How Marvel is setting up a potential Young Avengers adaptation
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The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been slowly building a trail of bread crumbs throughout its recent batch of movies and TV shows, and at this point, it's hard not to see where that trail is probably pointing: Young Avengers on the screen!
The Young Avengers were originally created in 2005 by writer Allan Heinberg and artist Jim Cheung. Despite the name, these characters were not sidekicks to the adult Avengers; in fact, the initial lineup consisted almost entirely of new creations. Over the years, they added other preexisting characters to their ranks, especially during the second Young Avengers comic series that began in 2013 by writer Kieron Gillen and artist Jamie McKelvie.
By now, most of the members from each of those two rosters have popped up in the MCU. EW previously asked Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige about the possibility of a Young Avengers screen adaptation, but he characteristically kept it vague ("you can certainly see that Phase 4 is introducing all sorts of new types of characters with the potential being endless," he told us last year). Well, all we can say is that if Marvel Studios wanted to make Young Avengers, they certainly have the pieces in place by now.
In fact, let's recap all of those bread crumbs! It's possible that younger characters who were never part of a Young Avengers team in the comics, like Ms. Marvel, could end up in a screen version, but here we're sticking to the canonical lineups.
America Chavez
Jay Maidment/Marvel Studios; Marvel Comics America Chavez as portrayed by Xochitl Gomez in the MCU and drawn by Jamie McKelvie for Marvel comics.
As seen in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the live-action version of America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) retains many of the characteristics of her comics counterpart, originally created by Joe Casey and Nick Dragotta: She can punch star-shaped holes in the multiverse, allowing her to travel between parallel worlds; she wears jean jackets and modern fashion in the colors of the American flag; and she is openly queer (though in the film this is represented by a visible Pride flag pin instead of comic America's frequent flirting with other female characters).
Of course, MCU America still has a lot to learn. She hasn't quite mastered her multiversal travel yet, and doesn't seem to boast the same levels of superstrength as she does in the comics. But she's still learning, and being surrounded by a cohort of fellow young superheroes could probably help her along!
Billy and Tommy Maximoff
Marvel Studios; Marvel Comics Billy and Tommy as portrayed in the MCU by Julian Hilliard and Jett Klyne, and drawn by Jim Cheung.
The MCU version of Wanda Maximoff's twin sons first popped up in WandaVision as part of the alternate reality Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) created within the bounds of Westview, N.J. When she finally relinquished that reality, they disappeared along with it… but they have a way of coming back.
In the pages of Marvel comics, Billy and Tommy replicate the powers of their mother and her twin brother, Pietro, a.k.a. Quicksilver. Billy (a.k.a. Wiccan) wields the same chaos magic as the Scarlet Witch, while Tommy (a.k.a. Speed) is as fast as his uncle. They used these powers briefly in WandaVision, though not in Multiverse of Madness.
It's also noteworthy that the versions of Billy and Tommy played by Julian Hilliard and Jett Klyne are significantly younger than the comic versions, who have always been depicted as teenagers or young adults. In fact, Billy is now canonically married in Marvel canon. His longtime love interest-turned-husband, Teddy (a.k.a Hulkling), is one of the few key Young Avengers who has not yet appeared in the MCU, though he's connected to the Skrulls, and we certainly haven't seen the last of them on screen.
Kate Bishop
Marvel Studios; Marvel Comics Kate Bishop as portrayed in the MCU by Hailee Steinfeld and drawn in 'Young Avengers' comics by Jim Cheung.
Hailee Steinfeld's performance in the Hawkeye series was a pitch-perfect adaptation of Kate Bishop, replicating her archery skills, signature purple outfits, and refusal to take any guff from adults. But as fun as it is to see Kate banter and battle alongside Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), she could really use some super friends her age to hang around with. In the original Young Avengers comic by Heinberg and Cheung, Kate uses her family's wealth to finance the team's operations.
Eli Bradley
Marvel Studios; Marvel Comics Eli Bradley as portrayed in the MCU by Elijah Richardson and drawn by Jim Cheung.
As the grandson of Isaiah Bradley, the "Black Captain America," Eli has a unique connection to the star-spangled shield. He was mostly a passive observer in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, watching as his grandfather (Carl Lumbly) told future Captain America Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) about the racist legacy of his mantle. But Eli's existence has clearly been established, ready to answer the call if the Young Avengers should form.
In the comics, Eli was the original field leader of the Young Avengers, though he eventually left the team.
Cassie Lang
Rich Fury/Getty Images; Marvel Comics Actress Kathryn Newton, who will portray Cassie Lang in the MCU going forward, and the character as drawn by Jim Cheung.
Cassie Lang, daughter of Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), has already been portrayed by two actresses in the MCU: Abby Ryder Fortson in the two Ant-Man films, and Emma Fuhrmann in Avengers: Endgame following the five years that her father was trapped in the quantum realm. Soon, a third actress — Freaky's Kathryn Newton — will take over the role for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
It's worth noting that Newton's naturally blonde hair is a better fit for Cassie as she appears in Young Avengers comics, so her involvement in that possible future project may be part of the reason for the latest recasting. In those comics, Cassie wields the same Pym particles as her father, allowing her to grow or shrink in size.
Kid Loki
Marvel Studios; Marvel Comics Kid Loki as portrayed in the MCU by Jack Veal and as drawn in comics by Pasqual Ferry.
As hard as it is to imagine Loki played by anyone other than Tom Hiddleston, the character's recent Disney+ series revealed that several different versions of the trickster god exist across the multiverse. This lineup includes both Richard E. Grant and an alligator, but the most intriguing for our purposes is the "Kid Loki" version played by Jack Veal. He looks almost identical to the younger Loki who kickstarted the Gillen/McKelvie incarnation of the Young Avengers.
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