From ‘WandaVision’ to ‘Secret Invasion,’ Marvel Studios Is All About the Young Avengers

Release Date: Now, on Disney+

Young Avengers: Wiccan, Speed

We’ve already met our first two potential Young Avengers—and they’re Wanda and Vision’s newborn twins! They’re the sons of Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany)—even though, uh, they were conceived in what we presume is a sitcom-land of Wanda’s own making? And also Vision is, as far as we know, dead? He wasn’t resurrected in Avengers: Endgame! So, how do these twins exist and how real are they? We’ve got the rest of WandaVision to get those answers.

Billy and Tommy are two essential members of the Young Avengers, and their origin is somehow even more confounding in the comics than it is on TV. To sum it up: Wanda used her mutant hex powers and a whole bunch of magic in order to turn her and Vision’s shared desire to start a family into real twins. But after a while, the magic started to wear off and it was revealed that Wanda didn’t create life so much as create a really strong illusion. The kids disappeared (sorta—I’m trying to sum it up) and Wanda lost all memories of her kids… for a while, until things got even worse. It’s a long story. Etc.

But! Someway, somehow, the souls that Wanda stitched together to create Billy and Tommy were retroactively reincarnated (sure!) into the bodies of real life babies (or teens, since we actually don’t know when the reincarnation took place; hello, headache) Tommy Shepherd and Billy Kaplan. They both have powers: Billy wields magic as Wiccan, just like his mother; Tommy is super fast, just like his uncle Pietro. Although initially estranged, they were reunited as members of the Young Avengers.

If WandaVision can somehow streamline this origin and give us teenage Billy and Tommy in time for a Young Avengers movie or show, it’ll be a feat.

Stream WandaVision on Disney+

Release Date: March 19, 2021 on Disney+

Young Avenger: Patriot?

This is the flimsiest of rumors based on a flurry of articles written up about an anonymous edit made (and since removed) to actor Elijah Richardson’s IMDb page that listed him as playing Eli Bradley in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. While it’s certainly possible that Falcon and Winter Soldier will introduce the Young Avenger known as Patriot, especially considering that the MCU is clearly obsessed with the Young Avengers right now, there’s no confirmation yet.

But just in case they do—Patriot is another founding member of the Young Avengers. Elijah Bradley is the grandson of Isiah Bradley, one of hundreds of Black soldiers who were part of experiments to recreate the Super Soldier Serum during World War II. As told by writer Robert Morales and artist Kyle Baker, Truth: Red, White & Black was a direct reference to the very real, very unethical Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment. Generations later, Eli Bradley took up the mantle of Patriot in order to honor his grandfather, even if the mantle didn’t come with any powers. Patriot ultimately gained Super Soldier-esque abilities after a blood transfusion from his grandfather.

As to whether this will come up in Falcon and Winter Soldier? It’s possible! The series is about the mantle and legacy of Captain America, as Falcon (Anthony Mackie) wrestles with the weightiest gift ever (that shield). But there’s also John Walker (Wyatt Russell) trying to claim the Cap role. It’s very possible that this show will dive into the legacy of Captain America beyond what we saw in Captain America: The First Avenger. It’s worth pointing out that the legendary Carl Lumbly (Alias, Supergirl) has been cast in an unknown role in Falcon and Winter Soldier. Honestly, if anyone’s gonna play Isaiah Bradley, Carl Lumbly has the gravitas to be a former Captain America…

Release Date: May 7, 2021 in theaters (sure, Jan)

Young Avenger: None, but Florence Pugh is right there

The extremely delayed Black Widow solo film is definitely being viewed as a passing of the torch from Scarlett Johansson to Florence Pugh. It’s extremely likely that Pugh’s Yelena Belova will be the new Black Widow moving forward, a likelihood increased by her addition to the cast of Disney+’s Hawkeye series. Marvel is in the Florence Pugh business for the foreseeable future.

But, uh, Yelena Belova has nothing to do with the Young Avengers. In fact, she’s always been an anti-hero at best and a straight-up villain at worst in the comics. The only reason Yelena’s on this list is because Pugh (25) is close in age to Hailee Steinfeld (24) and Kathryn Newton (23). All three actresses are among the buzziest new talents in Hollywood, and all have Marvel contracts. It would be completely bonkers for Marvel to have these three superstars-in-the-making on the payroll and not put them together. So, maybe Black Widow drops in to mentor the Young Avengers. Yeah, she’s young too, but since she’s been trained from birth to kick ass.

Release Date: May 2021 on Disney+

Young Avenger: Kid Loki?

Tom Hiddleston’s upcoming return as the god of mischief will find him hopping through time, no doubt wreaking all sorts of havoc. And remember, this isn’t the Loki who kinda sorta came around to not being an asshole all the time in Thor: Ragnarok. That Loki was killed by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. This Loki is the totally villainous Loki who scooped up the Tesseract right after the battle of New York during the time travel shenanigans in Avengers: Endgame.

And since Disney+’s Loki is all about time travel, it seems like the series could potentially introduce the version of Loki who the Young Avengers begrudgingly tolerated in their 2013 ongoing series by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie: Kid Loki. This version of Loki is, well, a kid—one that’s equally mischievous and unreliable, even if those around him like to think that the right nurturing can change his nature. If a pint-sized Loki pops up in this TV series, it’s very likely he’ll continue to be a menace to the Young Avengers.

Release Date: Late 2021 on Disney+

Young Avenger: Hawkeye, the Kate Bishop one (Hailee Steinfeld)

This one’s a sure thing: Hailee Steinfeld has been cast as Kate Bishop in Disney+’s upcoming Hawkeye TV series. The series is inspired by the 2012 Hawkeye comic series by Matt Fraction and David Aja, which co-starred Clint Barton and Kate Bishop as two archers both named Hawkeye.

