Marvel Studios' take on the Young Avengers just got a promising update.
The MCU has introduced many new players post-Avengers: Endgame, plenty of which are seen as potential members of the Young Avengers.
From Ms. Marvel to Kate Bishop, the young heroes are moving closer to assembling after the team was teased in The Marvels' ending.
Disney+'s Young Avengers Series Finds Its Writer
Insider @ApocHorseman stated that the MCU's more youthful heroes will assemble in a Champions Disney+ series instead of a Young Avengers project.
In December 2024, insider DanielRPK took to Patreon (via Reddit) to support the claim, stating the project pivoted to Champions due to The Marvels' box office struggles and some actors aging out of the "young" bracket.
He added in a further comment that Champions was searching for a showrunner with a plan to begin filming in 2026 and be released after Avengers: Secret Wars (via Comic Book Movie).
According to Nexus Point News, Champions has taken a step forward after finding its writer (and presumably showrunner), Rachna Fruchbom. The writer most notably worked on Apple TV+'s Shrinking and ABC's Fresh Off the Boat, having also written two episodes of NBC's Parks & Recreation.
Exactly which young heroes will appear in Champions remains unconfirmed, as the MCU has already introduced more than nine Young Avengers.
The heroes and actors generally expected to star in Champions are:
- Hailee Steinfeld - Kate Bishop/Hawkeye
- Iman Vellani - Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel
- Xochitl Gomez - America Chavez
- Kathryn Newton - Cassie Lang/Stature
- Dominique Throne - Riri Williams/Ironheart
- Joe Locke - Billy Maximoff/Wiccan
Another Young Avenger almost appeared in Captain America: Brave New World; Elijah Richardson was set to reprise his role as Eli Bradley, who comic readers will know best as Patriot. That said, his part was cut in later drafts as "there were too many characters to track."
A previous rumor also claimed one hero who has yet to debut in the MCU may join the Champions team. Vivian, Vision's daughter from the comics, may debut in Disney+'s Vision Quest, which is expected to premiere in 2026.
When Will the MCU's Champions Series Release on Disney+?
The Young Avengers and the Champions are both teams of young heroes in Marvel Comics, but they have some differences. While the former are generally mentored and inspired by the elder Avengers, the Champions strive to forge their own path, meaning the two usually have different rosters.
Unfortunately for comic loyalists, Marvel Studios appears to be merging the teams for the MCU, bringing all the young heroes together in Champions.
Many have speculated that the Young Avengers, or the Champions, will first assemble as one of multiple teams on a mission in Avengers: Doomsday. After all, they have already taken their first step toward uniting in The Marvels after Ms. Marvel proposed putting together a team to Kate Bishop.
Now that Champions has found its writer, it should be one step closer to starting production in 2026, provided development moves smoothly. The Disney+ series likely wouldn't start filming until later next year once Avengers: Secret Wars has wrapped production, possibly around the summer.
As Champions will presumably shoot for at least several months before needing some time in post-production, it likely won't stream on Disney+ until 2028.
Interestingly, Marvel Television Head of Streaming, Television and Animation Brad Winderbaum recently teased the studio's plan to "create television for television" and "only proceed with things that we think can last for multiple seasons." As such, Champions may be planned to run for some time, possibly growing its roster year-on-year.
In the years to come, the roster could include Sam Alexander's Nova, Miles Morales' Spider-Man, Amadeus Cho's Hulk, and more youngsters.
Find out what is holding Miles Morales back from making his MCU debut.
