Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Young Avengers

  • How Disney+ Could Adapt ‘Young Avengers: Children’s Crusade’

    How Disney+ Could Adapt ‘Young Avengers: Children’s Crusade’

    Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is well underway with the premiere of its Disney+ shows. There have been several motifs that have been recurring across the last three Marvel Studios entries. One of these elements is the subtle nods to the next generation of heroes. With the introductions of several characters like Billy and Tommy Maximoff, Elijah Bradley, Kid Loki, Cassie Lang, Riri Williams, Kate Bishop, and America Chavez, all of this leads towards the very likely possibility that the MCU is setting up the introduction of the Young Avengers for Phase 4 or beyond. So, it’s time for a live-action adaptation of The Children’s Crusade storyline.

     

     

    In the comics, it is a coming-of-age story following House of M. Wanda Maximoff goes missing. So, the Young Avengers set out to find her in an adventure filled with unexpected twists and turns. With the MCU loosely adapting their version of House of M for WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it seems fitting that the follow-up to follow in this saga would be The Children’s Crusade. Especially because it mainly focuses on Billy Kaplan and Thomas Shepherd, the reincarnations of Billy and Tommy Maximoff in the comics. After our brief introduction o them in WandaVision and a potential return in the upcoming Strange sequel, it’s time to follow their story.

     

    How the series would play out

     

    The Disney+ series would be a loose adaptation of the comics. The Young Avengers will be at the forefront of this story. At this point, they’ve already got introduced to another project. However, it will primarily focus on Wiccan and Speed as they search for a deeper understanding of their powers and who they are. Neither one realizes that they’re the other’s twin, but they find it curious that they look similar. I’d start the series with Billy and Tommy experiencing what they believe are very vivid nightmares that viewers might recognize. It later turns out that they are memories from their previous lives as the Maximoff twins.

    They could have very weird, cryptic dreams similar to how WandaVision used fake commercials to showcase Wanda’s inner turmoil. As such, they would conclude that their dreams are a message to come and find Wanda Maximoff, who I believe will disappear following the events of the Doctor Strange sequel. Fearful of leaving their new friends behind, they ask for their help in this mission, and the team joins them without hesitation in their crusade.

     

     

    The series will progress with a globe-trotting adventure, as they search for any clue that’ll lead them to Wanda. We’ll get to explore iconic locations linked to Wanda, such as Sokovia, Westview, New York, and many more. The team will eventually find her in a remote location. She has no memories or recollection of her past life as the Scarlet Witch. This, of course, confuses the team, but Billy and Tommy most of all. How could one of the most powerful individuals in the multiverse be reduced to a simple nobody? This is how we introduce the viewers to the antagonist of the series. Someone is pulling the strings all along. It turns out to be Agatha Harkness.

     

    Agatha All Along Again

     

    At one point, Agatha found a way to free herself from the Scarlet Witch’s binds and eventually reunite with the amnesiac Wanda. Taking pity on her, she treats her in a friendly, almost neighborly manner as she tries to search for ways to recuperate her magic from Wanda. This would draw a parallel to their first interaction in WandaVision. Agatha could potentially serve as the plot device to reveal to the team the true nature of Tommy and Billy, the fact they are indeed reincarnations of the Maximoff twins.

    The dreams that the twins experienced at the beginning of the series are more than just memories. They’re a manipulation tactic by Agatha to lure the twins. She believed they were the key to regaining her powers but the plan failed. Agatha would be left with no choice but to try and kill the Young Avengers since they know of her plan. The twins face off against the individual responsible for their nightmares and trauma as kids. In the climax of the final battle, Wanda Maximoff regains her memory and aids the team in their battle against Harkness, thus defeating the witch once more and reuniting a family.

  • Theory Tuesday: Vision’s Avengers Fail-Safe Program

    Theory Tuesday: Vision’s Avengers Fail-Safe Program

    A few months have passed since WandaVision concluded its heartwrenching story. Yet, to this day, there are still a few questions on everyone’s mind regarding the future of its characters. The biggest question mark surrounds the Vision. In the final two episodes, we learned that Vision’s body was recovered by S.W.O.R.D. and was turned into a weapon. Now, this “White Vision” had no memories of his past and lacked any empathy. Yet, the Vision in Westview managed to unlock that final piece before saving Wanda. After his memory got unlocked, the newly reformed Vision flew off and was never seen again. So what exactly has the Vision been up to since his memory’s been unlocked? Our very own, Joseph Aberl, already explored his story post-WandaVision with a Vision Quest adaptation pitch. My theory expands on this vision and what it could imply for the future of the MCU.

