Top 10 Most Likely Members of the Young Avengers

Avengers Endgame did three very important things for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. First, it brought closure to the Infinity Stones/Thanos quest saga. Second, it allowed several original actors to walk off into the sunset gracefully. And third, it paved the way for future actors to join the universe. Of all three things, none are as important as the third point…and the third point meant that the MCU had to start going young. Why? Simple.

Watching a geriatric team of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes battle the likes of Kang, Dr. Doom, Galactus, and Mephisto on screen doesn’t sell movie tickets.  Or so I think. To go young meant to introduce younger actors into the movies slowly. So, over the course of 20 or so movies, they did exactly this.

There are a few characters on this list of the most likely members of the Young Avengers that will come as no surprise to you. Their inclusion on the new team is as predictable as rain during a thundershower. However, there are also a few characters who either haven’t appeared yet or haven’t made a lasting impact when they did appear.  With everything said, let’s take a look at our list of 10 most likely candidates to become Young Avengers.

10. Stature

John Byrne and David Michelinie created Cassandra (Cassie) Lang (Stature’s real name). On the other hand, Stature was created by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung. Much like her father, Scott Lang, Cassandra Lang can shrink and grow her size. She can do this through the use of Pym Particles. Pym particles are subatomic particles discovered by Henry Pym that can decrease and increase the size of living beings.

Unlike her father, Cassie’s ability to shrink and grow is closely tied to her emotions. That is, her ability’s effectiveness depends on her emotional state. Cassie has already appeared in the MCU. Her inclusion on this list of the most likely members of the Young Avengers is as foregone a conclusion as it comes. 

9. Ms. Marvel

There’s a reason that when Kevin Feige decided to include Carol Danvers, he opted for her Captain Marvel persona and not her Ms. Marvel persona. By doing this, it gave him the flexibility to one day add Kamala Khan without having to explain a name change.

Kamala is a polymorph. As a polymorph, she can grow, shrink, and expand her body to any size and shape imaginable. She’s also a shapeshifter. As a shapeshifter, she can change her form to any being she can think of. The tricky thing about Kamala’s introduction to the MCU is that she gained her powers after exposure to the Terrigen Mists. Why is this tricky? After the colossal failure of the Inhumans television show, introducing anything Inhumans related might hurt and not help their cause. 

8. Speed

While Speed isn’t one of the fastest superheroes in existence, because of his age, he has the potential to become one of the fastest. Speed first appeared in Young Avengers #10 and has become a comic book team’s mainstay. He’s the brother of Wiccan and the son of the Scarlet Witch. Although he’s no match for his uncle Quicksilver, he has achieved speeds faster than the speed of sound. This means that he has traveled over 1200 miles per hour. 

As mentioned, Speed, like his brother Wiccan is the offspring of Scarlet Witch…sort of. Instead of a natural means of bearing a child, Scarlet Witch used her reality-warping abilities to create both boys. Unbeknownst to her, when doing this, she created the boys from the scattered fragments of Mephisto’s soul. Mephisto, of course, is the devil of the Marvel Universe. 

7. Wiccan

Speaking of Wiccan…In addition to what’s been said about Speed, Wiccan is a powerful magic user who one day may become more powerful than his mother. Wiccan possesses the same form of Chaos Magic as his mother, Scarlet Witch. This means that he can create forcefields, use telekinesis, control the thoughts of others, fly, teleport, and much more. One of his biggest drawbacks is that instead of simply thinking of a spell like his mother, he must speak the words of the spell to use it.

Both Speed and Wiccan have already appeared in the MCU. In February of 2021, Disney released WandaVision, and it was in episode 3, the twins first appeared. Although both are just young boys in the show, by the time the next incarnation of the Avengers Assembles (see what I did there?), the two will almost assuredly be grown up.

6. Kate Bishop

When choosing new characters to replace current ones, it’s sometimes wise to stick with what has worked. Even though the current Hawkeye has spent a lot of time at the butt end of jokes, there’s no denying that he’s the most relatable character on the current roster and Kate Bishop is like that as well.

