Are The Young Avengers Coming To The MCU? Here's A Round Up Of The Major Members And Their Current MCU Status

As the MCU moves into the future, and more old favourites retire, we will need new heroes to take their place. In the comics, after the main Avengers team briefly dissolves following the 'Avengers Disassembled' storyline, a new team of teen heroes calling themselves the Young Avengers step up hoping to fill the hole they have left behind.

Now, it seems as though Marvel is laying the groundwork for the team to appear in the MCU. Here's a round up of all the major team members and their current MCU status.

Nate Richards, AKA Iron Lad

Iron Lad began his story as bullied teen Nate Richards. Nate is rescued from his bullies by his future self, the time-travelling Warlord Kang The Conqueror. Kang takes Nate to the future to show him all the battles he has won and worlds he has conquered, with the goal of inspiring his younger self to greatness. Instead, Nate is horrified, and uses the equipment Kang has gifted him with to flee to the past, planning to ask the Avengers for help in preventing his dark future. When he finds the team disbanded after the events of 'Avengers Disassembled', Nate instead takes on the alias of Iron Lad and recruits a new team of heroes, the Young Avengers.

When Kang arrives to return Nate to his original time period, a long battle ensues, after which the Warlord is successfully killed by the Young Avengers. Unfortunately, Kang's death warps the timeline, creating a world where all the Avengers are dead, leading to Iron Lad's teammates Wiccan and Speed, the sons of Vision and The Scarlet Witch, fading from existence. Nate realises that the only way to fix things is to return to his own time and let the future unfold as it was always meant to. His dark destiny was never meant to be averted. Upon his return to the future, Nate loses all memory of ever having been a Young Avenger, and later appearances from the character depict him as having begun his journey to villainy.

There are no signs yet of Iron Lad appearing in the MCU, although there were once rumours that Harley Keener from Iron Man 3 could be a take on the character. It's possible that Ironheart, who is set to get her own series on Disney +, could take Iron Lad's place in an MCU Young Avengers team.

Billy Kaplan, aka Wiccan

In Billy Kaplan's comic backstory, he is a shy teen suffering serious bullying in school due to his sexuality. One day, a battered Billy encounters the Scarlet Witch, who heals his wounds, and encourages him to stand up to his bullies. Later, while defending another child from the bully, Billy's powers emerge for the first time, and soon after, Nate Richards recruits him into the Young Avengers. Like the Scarlet Witch, Billy is a reality warper, speaking his intentions into being with mantras.

Billy eventually discovers that he is the soul-twin of teammate Tommy Shepherd, and that they are the reincarnated sons of Vision and the Scarlet Witch. In the 'Children's Crusade' storyline, Billy leads the search to find his missing Mother. Billy is also notable for being one of Marvel's first gay characters not to meet with disaster soon after coming out, entering into a committed long-term relationship with fellow Young Avenger Hulkling.

Billy is set to make his MCU debut as a baby in the upcoming Disney + series WandaVision. Set reports suggest there were scenes filmed at a high school, so it is also possible that we may see the character as a teenager.

Tommy Shepherd, aka Speed

While on the hunt for potential members, the newly forming Young Avengers track down Tommy Shepherd in a high security 'Juvenile Detention' facility, where he has apparently been locked up for accidentally vaporising his School. After the team breaks Tommy out, he reveals that the facility had been experimenting on him in an attempt to create a living weapon. Tommy possesses super speed similar to that of Quicksilver, taking the codename Speed once he officially joins the team.

Tommy eventually learns that he is the reincarnated son of Vision and the Scarlet Witch, making him the soul-twin of teammate Billy Kaplan. Though initially less accepting of this information than Billy, Tommy ultimately joins Billy in the search for their missing Mother, and becomes one of the Scarlet Witch's most fierce defenders against those who believe she is too dangerous to live.

Like Billy, Baby Tommy will make his MCU debut in WandaVision.