     

     

    The Vision is bound to be riddled with hundreds of protocols in case of a specific scenario sets in. In the comics, Vision had developed a contingency program called “The Avengers Fail-Safe Program”. It was made to activate if the Avengers were ever destroyed by a potential threat or disbanded due to unforeseen circumstances. If we base ourselves on Joseph’s VisionQuest pitch, following the events of WandaVision, The Vision sets out to retrace his steps to fill in the gaps between the moment he died in Infinity War and the moment he came back online. And as he finds out that most of the Avengers have either died or gone their own paths, it is possible that Vision could activate his fail-safe program. It could even be a modified version of Zola’s Algorithm from Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but rather than use it to eliminate potential targets, Vision utilizes the protocol to search for the next generation of heroes to take up the mantle of the Avengers.

     

     

    Marvel Studios is setting up the Young Avengers to join forces at some point in Phase 4 or beyond. We’ve already been introduced to Billy and Tommy Maximoff in WandaVision. Elijah Bradley had a few appearances in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Cassie Lang has already reached her teenage years in Avengers: Endgame. It doesn’t end there, as we’re also bound to see the introduction of Kate Bishop, Riri Williams, and America Chavez to the MCU in future projects. With the Avengers gone and almost no heroes to help save the world, it seems pretty opportune for this band of heroes to step up to the challenge and take on the mantle as the Young Avengers. It would seem fitting for the Vision, who is trying to uncover his own identity, to help guide a new generation of heroes while re-learning his humanity. Little does he know, two members of his new team are closer to him than he might not realize.

  • Deep Thoughts: One Hypothetical Marvel Studios 2023 Release Calendar

    Deep Thoughts: One Hypothetical Marvel Studios 2023 Release Calendar

    With Marvel Studios finally revealing release dates for Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (February 17, 2023) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5, 2023), it seemed like a good time to take a stab at how the rest of 2023 might shape up for the studio’s theatrical features and streaming series. We’ve played this guessing game before (here and here) and it’s been hit and miss; however, it’s still a fun game to play and can give us some idea of how things might turn out in a couple of years.

    ***NOTE***

    Please read and share responsibly and don’t latch your hopes and dreams onto this. Don’t take it seriously and don’t start marking your calendars. This is one possible option with the only real intention behind it being to see if it could be done well.

    One of the bigger surprises of 2021 so far has been the news that Marvel Studios was developing a solo Echo series. Newcomer Alaqua Cox was brought on board to bring Maya Lopez to life in 2021’s Hawkeye and must have made a huge impression as the studio quickly put together a writer’s room and greenlit the series. An Echo series could be an interesting way to reintroduce Kingpin and other Marvel Netflix characters to the MCU and her ties to Daredevil could leave open the opportunity for Matt Murdock’s adventures to continue on here. While this might seem like a pretty quick turnaround, I have a feeling this one is further down the development road than we think.

    The Marvel Legends episodes have served as recaps and while they may seem a bit underwhelming to longtime fans of the MCU, they have proven to be effective in catching new viewers up on who everyone is. With that said, We should expect episodes for Scott Lang, Hope van Dyne and, I’d imagine, Cassie Lang, in the weeks leading up to the release of the third Ant-Man film. Given that production on this is set to begin before The Marvels, a lot of folks had this begged for a 2022 release.

    I’ve consistently heard it was set for this date and that it was because it needed to come out when it did for storytelling purposes. I wish I had more context on that, but I just don’t and I guess we’ll all have to wait to see what stories needed to be told before we got this one. As it stands, we’re set to get a wild story that we know will include our second time meeting Jonathan Majors‘ Kang and some Quantum Realm shenanigans. As much as I still hope this is the first time we see the Young Avengers team up on screen, the fact that a new writer was brought on board since we first shared that info a couple of years ago makes me wonder if that’s no longer the case.

    We are still a month away from the first season of Loki and we are already looking down the road at how they might summarize his adventures in that series before we get to season two in 2023. Who knows what adventures will befall the Trickster in season one…

    Kevin Feige has made it clear that not all of the Disney Plus series are destined to have multiple seasons; however, before production on season one of Loki was underway, we knew a season two was part of the plans. Deadline later confirmed that Michael Waldron had inked a deal to work on season two and much like Echo has been fast-tracked, I think another season of Loki is closer than we might think.

    Catching up on the adventures of the Guardians will be a necessity for new fans before the threequel lands in May. Some of them will have been on different adventures and one isn’t even from the Prime timeline. An episode or 6 of Marvel Legends might even do us long-timers some good as well, so expect quite a few ahead of May 5th!

