Kevin Feige may have admitted a long time ago that the seeds would definitely start being planted in the not too distant future, but as things stand, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Young Avengers hasn’t been officially announced. However, there are simply too many members of the team on their way throughout Phase Four for it to be a coincidence, so it’s surely only a matter of time before the project is confirmed.
We’ve already met Speed and Wiccan in WandaVision, with Scarlet Witch’s twin boys also set to be the driving force behind her arc in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness if the show’s post-credits scene is any indication. Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop and Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel, meanwhile, are both getting their own Disney Plus shows, Xochitl Gomez was cast as America Chavez in the Sorcerer Supreme’s sequel and established star Kathryn Newton has replaced Emma Fuhrmann as Cassie Lang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Not only that, but Elijah Richardson was briefly seen as Eli Bradley in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, who goes on to become Patriot, and while not a regular member of the team in the comic books, Dominique Thorne will headline streaming series Ironheart. That’s eight potential candidates to join the group right there, and a new rumor claims that the MCU has already cast its Iron Lad.
As per the report, relative unknown Alex A.J. Gardner has been recruited to play Nathaniel Richards in Young Avengers, who is typically depicted as the founder of the team. Iron Man 3‘s Ty Simpkins admitted he’d love to portray the role in what would be a logical move in terms of legacy, but if this rumor turns out to be on the money, then the youthful version of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes may have already found their leader.
