Every Young Avenger In The MCU So Far
From the Runaways to the Teen Titans, I'm a sucker for superhero teen drama in comic book form, so there are few MCU possibilities I find quite as thrilling as bringing in the Young Avengers. The studio has been slowly laying the groundwork to bring these teens together and honestly, I cannot wait! They are not only one of my favorite superhero teams in comics, but also probably the gayest — hopefully, Marvel doesn't drop the ball here yet again.
The Young Avengers were introduced in the wake of the "Avengers Disassembled" storyline from Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch. Created by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung, the team debuted in their eponymous comic in 2005. If you have not read this run, stop what you are doing immediately, read it, follow it up with "Avengers: The Children's Crusade" from the same creative team, and then finish with the equally amazing second volume from the incomparable duo of Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie. Go on, I'll wait.
In the aftermath of "Avengers: Endgame," the MCU has lacked the same sense of cohesion that ran throughout its first three Phases. In comparison, Phase 4 has felt a bit disjointed, making this team more important than ever. My excitement has only been growing as I've watched members of the Young Avengers appear one by one across the Marvel Cinematic Universe in various films and TV shows. Perhaps you are wondering, which teen heroes have shown up so far? Don't worry, we're here to answer that exact question.
Stature
Scott Lang's daughter Cassie debuted in "Ant-Man" in 2015, but the character has already been recast twice. Played by Abby Ryder Fortson in the first film and its sequel, "Ant-Man and the Wasp," Cassie hasn't yet had too much to do in the MCU — though she has shown interest in becoming a superhero. Cassie reappeared in "Avengers: Endgame" (after a time jump) portrayed by Emma Fuhrmann and is set to return for "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," but it will be Kathryn Newton who takes on the role this time around.
In the comics, Cassie Lang steals Pym Particles from her father over time in the hopes of following in his footsteps. Becoming a hero grows even more important to her after his death and luckily, she finds the Young Avengers. Cassie was introduced in "Marvel Premiere" #47 way back in 1979, but it wasn't until "Young Avengers" that she suited up as Stature, creating that moniker in #6. She'd become intent on joining the team and wasn't taking no for an answer. Like her dad, Cassie can both grow to be giant-sized and shrink down to the size of an ant. These days, she is perhaps best known as Stinger. It seems likely that since the character has been recast again, Marvel has some big plans for Cassie Lang.
Wiccan and Speed
Billy and Tommy Maximoff first appeared in "WandaVision" last year, played by Julian Hilliard and Jett Klyne, respectively. Minor spoiler, but these two did recently reprise their roles in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." The history of Billy and Tommy in the comics is quite complicated. They were introduced in Steve Englehart and Richard Howell's "Vision and the Scarlet Witch" vol. 2 in 1986 as regular twins. Sure, you knew there had to be some magic involved for Wanda and the Vision to have children, but it wasn't until John Byrne took over "West Coast Avengers" a few years later that the upsetting true nature of Billy and Tommy was revealed. Much like she did in "WandaVision," it turned out Wanda had willed the boys into existence. Unfortunately, they were also made up of shards of Mephisto's soul, and the devil always comes to collect.
There wasn't much movement on this plot point for quite a while, though the development was used as yet another tragedy meant to push Scarlet Witch over the edge — a trend which would only continue. The twins could've stayed figments of Wanda's imagination forever, but Heinberg and Cheung chose to bring them back for "Young Avengers" in the best possible way. Don't think too hard about it, but the souls Wanda had thought lost forever were reborn into two other kids: Billy Kaplan and Tommy Shepherd. At first they had no idea of their parentage or their relation to one another. However, once the two met, they couldn't ignore the fact that they looked exactly alike and that Billy had reality-warping powers similar to Scarlet Witch's, while Tommy had all the speed of Wanda's brother Quicksilver. Personally, I can't wait for the MCU to introduce Billy's shapeshifting boyfriend (and eventual husband), fellow Young Avenger Teddy Altman, aka Hulkling, so hopefully we won't have to wait too long to meet aged-up versions of Billy and Tommy.
Patriot
Eli Bradley was introduced last year in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," played by Elijah Richardson. Much like in the comics, he is the grandson of super soldier Isaiah Bradley (for more info on the Black Captain America, read the 2003 miniseries "Truth: Red, White & Black" from the late Robert Morales and Kyle Baker). We haven't seen much of Eli in the MCU yet and don't know a lot about him beyond the fact that he is understandably protective over his grandfather.
Patriot also debuted in "Young Avengers" #1, and served as leader of the team — at least until Kate Bishop showed up. He initially appears to have the same powers as his grandfather, though it's later divulged that his abilities were artificial and that he'd been taking MGH (Marvel's power-granting drug, Mutant Growth Hormone). Eli knew the world needed heroes, so he turned himself into one, thinking he needed powers to do so. Despite this revelation, Eli remained a valued member of the Young Avengers, though it took him some time to get over feeling ashamed when his teammates learned the truth. Plus, he does wind up with real powers eventually, thanks to a blood transfusion from Isaiah after he was shot. He was injured taking a bullet for Captain America!
