Kevin Feige Seemingly Confirms ‘Young Avengers’ in Some Form After Phase 4
Each piece in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is as much about the future as it is about the now. Every movie and Disney+ show helps to lay the groundwork for bigger upcoming projects down the line. Rumors about Marvel’s next move are always swirling. But as head honcho Kevin Feige moves the franchise forward after an iffy Phase 4, the hopes that the Young Avengers will soon assemble are only getting louder. The characters first showed up in the comics in 2005. And there is an increasing amount of evidence that they are set to enter the MCU in the coming years.
Kevin Feige won’t commit to the Young Avengers… yet
In July 2022, Feige spoke to MTV News‘ Josh Horowitz at San Diego Comic-Con about the current and upcoming slate of Marvel properties. The company announced a lot of projects at the event, but the lack of an official Young Avengers movie or show was curious considering some of the characters in the group have already shown up in other stories. When asked about a potential announcement down the line, Feige gave little away while also doing nothing to tamp down speculation from the fans.
“We’re sort of reminding people of all the amazing characters that we have introduced in Phase 4 and where those characters go and how they form their own cliques,” he said, adding, “We’ll see.”
It’s in Feige’s best interest to keep his plans close to the chest for now. But Marvel’s need to set up a new generation of heroes is clear. And they’ve laid out too many breadcrumbs for the group not to be on his mind.
Several of the group’s characters have already been introduced
Marvel is always seeding the ground for their future plans. During Phase 4, nearly every project introduced a character who could be part of the cinematic version of the Young Avengers. On Disney+, Billy and Tommy Maximoff debuted in WandaVision. Billy can harness the same magic as his mom, while Tommy has super speed just like his uncle, Quicksilver. Kid Loki followed them in a brief cameo in Loki Season 1.
Kate Bishop then took center stage in Hawkeye. The 2021 miniseries was an excellent introduction to Hailee Steinfeld’s character. Her skills as an archer and strong-willed personality mark her out as a force to be reckoned with despite her lack of super powers. And don’t forget Elijah Bradley, who briefly popped up in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. In the comics, the character becomes the hero, Patriot.
As for the films, Doctor Strange in Multiverse of Madness brought the debut of Miss America, America Chavez. Her ability to travel through dimensions gives her the potential to be one of the most powerful superheroes in the MCU.
Finally, Kathryn Newton takes over the role of Scott Lang’s daughter Cassie Lang in the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. As Ant-Man’s daughter, she becomes Stature after secretly taking some of the same Pym Particles that give her dad his defining size-changing capabilities.
The Young Avengers should play a big role in the next phase of Marvel storytelling
The reception to Phase 4 of the MCU was more negative than the sagas that preceded it. There were far more critics of movies like Eternals and Thor: Love and Thunder than past Marvel movies. And the streaming shows mostly felt empty without an overall narrative to center the stories around.
The recently announced Phases 5 and 6 have a much more obvious shape to them. Phase 5 is known as the Multiverse Saga. Meanwhile, Phase 6 will be headlined by two Avengers movies, The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars, both arriving in 2025.
The Young Avengers will surely be a part of the new squad. Aside from the characters that have already shown up, a couple of new heroes could join them. Ms. Marvel is originally attached to another young Marvel team called the Champions. But since headlining her own series, Kamala Khan could come aboard.
The same could be said of Riri Williams, who makes her debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever before getting her own Disney+ show, Ironheart, next year. And one of the founding members of the Young Avengers, Iron Lad, is a fundamental part of Kang’s story.
It’s a matter of when, not if, the Young Avengers get together in some form.