Hawkeye is the only team member you or I (albeit with a little training) have a chance at becoming. He’s not a God, doesn’t have billions of dollars, isn’t from an advanced civilization, wasn’t given a super-soldier serum, and doesn’t turn into a green monster when he’s angry. He’s a man with a family who knows how to use a bow and arrow.

5. She-Hulk

Jennifer Walters, better known as She-Hulk, is the cousin of Bruce Banner. On one fateful day after being shot, Jennifer found herself in a hospital needing a blood transfusion. Unfortunately, of all the people in the hospital, no one except her visiting cousin Bruce had her blood type. Although he initially hesitated to help her due to the cross-contamination with his Hulk blood, he eventually gave in, and she received the transfusion.

As a consequence of the transfusion, Jennifer’s blood reacted with the Hulk, and she turned into the incredibly strong and powerful She-Hulk. In addition, different from Bruce, her transformation didn’t result in her turning into a rage monster. Instead, her transformation allowed her to gain strength and power while still retaining her intelligence.

4. Iron Lad

At first thought, you might be thinking that there has been no notice from Disney that Iron Lad is actually on his way to the MCU. His name hasn’t been dropped. He hasn’t shown up as an Easter Egg in any movie or show, and most importantly, none of the decision-makers at Disney have spoken about it. Although this is all true, it doesn’t mean that his inclusion hasn’t been foreshadowed. 

I think he’s coming because of two very important things. First, the potential actor who will play him appeared as the only odd character choice at Tony Stark’s funeral in Avengers End Game. Remember, his funeral rallied every superhero in the MCU together to pay their respects to Tony. The actor’s place at the funeral tells me that he’s important moving forward.

Second, Disney announced that Kang was the villain in the third Ant-Man movie. In case you’re unaware, Iron Lad eventually grows up and becomes Kang. Because Kang has been announced, recruiting Iron Lad to the team is the perfect way to tie things together.

3. Spider-Man

Spider-Man will be a part of the Young Avengers simply because there’s no way that Marvel would ever stop using him, given what it cost them to get him back. He has been and will continue to be the biggest draw and moneymaker that Marvel Comics has. He has been the face of the company for nearly 60 years and will continue to be until Marvel Comics ceases to exist. 

In addition to being the face of the company, the actor (Tom Holland) who plays him in the MCU is very young…24 years young. It’s common knowledge that comic book characters rarely age. Just look at, well, Spider-Man. Spider-Man has been caught somewhere between 18-30 for his entire existence. This is conveniently the exact age of Tom Holland. This means that Tom Holland could feasibly play Spider-Man for the next ten years. And he most likely will.

2. Captain Marvel

Every team needs a captain. What better person to captain the Young Avengers than a character with captain already in her name? 

It’s widely speculated that Captain Marvel will lead the new team of Avengers. As arguably the most powerful of the remaining Avengers from the first few movies, Captain Marvel is the perfect choice to lead the new team. Aside from her undeniable power, she has also spent the last couple of decades protecting not just one planet in the galaxy but all of the planets in the galaxy. 

Captain Marvel is one of the main reasons that the Avengers defeated Thanos. She showed up when all seemed lost and helped turn the tide in favor of the heroes. Remember, Carol Danvers is the one that Nick Fury reached out to just before he was blipped away. Of all the older Avengers, none, save for Dr. Strange, has the pedigree that Carol has. This, in conjunction with everything else I’ve said, will see her lead the team.

1. Shuri

Shuri made not have made this list if not for the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman. And rightfully so. Shuri was the breakout character of Black Panther. She resonated with the audience in a way that hadn’t been seen in a Marvel movie since Tony Stark first appeared as Iron Man. As the soon-to-be leader of Wakanda, Shuri is an obvious choice for this list of the most likely members of the Young Avengers. 

Here’s why. The death of Tony Stark left a void on the Avengers team…a void of power, money, and technology. Shuri will fill this void. As the leader of Wakanda, she will supply the team with finances, and weapons like Tony once did.