Wait, Is the MCU Teasing an Adaptation of One of Marvel’s Best Animated Movies?

The next Avengers film has a lot on its plate. For starters, Avengers: Doomsday, which hits theaters in just over a year, is going to have to spend a good chunk of its runtime turning the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s newest villain, Doctor Doom, into Big Bad material. That won’t be an easy feat, since his only appearance thus far features no speaking lines and doesn’t even show his face. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg, because Doomsday features plenty of mouths in need of feeding, and most of the characters who are part of the cast haven’t appeared in several years, meaning they’re going to have some explaining to do about their recent whereabouts.

Adding a bunch of exposition scenes doesn’t seem like it’s in the cards, though, because Doomsday is going to feature at least four superhero teams, which are all going to need a chance to shine during action sequences. However, recent developments suggest that the New Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and whatever Sam Wilson ends up calling his team are going to be put on the back burner, opening the door for a group from one of Marvel’s best animated films to step into the spotlight.

The MCU Could Be Putting Together a Group of Remarkable Young People

Despite not making the cut for Doomsday, the Young Avengers are sure to play a major role in the MCU’s future. Kamala Khan is actively recruiting, already adding Kate Bishop to the team at the end of The Marvels, and a few other candidates are waiting to hear their names called, including Riri Williams, Billy Maximoff, and his brother, Tommy. But assembling the Young Avengers doesn’t mean there isn’t room for another team comprised of young people, especially when a few legacy characters are starting to make names for themselves.

The first member of the Avengers to have a kid is Tony Stark, who settles down with Pepper Potts after losing to Thanos. Morgan Stark shows signs of taking after her dad in Avengers: Endgame, and she’s not the only kid in that position. T’Challa’s son doesn’t put on a vibranium suit and fight anyone, but he clearly has a good heart, wanting to help his aunt, Shuri, move on from the deaths of her mother and brother. Meanwhile, the God of Thunder adopts Gorr’s child after Gorr’s death, and the two bond over their love of hitting things hard.

While all of those developments could be viewed as isolated incidents, the narrative is changing quickly due to the first Doomsday teaser. It focuses on Steve Rogers, who returns home to spend time with his child. It’s not shocking that the former Captain America has a kid, since he lives a full life with Peggy Carter, but the fact that they’re going to actually appear in live-action changes the game. All signs point to them putting together a team that already has one win under its belt.

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Live-action movies aren’t the only medium in which the Avengers have kids. In Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow, a group of superpowered kids find themselves living in a post-apocalyptic world ruled by Ultron. Tony Stark watches over them because their parents are no longer around, having fallen in the battle against the robot. Instead of just sitting on their hands and letting the world continue to suffer, James Rogers, Torunn Thorsdóttir, and the rest fight back and eventually take down Ultron.

Since Ultron is on his way back to the MCU, all the pieces are there for the powers that be to adapt the hit animated film. However, they may decide to go in a different direction and make them part of the events of Avengers: Secret Wars. Maybe there’s a reality where they’re all already grown up, or some time travel shenanigans ages them up. Either way, with the multiverse in play, the possibilities are endless. The MCU just has to be brave enough to embrace a team that hasn’t had a real shot in nearly two decades.

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