For its first three phases, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been — aside from Spider-Man — fairly short on teenage or young adult superheroes. Its protagonists (particularly the Avenger) have all been capable, experienced heroes and soldiers, ranging in age from their mid-twenties to thousands of years old.
Nonetheless, Marvel has a sizable cast of younger characters who are skilled in their own right. Breaking the mold, the Young Avengers prove they're not a club for sidekicks, but a team of determined heroes. Throughout Phase 4, more and more characters from the Young Avengers' comic book roster have started to appear, leaving fans hoping for a future crossover.
8 Kate Bishop Has Taken Up The Hawkeye Mantle
Despite being best-associated with Matt Fraction's run on the Hawkeye comic book, Kate Bishop has a long and storied membership with the Young Avengers, Making her debut in that series, Kate is a combat-trained civilian who invites herself onto the team after they save her life. She's been a member for a long time, and remains an essential part of the team's likable dynamic.
Kate Bishop makes her celebrated first appearance in the MCU as the central character of the Hawkeye series, going up against the Tracksuit Mafia, Yelena Belova, and Kingpin alongside her mentor and idol, Clint Barton. With Hailee Steinfeld's beloved performance, she seems guaranteed to play a prominent part in any younger generation crossover.
7 Cassie Lang Has Been Present Since Phase 2
The only member of the Young Avengers to have been in the Marvel Cinematic Universe prior to Phase 4, Cassie Lang is Scott Lang's daughter and an essential character in the Ant-Man movies. In the comic books, Cassie becomes a member of the Young Avengers, taking the codename "Stature."
In Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp, Cassie is a young child, nowhere near old enough for superheroics. However, she survives the Blip. As such, Cassie has become a young adult by the time she reunites with her father. Due to play a prominent role in Quantumania — albeit played by Kathryn Newton rather than Emma Fuhrmann — Marvel may be setting her up for a Young Avengers appearance.
6 Billy Maximoff Has Appeared, But Never In The Main Universe
One of the more prominent members of the Young Avengers is Billy Kaplan, going by the codename "Wiccan." Through a complex series of events, Billy is revealed to be one of Wanda Maximoff's reincarnated sons, gifted with her magical abilities. The character makes a vastly-simplified appearance in both Wandavision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Known as Billy Maximoff in the MCU, he's the son of Wanda, alongside his brother Tommy. In his first appearance, Billy is a construct created by Wanda to avoid her grief. In his second, he's a normal human son, but exists in an alternate reality. Whether there's a real version of Billy in the main universe of the MCU remains unclear.
5 Nathaniel Richards Is Set To Make Many Appearances
One of the more variable figures in the Marvel multiverse is Nathaniel Richards, a 31st-century scientist who discovers how to make contact with other universes. His most famous Variant is that of Kang the Conquerer, a multiversal warlord bent with crushing the entire cosmos under his boot, and who's been set up as the next great villain of the MCU. Nathaniel Richards appears in Loki's final episode as a version known as "He Who Remains."
However, there's another version of Kang who's well-known in the comics: Iron Lad. A younger version of Richards who flees to the past rather than become a monster, Iron Lad is responsible for forming the Young Avengers, even though his time with them is brief. Iron Lad seems likely to appear in any live-action work including the team.
4 Kid Loki Appears Under Very Different Circumstances
As a chaotic, unpredictable character, Loki appears in a number of different forms throughout Marvel comics. One of the longer-lasting is the so-called Kid Loki, created after Loki engineers his own resurrection following his death at the hands of the Void. Despite the Young Avengers knowing how unpredictable Loki is, the younger version wins their trust and joins the team.
A child version of Loki appears in the MCU under very different circumstances. In Loki, the titular character encounters a number of Variants of himself in the Void, fleeing from Alioth. Clearly a nod to the popular Young Avengers character, it's yet unclear how Kid Loki can escape the Void and join up with the others.
3 Tommy Maximoff Is In A Similar Boat To Wiccan
Tommy Shepherd's confusing family relations are hinted by his name. Despite having a wholly different surname to both Wanda Maximoff and Billy Kaplan, he's an important relative of both. Tommy is another of Wanda's reincarnated children, making him Billy's brother in a sense. The MCU simplifies this, simply having them both be biologically related — whether in the Hex or in another reality.
A hero codenamed "Speed," Tommy is an integral member of the Young Avengers. His appearance in an MCU version of the team feels as likely as Billy's. Given the unclear nature of his existence in the Sacred Timeline, Tommy can be used as a way to explore more of the multiverse, or to explore the aftershocks following Multiverse of Madness.
2 Elijah Bradley Has Superhero Ancestry
As part of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's exploration of racial injustice and the uneasy history of black superheroes — both in- and out-of-universe — the Bradley family appears. Isaiah Bradley is a former supersoldier, betrayed by his government due to his race and therefore justifiably cynical about the chances of a black man being given the Captain America mantle.
Isaiah's grandson Elijah plays a small part in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. In the comics, Elijah has a crucial role, leading the Young Avengers under the codename "Patriot." Due to the character's importance, Elijah looks almost certain to make a reappearance. How he will reconcile his own grandfather's mistreatment and his own superheroics will likely be an important development for his character.
1 America Chavez Is A Multiversal Powerhouse
One of the central members of the Young Avengers is America Chavez, the superhero known as "Miss America." One of the most outright powerful of the team, America can fly, is immensely strong and tough, and can kick open holes between multiverses. Compared to many of her teammates, Chavez is on a different level.
America makes her MCU debut in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as a dimension-traveller targeted for her unique powers. Last seen deciding to stay in the MCU's main universe and training at Kamar-Taj, Chavez seems likely to once again serve as a heavy-hitter in a live-action Young Avengers.