    By the time we see the Guardians on screen again, it’ll have been exactly 6 years since their last film and they’ll have been used in more films by other directors (Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and Thor: Love and Thunder) than by James Gunn. Gunn has been pretty consistent in saying that this film will wrap up the story of this version of the Guardians and that Rocket’s story will be a big part of the plot. Even though the script for this one has existed for quite a while, very little information about the plot of the film has gotten out though Gunn has debated Warlock’s presence in the film, that Earth-based heroes (like Nova) were on the table and, once upon a time, seemingly teased that it would include some version or another of Quasar. With production starting up this Fall, we might get lucky and catch a couple of leaks and get some idea of where this is headed.

    Black Panther director Ryan Coogler inked a deal to develop original programming for Disney Plus and chief among those was a series exploring the World of Wakanda. Details on this one are…well, they just don’t exist yet, but given the fact that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is out in 2022, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Coogler and his team keep the tidal wave of momentum going from that film and deliver more Wakandan-based stories to audiences sooner rather than later.

    It’s possible that we won’t see Sam Wilson, the MCU’s new Captain America, again before his upcoming and yet still unofficially announced solo film, but then again I know I’m not alone in saying I hope we don’t have to wait 2 years. Cap could show up just about anywhere now from Ms. Marvel to Hawkeye to Spider-Man: No Way Home or even Armor Wars. Let’s hope we get to see more Cap rather than less.

    Malcolm Spellman and Dalan Musson have been reported to be working on the script for this one and I don’t believe for a second that two guys who spent so much time working together on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier together have only just started writing this script. Even though we all just found out about it a couple of weeks ago, I’m willing to bet this is much, much more together than we think and will be underway much sooner than expected.

    This one is a pretty big stretch given that there’s no confirmation from Marvel Studios that they’re developing a Nomad series and even the guy who broke the story was unclear of what exactly this was but then again, we are doing hypothetical stuff here…
    When last we saw Bucky Barnes at the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, he had finally moved away, at least personally, from his deeds as the Winter Soldier. With his past finally behind him, it’s possible that we could see Sebastian Stan back in the role as the character carves out a present and a future. Stan gave an incredible performance in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and reinvented the character. While we don’t know if Nomad is happening much less if it’s being developed for Stan, I don’t think too many people would frown upon it should it happen and a 6-episode run taking James across the country to deal with someone like the Scourge of the Underworld or, should they not appear in Captain America 4, the Serpent Socitey, would make for some great TV.

    Of course, it’s also possible that this is one of the projects that Chris Evans is rumored to be returning for (perhaps something set during the time between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War) or an entirely new character. With that last option on the table, I didn’t want to put a Legends episode on the docket, but if it’s either Bucky or Steve, we’ll certainly get one.

    It wasn’t too long ago that I was hopeful that this film would end up in an unused October 2022 slot. According to the Disney Investor Day Fact Sheet, it wasn’t too long ago that Marvel Studios might have held that same hope. At this point, however, Blade won’t make that date and even though fans are already freaking out about why it wasn’t included in yesterday’s Phase 4 trailer, this is definitely still a big priority for the studio. The studio has some time now to work on a script and line up dates with a director and if we’ve learned anything from the COVID pandemic it’s that giving studios more time to prepare can never be a bad thing.

    The Young Avengers are coming, of that, there is no doubt. What is entirely unclear is when. My guess: sooner rather than later. You can’t cast a bunch of young actors in roles and then wait 3-5 years between appearances, not without continually recasting at least. Marvel Studios has proven that they’re open to recasting, but at some point, you might like to hang on to some actors for a while, especially when the audience is supposed to be seeing a story in which they grow and develop together as a unit, such as the Young Avengers. My guess is that the actors being brought on board to play these characters will find themselves incredibly busy over the next 5 years (see Tom Holland) so that we don’t end up with some Harry Potter-esque growth spurts and suddenly have 30 year olds playing teens. So out of the pile of projects Marvel Studios has in development, this one could easily be near or at the top. I think it plays better as a Disney Plus series for a lot of reasons, so despite having absolutely no idea what the plan is for this, I’m rooting for the series route.

    We know Jon Watts is directing it and we have a fancy logo. We think we know it’s filming under Solve Everything Productions. Other than that, we don’t know anything about Marvel Studios Fantastic Four reboot. It seems like it is certainly a part of the studio’s Phase 4 plans given that it showed up in the Phase 4 trailer, but it has no writer, no cast, no release date and I have yet to hear any rumblings about when or where it’s going to get going. With all that in mind, I think it would make a mint at the box office as a family-centric holiday film so I am crossing my fingers that we’ll get another release date in 2023 and that the First Family will be home for Christmas.

