The Marvel Cinematic Universe makes for great entertainment, but the longer it goes on, the more audiences begin to see problems develop, especially where the characters are concerned. The MCU might be making attempts to solve these problems, introducing new members of the Avengers, but the solution could instead exist in the form of the Avengers' children. By focusing on the Young Avengers and their many storylines in the comics, Marvel could solve the problems surrounding character development.
Audiences have become tired of seeing the same heroes go through the same struggles, especially when those heroes have become as iconic as the Avengers. There is something lost in the icon status, forcing the characters to conform to an idea of what they are, leaving little to no room for character development. Marvel has made some attempts to ease this issue, introducing Don Cheadle's War Machine and Sam Wilson's Captain America, but they face the same issues as their predecessors.
The Young Avengers Could Solve the MCU's Character Problem
Marvel could solve this problem of character stagnation by focusing on the children of the Avengers, delivering what audiences love, but differently. Aside from the Young Avengers bringing romance to the MCU, new people would mean new struggles in familiar ways. Seeing the children of the Avengers struggle to meet the standards set by their parents could make for an exciting approach to the future of the franchise, most especially because audiences have already begun to be acquainted with them. Steve Rogers has two confirmed children in the franchise, as does Wanda Maximoff, though Wanda's children are of questionable existence.
These characters are only children in the current phase of the MCU, but their appearances in the comics suggest a grand future for them. The Young Avengers comic series, first published in 2013, has been telling the story of the next generation of the super team, including characters audiences of the MCU might be familiar with. Some theories suggest Scarlet Witch might be resurrected, and with her would come her two children, Wiccan and Speed. The team also features Stature, the teenage daughter of Dr. Hank Pim, and one of Captain America's children. Marvel has been laying the groundwork for the inclusion of the Young Avengers for a while now, slowly trickling some of its most well-known members into the MCU.
Marvel's Forgotten Young Avengers Could Break The Stagnation
There is one other title that could also solve the MCU's character problem: 2008's Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow. Featuring the children of Thor, Captain America, Black Panther and Hawkeye, the team depicted in the movie is a refreshed version of the MCU's prime team, each paying homage to their parents while branching into their own territory. Though the movie did not do exceptionally well, making the chances for Marvel to reuse this property slim, it is still an exciting inspiration for what is to come, showcasing Marvel's ability to break stagnation in its longstanding franchises.
As one of the best long-running movie franchises, it is clear that the Marvel Cinematic Universe makes for great entertainment, but it is facing a problem of character stagnation that the Young Avengers could solve. By focusing on the children of the Avengers, children who have already been introduced to the franchise, Marvel could solve this problem entirely, while still delivering to audiences what they know and love. Though these Young Avengers are not yet old enough to take over for the Avengers, their comic series by the same name suggests these characters will have an exciting future in the MCU's next phases.