Kid Loki
While it's true that Kid Loki's 2021 appearance in "Loki" could've been little more than an Easter egg, as a huge fan of all versions of Loki, particularly this one, I'm hoping the MCU has more in store. Played by Jack Veal, Kid Loki showed up as one of several Loki variants in the Disney+ series. We don't know much about him beyond the fact that he's immensely powerful and killed Thor in his own timeline, for which he was pruned and sent to the Void by the Time Variance Authority. Hopefully, we'll see more of him in season 2.
There is quite a lot to the story of Kid Loki in the comics. Created by Matt Fraction and Pasqual Ferry, the character debuted in "Thor" #617 in 2010, but became an integral part of Young Avengers during the Gillen/McKelvie run. It all started with Loki's death at the hands of the Sentry (who had given into the whispers of the Void). Of course, the God of Mischief had a plan and had already manipulated Hela into striking his name from the Book of Hel, which enabled him to be reborn, as opposed to actually dying.
If you're curious about the pre-Young Avengers exploits of Kid Loki (and you really should be), read Kieron Gillen's "Journey Into Mystery," which has amazing art by Doug Braithwaite and Whilce Portacio, among others. One vital thing to know about Kid Loki is that he wants to be good, despite the fact that it's not really in his nature. Plus, he had Ikol, a remnant of the original Loki's spirit, constantly whispering in his ear. Ikol couldn't be trusted — because of course he couldn't — and eventually he took over Kid Loki's body. However, Kid Loki wasn't really gone (though his presence was proven to be a manifestation of Loki's guilt) and this duality lived on within him as he became a Young Avenger.
Hawkeye
Unlike every other character on this list, Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) has had a major MCU arc. This is somewhat fitting considering the fact that while many of her fellow Young Avengers took inspiration from well established heroes, Kate did take up the mantle of Hawkeye after his death — and also after his resurrection, which got a little confusing, but is actually awesome. 2021's "Hawkeye" introduced Kate Bishop and much like her comic counterpart, she's full of pluck and has plenty of natural skills she can hone to be a superhero. The Disney+ show took a lot of cues from the Matt Fraction/David Aja comic run, not only weaving Kate into Clint's story, but also making her a fully formed character in her own right.
Like many of these heroes, Kate debuted in "Young Avengers" #1. It's later revealed that after being attacked in the park, Kate had decided to train as hard as she could to fight back. It took her a while to figure out what superhero name to go by, but when Captain America calls you Hawkeye, it has a tendency to stick. A wealthy Manhattanite (which came in handy when the team needed costumes and gear), Kate first came across the Young Avengers when they botched a rescue during a hostage situation at her sister's wedding. Of course, Kate lent a hand, which would begin the banter-fueled relationship between her and Patriot, as well as lead to her eventually joining the team. We definitely haven't seen the last of Kate in the MCU.
Ms. America
With the exception of Kate — Steinfeld fully embodied that character — most Young Avengers members introduced into the MCU haven't yet had enough screen time for me to feel excitement about anything aside from the fact that they now exist in this universe. That said, the America Chavez in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" is not the America Chavez I know. This is nothing against Xochitl Gomez. I think she did a fine job with what she was given, but it was heartbreaking to see someone who's an inter-dimensional badass reduced to a damsel in distress, or worse, a MacGuffin.
You wouldn't know it from the way America was chased across dimensions in the "Doctor Strange" sequel, but the comics version of Ms. America (or Miss America) doesn't run from anything. Created by Joe Casey and Nick Dragotta in 2011, she made her debut in "Vengeance" #1 in 2011, before becoming a major player in Gillen and McKelvie's "Young Avengers." Aside from her ability to punch through dimensions, America is also super fast, incredibly strong, pretty much invulnerable, and can fly. However, one her greatest superpowers is undeniably her sassy attitude, which was definitely missing from the movie. Let's hope the MCU has plans for the character to grow into being more like her comic counterpart.
Other connections
In the comics, the first iteration of the Young Avengers is brought together by none other than a younger version of Kang the Conquerer, who is doing his best to not grow into his role as a supervillain. Going by Iron Lad, Nathanial Richards brings the team together, knowing they are needed now that the original Avengers have disbanded. You may remember a character known as He Who Remains debuted in "Loki," played to perfection by Jonathan Majors. He certainly appears to be a version of Kang the Conquerer, who Majors is also set to portray in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania." This could pave the way for Iron Lad in the MCU's future.
Perhaps even more confusing is that Nathaniel downloads the operating system of the Vision into his armor, which eventually allows the dead hero to live again. When Iron Lad returns to his own time, he leaves this younger version of Vision behind, and he joins the team as well. These two characters have a somewhat convoluted history — it makes sense if you read the story — but because Kang and Vision both exist in the MCU, there's a chance for either of them to appear, perhaps with altered origins. Either way, hurry it up Marvel. I need this Young Avengers movie!