    Obviously, the further out we get, the more liberties that have to be taken. We’re at a point where much of what we’re looking at trying to schedule here doesn’t even have known production schedules at the moment. Furthermore, I’ve picked a couple of properties that the studio hasn’t even acknowledged are in development yet so that I could get 5 D+ series in the calendar year. Whether I picked the wrong 2 projects or not isn’t much of a concern because the reality is that the studio has so many properties in development, I’m confident we’ll be able to see 5 series every year should they want to continue producing them at this clip. Let’s all bookmark this one and come back for a laugh in about 18 months.

  • Theorizing MARVEL STUDIOS’ Interconnected Storylines

    Theorizing MARVEL STUDIOS’ Interconnected Storylines

    It’s been a little over three months since Marvel Studios properly kicked off its Phase 4. Both WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier are now behind us, two shows that gave us but a glimpse of what is in store in the coming years in terms of the interconnectivity between the different IPs that make up the MCU. This is something Kevin Feige himself made extremely clear this past December, during the Disney Investor Day 2020:

    The Cinematic Universe weaves storylines of heroes and villains across twenty-three feature films to date, and with Disney+ we’re able to extend this way of storytelling to a new format, creating series that are connected to our theatrical releases making the MCU more immersive than ever.

    As for WandaVision, it managed to bring together characters from properties that seemed somewhat foreign to its titular characters (bringing them in from Thor, Captain Marvel, and Ant-Man). The Falcon and The Winter Soldier did almost the exact opposite. It grabbed most of its main characters from the same feature (Captain America: Civil War) and continued their arcs in a way that seems to hint at them diverging into several other (new) IPs. The common ground between both approaches seems quite simple: when the story asks for it, characters will come and go from whatever property that needs them to. With this in mind, and with the number of projects Marvel Studios has already announced, it’s hard to not try and envision some of the paths the stories these characters might take us on.

    The existing connective tissue between properties is stronger with some than with others, even though Marvel Studios will always end up surprising us one way or another. But most of the more realistic theorizing (if there even is such a thing), taking into account the information that has already come out regarding casts, plots, and so on, seems to hint at a clear/not clear separation between what are the military-powered, skill-driven heroes and the more mystic and cosmic side of the MCU. So being, we’ll now focus on the first of these two groups.

    The Falcon and the Winter Soldier seems to be at the heart of the stories we might end up exploring on this side of the spectrum. With Karli Morgenthau being one of the few main characters to have (apparently) died, all the others are now ready to move on, each doing their own thing. With Sam Wilson as Captain America, he seems like a given to star in the upcoming fourth installment of the Captain America series. As for Bucky Barnes, with a Nomad series apparently in development, Barnes seems like a perfect fit. As for James “War Machine” Rhodes, he might now become the direct link to Iron Man’s legacy Riri Williams comes into contact with in Ironheart, before both move into Armor Wars, where they could be met by Sharon Carter in her newfound MCU role. Black Widow will introduce us to Yelena Belova who can seamlessly move on to Hawkeye (even if just to attend a memorial service), where Echo will be show up before staring in her own show.

    Shifting our attention to the other side of the diagram, we find several connections between shows that have already been confirmed. Monica Rambeau will be back in the franchise where she was first introduced, where she will be met by Kamala Khan who will have already been introduced in the Ms. Marvel series. Both might be met in The Marvels by Talos, who will also have a role to play in the upcoming Secret Invasion alongside Nick Fury. As to Wanda Maximoff, now the Scarlet Witch, she is certain to continue her story in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness which may become the epicenter of every upcoming property dealing with the Multiverse. Loki and Spider-Man: Far From Home seem like projects that are likely to have strong connections to the second Doctor Strange feature for obvious plot reasons, at the same time as they connect through other storylines to yet another set of properties. With the information coming out of Loki that Gugu Mbatha-Raw will be playing Judge Renslayer (meaning that almost certainly that makes her Ravonna Renslayer) it becomes highly likely that Kang will make an appearance, ahead of his already highlighted presence in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, played by the brilliant Jonathan Majors.