Like Wiccan and Patriot, Kate Bishop is another hero who first appeared in 2005’s Young Avengers #1 by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung. She’s a young socialite from an extremely wealthy Manhattan family, and she’s a bit of a hothead with a snarky attitude and stubborn streak. Now she’s just as good with bows and arrows as Clint, and she always makes sure he knows it. If there’s a Young Avengers movie or show, Hailee Steinfeld will undoubtedly be the lead. That’s how big a deal Kate Bishop is (and Steinfeld, TBH).

Release Date: March 25, 2022 in theaters (fingers crossed)

Young Avenger: America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez)

The upcoming Doctor Strange sequel from Sam Raimi has a lot going on. Not only will it feature a team-up between Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Wanda Maximoff fresh off of WandaVision, it’ll also be the live-action debut of the Young Avenger America Chavez. Gomez, who had her big break last year in Netflix’s Baby-Sitters Club, will bring this inter-dimensional superhero to life.

While America didn’t start out as a Young Avenger, she joined up with the squad in the 2013 ongoing series and quickly became the book’s breakout member. She’s super strong, she can fly, and she can create star-shaped teleportation portals that can take her anywhere (and sometimes any-when). It’s appropriate that she’s debuting in a movie titled “Multiverse of Madness” because America actually hails from a utopian parallel Earth. She’s also going to be a groundbreaking character for the MCU, as she will be among the first queer superhero in a Marvel Studios feature film (following the gay representation promised in Marvel’s Eternals, dropping later this year… maybe).

Release Date: 2022 in theaters

Young Avenger: Stature (Kathryn Newton), and then there’s Kang (Jonathan Majors)

After cycling through a couple of actors, the third Ant-Man film will introduce a version of Cassie Lang that will most likely stick around for a while. Kathryn Newton (Blockers, Big Little Lies) will appear as Scott Lang’s (Paul Rudd) daughter, all grown up thanks to that 5 year time jump in Avengers: Endgame. Newton takes over as Cassie from Emma Fuhrmann, who played the teen Cassie in Endgame; and Fuhrmann took over from Abby Ryder Fortson, who played Lang as a little kid in the first two Ant-Man films.

In the comics, Cassie Lang debuted alongside her superhero dad way back in 1979, long before the Young Avengers were formed. But when the team rolled around in 2005, a now teenage Lang joined as the size-changing superhero Stature. She also found a little bit of romance with a teen hero codenamed Iron Lad—a teen hero who turned out to be a teen version of the all-powerful, incredibly convoluted and confusing, time conquering villain Kang.

Coincidentally, adult Kang has been cast in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Lovecraft Country’s Jonathan Majors will play the villain, and he’s an adversary that really has potential to be the next Thanos. No amount of time or brainpower could ever allow me to make sense of comic book Kang to you, so just know this: he’s from the 30th century and he’s basically been a conquering warlord all across the entirety of time. He’s everywhere, every-when, and sometimes everyone. So if they’re introducing a new Cassie Lang and an adult Kang in the same movie, one has to wonder if they’re going to also include the teen version of Kang as well—one who could be a founding Young Avenger. Just imagine Scott Lang’s reaction to finding out that his daughter is dating the teen version of the movie’s supervillain.

Release Date: TBA on Disney+

Young Avenger: Hulkling?

While this is a ways away, we know that Marvel is working on a series starring Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn as Talos, reprising their roles and dynamic from Captain Marvel and Spider-Man: Far From Home. Remember, Talos the shape-shifting Skrull who turned out to really be a noble refugee seeking asylum from the terrifying Kree Empire? Yeah, him! We don’t know much about Secret Invasion, other than that it’ll star Jackson and Mendelsohn and that it’s named after a Marvel Comics event wherein a bunch of Skrulls impersonated heroes on Earth (Skrulls are very bad in the comics, BTW).

How does this tie into Young Avengers? One of the founding Young Avengers is half Skrull! In the comics, Dorek VIII was born to a Skrull mother and Kree father (Captain Mar-Vell), but raised on Earth by a human mother and given the human name Teddy Altman. Years later as a teenager, Teddy joined the Young Avengers and used his shape-shifting powers to give himself a Hulk-like physique. Since all the original Young Avengers named themselves after Avengers, Teddy named himself Hulkling—and he hasn’t changed it. He fell in love with his teammate Wiccan (remember, Wanda Maximoff’s reincarnated son?). Wiccan and Hulking are now married, and they’re Marvel’s most prominent—and definitely most stable—queer couple. It’s definitely possible that Secret Invasion will introduce a lot of major Skrull characters from the comics, and Teddy’s a likely candidate especially if they plan on aging Wiccan up to a teenager.

So let’s sum it all up: Marvel has already introduced two members in WandaVision (Wiccan and Speed). Three more have been cast and have their debuts set: Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop, Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez, and Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang. Three of Disney+’s upcoming Marvel shows could very easily introduce Patriot, Kid Loki, and Hulkling. And then there’s Florence Pugh’s Black Widow and Jonathan Majors’ Kang hanging around, completely available to round out the cast as mentor and/or threat. And who knows: if we’re getting adult Kang, then teen Iron Lad might happen too!

All this doesn’t even take into account the other two young heroes coming to Disney+! Iman Vellani has been cast as teen hero Kamala Khan in Ms. Marvel (coming to Disney+ later this year) and Dominique Thorne is playing the titular hero in Ironheart in her own series, coming later. Either—or both—of them could end up in a Young Avengers movie, even if those characters have no comic book ties to the team. We’ll just have to wait and see. But looking at the scope of what’s to come, it does seem like Marvel’s Phase Four could very well culminate with the Young Avengers assembling.