This Team-Up Could Solve the MCU’s Kang Problem

Though the Marvel Cinematic Universe introduced Kang as its chief villain for the next group of its films, they appear to be moving away from that plan. This could have any number of causes. First and foremost, the films featuring him have not performed as well at the box office as previous entries. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which had Kang as the primary villain, was panned as one of the worst entries to the franchise so far. Clearly, something about him isn’t working. On top of that, Jonathan Majors, the actor behind the character, has allegations leveled against him by his former partner, which may encourage Marvel to either recast him or find alternate options for the antagonist of the Multiverse Saga. This development will require a massive restructuring of the next batch of movies, as they’re all going to have to be rebuilt around whichever new character they select to oppose the heroes.

However, there is a solution right in front of their noses, should they choose to take it. As the MCU sets up their next major team-up — the Young Avengers — they must introduce a whole host of new characters to fill out their stories. Whether they’re going to be on the team or opposing them, these characters will make up a huge portion of the MCU roster. This chance to bring more characters to the screen, combined with the promises of the multiverse and the very concept of variants, uniquely equips the MCU to quietly replace Jonathan Majors while maintaining Kang as a central character.

The MCU Is Already Seeking to Introduce the Young Avengers

Who Are the Young Avengers?

Key Young Avengers: Kate Bishop a.k.a Hawkeye Wiccan a.k.a Billy Maximoff Speed a.k.a Tommy Maximoff Hulking a.k.a Teddy Kaplan Altman Patriot a.k.a Eli Bradley Iron Lad a.k.a Nathaniel Richards Ms. Marvel a.k.a Kamala Khan

The final scene of The Marvels has Kamala Khan assuming a Nick Fury-esque role as she seeks out Kate Bishop with the sole intention of recruiting her to join a new team of young superheroes. Though Kate (understandably) protests that she’s considerably older than any of the other potential members of this group, her expression at the end of the scene suggests that she’s interested in being part of this organization.

This would be consistent with her development throughout Hawkeye, which primed her to take on the archer’s title and role in the next generation of stories. Therefore, it can be deduced that Kamala and Kate are going to be the founding members of the MCU’s take on the Young Avengers. In the comics, they’re a group of teenage/young adult superheroes. Most of them have some sort of tie to an existing superhero — much like Kamala’s hero worship of Carol Danvers and Kate Bishop’s mentor/student dynamic with Clint Barton. The original team consisted of Kate Bishop, Iron Lad, Patriot, Hulkling, Wiccan, Speed, and Stature, with Miss America, Kid Loki, Marvel Boy, and Prodigy appearing in later runs for the team. The MCU has been building toward this development for a while, as slowly, individual members have been introduced in separate projects. However, this is the first time there have been any hints that the group is going to team up.

Additionally, the Young Avengers’ roster is likely going to change as they come to the screen. Kate Bishop and America Chavez will likely stay in their existing roles as Hawkeye and Miss America, even if just because they’ve already been introduced. If the comment Kamala makes at the end of The Marvels about Ant-Man having a daughter means anything, Cassie Lang will probably reappear as Stature. This gets even more likely when considering that during Quantumania, Cassie revealed that she had access to a suit, thus hinting that this isn’t the end of her attempts to be a hero. Kid Loki might return after his brief cameo in the first season of Loki, though this isn’t set in stone (and becomes even less likely when considering that he wasn’t initially part of the group). Kamala Khan will likely take the place of Noh-Varr, better known as Marvel Boy, since they have similar powers and similar ties to Carol Danvers. Skaar, Hulk’s son introduced in the finale of She-Hulk, could step in as Hulkling. Patriot could, theoretically, maintain his comic identity, as Eli Bradley was introduced in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The Maximoff twins, known on the team as Wiccan and Speed, are in a bit of a gray area. However, as the multiverse becomes more fleshed out, there will certainly be a way to get them into this organization. All in all, the MCU is shaping up to bring a fascinating cast of characters to one of the most beloved teams in Marvel’s history, and it’ll be interesting to see how they all end up in the same place at the same time.

An Unlikely Young Avenger Is Now a Legacy Character

One member of the Young Avengers, however, doesn’t really have a canon answer yet. Nathaniel Richards’ Iron Lad has yet to come to the screen. The closest equivalent right now is Riri Williams’ Ironheart, but there haven’t been any hints that she’s going to join the team, and she wasn’t part of it in the comics. Rather than making her one of the Young Avengers, the MCU would be better served by introducing Nathaniel himself to fill this role. He’s essentially the younger answer to Iron Man, and they fill similar roles within their respective team dynamics. Armed with a bio-metal suit that does his bidding, he typically led the team though this is a trait he likely won’t carry into the MCU. He was the beating heart of the Young Avengers — the one who brought them all together in the first place, and the one who guided them through each of their challenges. The team couldn’t exist without him, so the MCU must have some sort of plan to bring him in.

However, there’s one major part of his backstory that suggests he should return in his original form: he was a younger variant of Kang the Conqueror. In the first set of Young Avengers comics, he leaves his original timeline in hopes of stopping himself from falling into the same place as the monstrous man he’s destined to become. It works for a little while. Iron Lad is a hero, and the other Young Avengers never even consider that he could be anything other than goodhearted.

However, this all takes a turn for the worse when Kang comes to find him, insisting that he must return to his place in history. The Young Avengers face the Conqueror once and for all. Though they ultimately defeat him, Iron Lad’s fate remains set in stone. In order to prevent time from folding in on itself and erasing the Young Avengers from existence, he must return and become the villain he was born to be. Everything went back to its initial form — but the team had to learn how to function without their leader, and the loss left them trying to pick up the pieces of their found family.

The Marvels Confirms [SPOILER] Is the Best Marvel

Iron Lad could be the best way for the MCU to maintain its current trajectory of having Kang as the central villain of the Multiverse Saga without the risk of still giving Jonathan Majors a platform. All the writers would have to do is make a few minor changes to the events of his story, and he’s perfectly suited to take Kang’s place. Rather than running with the idea of Kang visiting from his original timeline to make sure Nathaniel goes home and fulfills his prescribed destiny, the MCU can instead choose to have him act as a double agent. Perhaps he joins the Young Avengers at Kang’s bidding.

He infiltrates them, befriends them all, and all the while, he’s reporting back to Kang. Then, at the right time, he strikes against them. He’d be infinitely threatening since he knew them well enough to determine their weaknesses and the best time to exploit them. The writers could even play into the dynamic of having him act as a reluctant villain like he did in the comics, which would make him more sympathetic and make the story more interesting in the first place.

This would make for a particularly fascinating Young Avengers story, especially since it would allow them to remain true to the comic storyline of them facing off against Kang while adding the emotional dimension of them fighting someone they trusted. He’d also be a powerful villain, given that he has ties to ostensibly the most dangerous antagonist in the franchise’s history, which would help remedy the complaint that recent MCU baddies don’t pack the same punch as those from previous years. To set up the rest of the story, the Young Avengers would have to lose the final fight — which would also be a break from the existing formula, as well as establish a way to connect the team to the greater universe when they turn to the older, more experienced heroes for aid. Overall, introducing Iron Lad and setting him up to be Kang’s successor is the best way for the MCU to handle the difficulties arising with the character right now.