Marvel Can Introduce MCU's Young Avengers, But Not How You Think

Marvel Studios have been teasing a Young Avengers team-up with the introduction of legacy heroes, but this young superhero team could take a very unexpected form in the MCU. Since the Multiverse Saga kicked off with WandaVision, Marvel Studios have debuted several young heroes in the MCU, including the likes of Billy and Tommy Maximoff, Kate Bishop, and America Chavez, among others. This has led many to wonder whether a Young Avengers film could be on the horizon, with speculation rising that the team-up film could fill one of the empty slots in the Phase 6 slate.

Even though a Young Avengers film does seem likely, the concept of the multiverse gives Marvel Studios the opportunity to bring Avengers teams from other realities into the forefront. Loki, What If...?, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness have given viewers glimpses into other universes aside from the MCU's 616, and Multiverse of Madness even introduced another reality's superhero team in the form of Earth-838's Illuminati. Marvel Studios could easily introduce a Young Avengers team from another reality, perhaps a team including the children of first-generation Avengers that don't exist in the 616-universe.

Who Are Marvel’s Next Avengers?

Marvel's Next Avengers would perfectly fit this bill, and as a fairly new addition to Marvel Comics, debuting in 2010's Avengers (Vol. 4) #1, inspired by the 2008 animated film, Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow, not many would be expecting this team to appear. The Next Avengers are the sons and daughters of the first generation of Avengers, including James Rogers, the son of Captain America and Black Widow, and Azari T'Challa, the son of Black Panther and the mutant Storm. The team was mentored by Iron Man, Spider-Girl, and Bruce Banner as Maestro, so the Next Avengers' debut in the MCU could also show a different side to the Hulk.

The Next Avengers' 2010 comic series interestingly featured Kang the Conqueror as the primary antagonist, and the team comes from a world ruled by Ultron, who is rumored to be returning to the MCU in Armor Wars. These connections to the MCU create the perfect opportunities for Marvel Studios to bring this unusual Avengers team into the fray. Other reality versions of the Next Avengers feature the young hero Iron Lad as their leader, a variant of Kang the Conqueror, and with Marvel Studios' Multiverse Saga in full swing, it's possible that Iron Lad could make his MCU debut very soon.

The Next Avengers Could Open The Door For The Young Avengers

If the Next Avengers make their way to the MCU before a Young Avengers team is formed, it's possible that this could be the catalyst for bringing the MCU proper's young heroes together. At the moment, the status of the Avengers in the MCU is unclear, since every hero went their separate ways after Avengers: Endgame, so it's only a matter of time before a fresh-faced Avengers team is formed. Currently, a 616 Next Avengers team is impossible as the original Avengers don't have children with each other, but seeing a group of young, multiversal heroes in the MCU could inspire the 616-universe's Young Avengers to form.

Where Could The Next Avengers Debut In The MCU?

After the conclusion of Phase 4, and Phase 5 kicking off in February 2023 with the release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Marvel Studios are firmly within their Multiverse Saga, and things are only set to spiral even further. This means there are plenty of opportunities for Marvel to bring the Next Avengers into the MCU, which could happen a lot sooner than many might be theorizing. The fact that the Next Avengers' comic series features Ultron might suggest that the Next Avengers could debut in Armor Wars, if Ultron does return in that project.

Kang the Conqueror is featured as the Next Avengers' primary antagonist, meaning the Multiverse Saga allows for several places for the team to enter the MCU, possibly in the lead-up to, or even during, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, which is set to include an epic battle between the Avengers and Kang. Even so, Jonathan Majors will star as Kang in Quantumania, and will most likely make appearances in Loki season 2 and future MCU projects, so any of these could debut the Next Avengers. And bringing the Next Avengers into the MCU perfectly sets up the eventual introduction of the Young Avengers.

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