The Young Avengers have been teased in the MCU for quite some time. Phase 4 brought a range of new faces to the superhero franchise, from Ms. Marvel and Kid Loki to Wiccan & Speed; all of them have been poised as the potential next generation of the MCU.
As more of the young team has come to the forefront, so have expectations that the MCU would bring all these characters together. In the comics, there is a team called the Young Avengers, and many now believe that Marvel is working on getting that team into the realm of live-action.
However, despite promising updates last month, Marvel producer Stephen Broussard cast some doubt on the prospects of a Young Avengers team-up happening anytime soon.
Waiting Game for Next-Gen MCU Team-up
In a new interview for Inverse, Ant-man and the Wasp: Quantumania producer Stephen Broussard shared that no Young Avengers project is currently in the works at Marvel Studios.
Broussard commented by saying that one of the core themes of Phase 4 was introducing the “next generation” of Marvel superheroes:
"A lot of Phase Four was about introducing the next generation and introducing new characters.”
Despite the prevalence of brand-new characters, Marvel Studios has not green-lit any project focusing on this particular superhero squad.
This update will disappoint many, as a Young Avengers team-up is highly anticipated. For the last few years, fans have felt this team's debut is inevitable, given the direction that Marvel has been going lately.
However, Marvel is aware of the popularity of this next-gen team.
Broussard believes there are possibilities in the future, especially considering how it has been “one of the themes” of recent MCU outings.
“I think that’s one of the themes that the next generation reminds us.”
He also remarked that it would be “exciting” to focus on the next generation of MCU heroes and the people “who have inherited the mantle:”
“People like [Cassie Lang and Kate Bishop], who have inherited the mantle, and keeping to fight the fight, and make the world a better place.”
Even though it may be some time before the team-up makes its way to the screen, it’s something that Marvel is interested in the long-term and has undoubtedly laid the foundations for throughout its most recent outings:
“I think that’s one of the themes that the next generation reminds us and that would be exciting to explore with Cassie going forward, or with any of the new characters, like Kate Bishop. People like that, who have inherited the mantle, and keeping to fight the fight, and make the world a better place.”
Why a Young Avengers’ Debut Is Inevitable
A Young Avengers project may not be in the works, but that doesn’t mean it will never happen.
Fans know that Marvel has sowed the seeds for a Young Avengers team-up in the MCU, and with the Multiverse saga now in full swing, execs will be looking to plan the future of the franchise once Kang the Conqueror has been brought to justice.
Last year, Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, was asked by MTV News’ Josh Horowitz about why there was no Young Avengers announcement.
The Marvel boss alluded to a Young Avengers project coming farther down the line, with the new characters Phase 4 has introduced “forming their own cliques.”
Of course, one such Young Avenger hopeful, America Chavez actress Xochitl Gomez has also looked to Phase 6 for a potential Young Avengers release.
Marvel has introduced almost all the key players from the first series of the Young Avengers comic, including Billy Kaplan, Cassie Lang, and Kate Bishop. The only one yet to be introduced is Hulkling.
Even if a project is not solely focused on the team, there is the chance that the next-gen heroes already introduced assemble in some capacity in other MCU outings, particularly the highly anticipated release of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
Whether this comes to pass or not is a matter of time. Fans have a while to wait until the next Avengers team-up, but Phase 5 is just around the corner; there may be some clues to the fate of this next-gen team-up sooner than fans think.
