The Young Avengers Are About to Assemble in the MCU for the First Time

The Avengers are back in the spotlight in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after years on the back burner. At the end of Thunderbolts*, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine saves her hide by revealing the New Avengers to the world, turning a group of anti-heroes into Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. However, they aren’t the only good guys in town, as Sam Wilson is putting together his own squad, starting with Joaquin Torres, aka Falcon. The two groups are going to duke it out in Avengers: Doomsday, which will also feature the Fantastic Four and X-Men. However, none of those teams has as much potential as the Young Avengers.

There have been young heroes in the MCU for a long time, such as Iron Man’s buddy Harley Keener and Cassie Lang, though it’s taken a long time for a couple of them to decide it’s worth getting together and forming their own team. Well, the wait is almost over because the Young Avengers will be assembling for the first time in the MCU before 2025 is over.

The Young Avengers Are Part of the MCU’s Most Terrifying Project

The first inkling that the Young Avengers are coming to the MCU happens in The Marvels. After teaming up with Captain Marvel and Photon, Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, decides she likes having partners. Her mission takes her to New York City, where she attempts to recruit Kate Bishop in the same way Nick Fury reached out to Tony Stark in Iron Man. Kate seems receptive to the offer, but that’s all she wrote. There hasn’t been another Young Avengers tease since The Marvels, leaving their status in the MCU a mystery. Fortunately, a Disney+ animated series is about to pick up the baton by bringing Kate and Kamala back together for the first time.

With the conclusion of Marvel’s What If…?, Marvel Studios is looking for another way to revolutionize the animation game. The next big idea is Marvel Zombies, which will continue the story of the Season 1 What If…? episode “What If… Zombies?!” While a few heavy hitters are part of the show’s cast, including Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Simu Liu, Iman Vellani and Hailee Steinfeld are also part of the proceedings, as is Dominique Thorne, who plays Riri Williams, another candidate for the Young Avengers. While it remains to be seen how much the three characters will interact in Marvel Zombies, whatever time they spend together will be a great tease of things to come.

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The MCU May Pit the Young Avengers Against Another Mystical Threat in the Future

The big threat that all of Marvel Zombies‘ characters will face is an undead Scarlet Witch, who has already killed her fair share of heroes. It seems unfair to give magic to a zombie, but that’s the danger that comes with unleashing a virus onto a world with enhanced beings. While the animated Young Avengers deal with all that, their live-action counterparts will have a test of their own if Marvel Studios takes the direction many think it’s going to. At the moment, a dangerous threat is brewing in the MCU, and it already has its claws dug into Riri, offering her a deal she couldn’t pass up. The rest of the franchise’s young heroes are sure to want to mull over offers when the time comes, which puts them in serious danger.

At the end of Ironheart, Riri comes face-to-face with The Hood’s master, Mephisto. It takes very little time for the mysterious figure to start buttering up Riri, telling her everything she wants to hear at a time when she feels less than. Well, he doesn’t stop there because he also offers to bring her AI companion, N.A.T.A.L.I.E., back to life in exchange for something the young hero won’t miss. Ironheart doesn’t reveal what Riri is giving up, but she’s not going to be the last person to make a deal with the devil. Based on his agreement with Parker Robbins and his latest one with Riri, it’s clear that Mephisto targets younger people, serving up their wildest dreams on a silver platter. Kate and Kamala could find themselves in a bad spot if they link up with Riri in live-action, setting the stage for the action-packed Young Avengers project the world has been waiting for.

Marvel Zombies releases on Disney+ on October 3rd.

Are you excited to see the Young Avengers assemble in Marvel Zombies? Do you hope they get to shine in live-action as well? Let us know in the comments below!