Teddy Altman, aka Hulkling

A son being raised by a single Mother, Teddy Altman is unaware of the origins of his enhanced strength and shapeshifting powers (most often using the abilities to mimic the Hulk) when he first joins the Young Avengers. After a confrontation with the Super Skrull, Teddy learns that he is the illegitimate son of the Kree hero, Mar-Vell, and Anelle, a Skrull Princess. Teddy's Mother is actually Anelle's former handmaiden, tasked with smuggling the baby to Earth to avoid having him put to death by the Skrull King.

As a Kree-Skrull hybrid, Teddy is prophesised to bring peace to the warring races. Unfortunately, this means he faces regular attempts on his life from members of both races who would prefer the war went on. Relatively early in the story, Teddy enters into a romantic relationship with his teammate, Wiccan, whom he eventually marries.

While there is no solid evidence of Hulkling's entry into the MCU as of yet, there have been persistent rumours that the character may appear in WandaVision, or Captain Marvel 2. Now, some fans are also speculating that Teddy could make his debut in the Secret Invasion series, which will heavily feature the Skrulls.

Cassie Lang, aka Stature

In the comics, Cassie is introduced as a young girl suffering from a heart defect. To save Cassie's life, her Father, Scott Lang, steals an an Ant-Man suit from Hank Pym so he can rescue Dr. Erica Sondheim, the only person capable of performing the surgery Cassie needs. Everything all turns out for the best, as Cassie gets her treatment, and Pym gives Scott his blessing to become the second Ant-Man. As Cassie grows, she develops an interest in science, and unbeknownst to Scott, begins performing her own experiments with Pym Particles. Afraid that the life of a Superhero is too dangerous for a child, Cassie's Mother and Stepfather obtain a court order to limit Scott's access to his daughter. This alienates Cassie, who regularly runs away to spend time with Scott.

After Scott is killed during 'Avengers Disassembled', a heartbroken Cassie decides to run away for good, hoping to join the Young Avengers. As Cassie was not on Nate Richards' list of potential recruits, the team initially rejects her request for membership, and attempts to bar her from taking possession of Scott's Ant-Man suit. During this confrontation, Cassie unexpectedly changes size. Unlike Scott or Hank, who require the use of a Pym Particle powered suit, Cassie can alter her size at will, the result of her childhood experiments. Having proven her connection to the Ant-Man legacy, Cassie is welcomed onto the team.

In the MCU, Cassie first appears as a young child in Ant-Man, played by Abby Ryder Fortson. A large part of the film's plot involves Scott's desire to regain access to Cassie after his release from Prison. Fortson reprises the role in Ant-Man & The Wasp, with Cassie seen visiting Scott during his House Arrest after the events of Civil War.

Due to the five year time-jump between Infinity War and Endgame, the role was recast, with Emma Fuhrman playing a teenage Cassie. The character has been recast again for the upcoming film Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania, with actress Kathryn Newton stepping into the role.

As fans have no doubt already noted, Newton bears a decent resemblance to Cassie as Stature.

Kate Bishop, aka Hawkeye

Having trained herself in combat after surviving an attack in Central Park, Kate Bishop first encounters the Young Avengers while stepping in to rescue them during a mission gone wrong. She is soon accepted into the team, eventually taking up the legacy mantle of Hawkeye, as the original, Clint Barton, was believed to be dead at the time. When Captain America orders the Young Avengers to disband after their defeat of Kang The Conqueror, it is Kate who encourages them to stay together. She offers an abandoned warehouse belonging to her Father as the team's base of operations, and has new uniforms made for them all. Kate is also the first member of the team to eventually gain Cap's approval, at which point he has Clint Barton's bow delivered to her.

After Clint Barton is revealed to be alive, Kate is prepared to relinquish the Hawkeye codename back to him. However, Clint believes there is room for two Hawkeyes in the world, and the two have shared the mantle ever since. Clint and Kate regularly work together on missions, and have even served together on the same team.

Kate Bishop will make her MCU debut in the Hawkeye series, set to debut on Disney + in late 2021, played by Hailee Steinfeld. The series will see Clint personally training Kate to take over the mantle of Hawkeye, teaching her what it means to be a Superhero without powers.

With most members of the team confirmed or strongly rumoured for future appearances, it seems like it's only a matter of time before the Young Avengers come to the MCU.