Is ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ finally setting the stage for the Young Avengers?

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a franchise made up of as many Easter eggs as it is superheroes. Famous for dropping subtle hints even Taylor Swift would be proud of, the MCU has quietly been foreshadowing the arrival of the Young Avengers ever since WandaVision kicked off Phase Four of the Multiverse Saga in Jan. 2021.

With Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania fast approaching and most of the Young Avengers already introduced into the franchise in some shape or form, the assumption is that Scott Lang’s threequel might just be the final piece in the board of scattered puzzle pieces. 

Keeping that in mind, the specific puzzle piece needed to bring the Young Avengers together just so happens to reside within the plot of Quantumania. Or at least, Quantumania is the perfect movie to make it happen. 

Here’s what needs to happen in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania for the Young Avengers to finally enter the MCU

Before we get into the how, let’s talk about the who. Who are the Young Avengers? In the comics, the group consists of America Chavez, Hawkeye, Hulkling, Iron Lad, Kid Loki, Noh-Varr, Patriot, Prodigy, Speed, Stature, Vision, and Wiccan. Seven out of 12 of those characters have already been introduced into the MCU. 

The addition of these young actors in their respective movies and TV shows is not an isolated incident. America Chavez’s (Xochitl Gomez) introduction in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness paves the way for her multiversal traveling abilities to be relied upon in further films. Kate Bishops’s (Hailee Steinfeld) Hawkeye is very clearly intended to take over for Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye. Jack Veal’s Kid Loki from Disney Plus’ Loki is also intended to pass the torch from Tom Hiddleston’s character. As is the case for Patriot (Elijah Richardson) from Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Stature (Kathryn Newton) from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and brothers Speed/Tommy and Wiccan/Billy from WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — the teenage version of Billy/Wiccan has been officially cast as Heartstopper‘s Joe Locke in the new Disney Plus series Agatha: Coven of Chaos. 

Clearly, the Young Avengers have been gathered. Now it’s just a matter of getting them assembled. That’s where Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania comes into play. 

In the comics, the Young Avengers are created and founded by Kang’s younger variant Nathaniel Richards, aka Iron Lad. In an attempt to sway his 16-year-old self into conquering the universe, Kang time travels to the past, only to sabotage his efforts by scaring away Nathaniel. In an effort to renounce his destiny and protect himself and the Universe from Kang, Nathaniel then tries to recruit the Avengers. However, in discovering that they have disbanded — as they have in the current MCU landscape — he instead locates their successors. As such, he forms the Young Avengers. 

All that to say, should Nathaniel Richards/Iron Lad appear in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, likely in an end-credits scene, the movie will have officially set the stage for the Young Avengers to join the MCU. Now, the only question remaining is will Marvel rip off the bandaid?

Will Marvel actually bring the Young Avengers into the MCU? 

The answer has been intentionally vague for quite some time. Still, since Keven Feige himself said in 2018 that the seeds were being planted, the assumption has been that vague or not, the Young Avengers would indeed enter the fold. 

Following the conclusion of the Infinity Saga and the introduction of young characters like Billy and Tommy in WandaVision as well as Kate Bishop in Hawkeye, Marvel accidentally got lax with their spoilers. Actress Hailee Steinfeld let slip that she was looking forward to joining the Young Avengers down the road in a press interview, and Kevin Feige’s reaction to that went immediately viral. 

Then, on Jan. 24, the Disney Plus series Agatha: Coven of Chaos received major casting news that all but confirmed the Young Avengers were on the way. According to the show’s IMDb page, Nickelodeon star Trey Sartorius is set to play Nate Richards, aka Iron Lad. Marvel did not corroborate the news, and it’s unclear whether Sartorius will indeed play the part — some think it should be a certain Stranger Things actor — but regardless, Nate Richards’ name has now been officially linked to an MCU project. There is little question as to its implication. 

All that to say, there’s a lot riding on Quantumania. Regardless of its critical reception, Fiege and co. have confirmed that the movie will alter the MCU landscape going forward. Will that include the Young Avengers? Time will tell. 

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania premieres in theaters Friday, Feb. 17.