It’s a tale of two teams in the Marvel Cinematic Universe right now. Thunderbolts* explains the asterisk in its title by revealing that the movie is a backdoor pilot for the New Avengers, who set up shop at the old Avengers Tower. Everything is going swimmingly for the former hired guns and Bob Reynolds until Sam Wilson, aka Captain America, starts making a fuss, wanting to take back the Avengers name for himself. The conflict between the two groups is sure to be one of the main focuses of Avengers: Doomsday, which will feature not only Earth’s Mightiest Heroes but the X-Men and Fantastic Four as well.
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It would seem that the Doomsday ship is full, especially since there are rumors of Doctor Doom putting together his own team in his MCU debut. However, there’s one other squad that the powers that be at Marvel Studios don’t want anyone forgetting about. The members of the team actually play a major role in the MCU’s latest project, which seemingly confirms who the next recruit will be.
Another Young Hero Fights the Undead With Kate Bishop and Kamala Khan in Marvel Zombies
The Young Avengers’ tree gets planted at the end of The Marvels, when Kamala Khan visits Kate Bishop and does her best Nick Fury impression. The two heroes are back together in the animated series Marvel Zombies, which picks up after the events of the What If…? episode, “What If… Zombies?!” The world is overrun by the undead, and Kate and Kamala have to risk their lives to put food in their bellies. Fortunately, they have the smartest living being on their side, Riri Williams. While she doesn’t have her Ironheart suit, she restores one of Tony Stark’s old armors and allows the AI F.R.I.D.A.Y. to operate it. The group then travels into town and comes across a beacon that could save the world.
At first, Riri is apprehensive bout playing hero, but her friends convince her that it’s the right thing to do. They set out for Ohio, the location of the closest S.H.I.E.L.D. base, but run into a snag when a battle between zombified Captain Marvel and Ikaris breaks out. The heavyweights draw so much attention that the young heroes are overrun by zombies. Kate dies, and Riri has to stay behind to ensure Kamala’s safety. The end of Marvel Zombies seems to tease that Ironheart lives and that she’ll help Kamala escape Scarlet Witch’s fake reality, but that’s far from guaranteed. What’s looking much more likely is Ironheart joining the Young Avengers in live-action.
Riri Williams Is Going to Need All the Help She Can Get
It seems like a mistake to leave the Young Avengers out of the action in Doomsday, as the fate of the multiverse will be on the line. Marvel Studios could be saving them for another battle, though, one that involves a villain just as dangerous as Doctor Doom. In Ironheart, Riri starts working with a crew that steals from the rich. Her boss, The Hood, is a little sketchy, and after she uncovers the truth about him, she has to take him down. Her magic beats his, so Riri looks to return to her life in Chicago. However, a mysterious visitor named Mephisto makes her an offer that she can’t refuse: bringing her dead friend Natalie back to life.
Riri doesn’t realize it yet, but she’s now in league with the devil and won’t be able to escape his grasp without some help. If the MCU is really setting Riri up to be a part of the Young Avengers, Kate and Kamala could come to her aid in an upcoming project. While the group will have to prove that they can recreate the chemistry they have in Marvel Zombies in live-action, that shouldn’t be much of an issue, as they’re all played by very talented performers. The only issue then will be deciding who else should join their ranks. A certain son of a former Avenger certainly fits the bill, but he’ll have to find his brother before making any other moves.
Marvel Zombies is streaming on Disney+.
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