Lad would have to be worked on a bit, but the producers have already had freedom in the past as far as the characters are concerned. 

Galactus

Thanks to the Eternals, the Celestials now play a bigger role in the MCU. It is conceivable that a new villain will be introduced from this part of the comics, and one of the most powerful that has ever existed in the comics. We're talking, of course, about the planet-eater Galactus. Similar to the birth of a Celestial, he absorbs the energy of a planet to become even more powerful, destroying it completely. He is also one of the oldest beings in the universe, having existed before the Big Bang. So it would be conceivable that he will be introduced in "Eternals 2" and gradually built up. Then it would also happen, as with our previous Avengers, that the heroes of Earth and the universe fight side by side. A slightly bigger sticking point to this theory: Galactus would probably be a bit too strong for our Young Avengers. But who knows what else the producers will come up with.