    These stories alone are certain to keep Marvel gaining momentum for years to come, but what seems to be the endgame here? Establishing new properties where characters from all over manage to meet for the first time, bringing together story threads from all sides of the MCU, certainly seems like a possibility. Projects that haven’t been announced as that might somewhat spoil the plots leading up to them. It should be no coincidence that a number of upcoming projects will seamlessly allow for the introduction of Young Avengers members, much like WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier managed to do with Tommy and Billy Maximoff, and Eli Bradley, respectively. Kate Bishop is already confirmed to be debuting in Hawkeye, and the rest of the team will probably soon follow, with Teddy perhaps being introduced in Secret Invasion, America Chavez in Doctor Strange 2, and Cassie Lang returning, as Stature, in Quantumania. Therefore, a Young Avengers series/movie should definitively be in the works bringing together their individual storylines. Another team being put together, even though a much different one, should be the focus of the Thunderbolts. With Baron Zemo and Abomination brought back, Taskmaster (the mantle) surviving Black Widow, and with Ghost still alive after Ant-Man and the Wasp, there is no reason for it not to be in the cards. Another feature that could serve as a continuation to John Walker’s story, maybe even bringing Yelena into the mix, and perhaps managing to dig up an Osborn to lead them, is The Dark Avengers. Marvel Studios knows that they can’t top the Avengers team they built up until Avengers: Endgame, so this focus on alternate teams, some of dubious character, would certainly be welcomed as a great change of pace. 

    There are a few projects that have already been announced that played no part in this theory. For all I know they might end up becoming the most crucial chapters of the MCU going forward. The Fantastic Four, due to their relevance, or the Eternals, due to their scope, certainly have that ability. But for now, this is it. Maybe in a couple of months, the script will be flipped and a new article will be in the works.

  • RUMOR: Elijah Richardson Joins ‘THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’ as Eli Bradley

    RUMOR: Elijah Richardson Joins ‘THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’ as Eli Bradley

    It looks like we might be able to check another member of the Young Avengers off the already growing list as actor Elijah Richardson has joined the cast of Marvel Studios upcoming Disney Plus streaming series, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. According to his IMBD filmography, the 18-year old Richardson will play Eli Bradley, aka The Patriot, in 2 episodes when the show begins streaming this March. We will note here that we are well aware that IMDB can be edited anonymously, but there have been rumblings about the Bradleys being in the series before and, contrary to popular opinion IMDB is not ALWAYS wrong. We attempted to confirm the casting with two sources but were unable to do so.

    Elijah Bradley was first introduced as the leader of the Young Avengers in Young Avengers #1. A couple of issues later, he revealed to Captain America that he was the grandson of Isaiah Bradley, the Black Captain America. After originally leading his teammates to believe his powers came from a blood transfusion from his grandfather, Eli was caught injecting mutant growth hormone. Ashamed, Bradley quit the team but showed his true heroism when he was seriously injured taking a bullet to protect Captain America. That injury led to the need for a blood transfusion from Isaiah which lead to Eli becoming a true super soldier himself.

    Richardson’s Bradley would join Kathryn Newton’s Cassie Lang and Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop as members of the original Young Avengers team. It seems a safe bet to assume that Billy Kaplan and Tommy Shepherd will be a part of the team as well after being introduced in some capacity in WandaVision. That leaves only Teddy Altman, aka Hulking, and Iron Lad to go to round out the OG squad in the MCU. Xochitl Gomez will debut as America Chavez who joined a later iteration of the team, in Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness. A Young Avengers project is in the works and believed to be headed to Disney Plus, perhaps as early as 2023.

  • Murphy’s Law Podcast: Episode 70

    Murphy’s Law Podcast: Episode 70

    Charles and Charles take an unexpected deep dive into Chapter 10 of The Mandalorian, talk about some potential new Marvel Studios projects and more! Have a listen to the record breaking 70th episode below:

  • ‘YOUNG AVENGERS’ May Be On Deck for Marvel Studios

    ‘YOUNG AVENGERS’ May Be On Deck for Marvel Studios

    On October 16th, Disney created 3 new production companies. The fact that they were created on the same day might point towards them being Marvel Studios properties. Marvel Studios has a track record of creating production companies in bulk where as other branches of Disney usually produce them one at a time. For example, as revealed by Murphy’s Multiverse, Grass-Fed Productions and Solve Everything Productions were created on the same day as were many of Marvel Studios upcoming Disney+ projects. While we don’t know that they are Marvel Studios production companies, we did find some additional evidence that backs up the possibility that they are Marvel Studios productions, though it wasn’t enough to make us 100% certain. So what are they?   The production companies are Standoffish Productions, Blueberry Waffles Productions , and Log Jam Productions. While we can’t tie them to any Marvel property, we do have some ideas.

    While this is a very loose connection, we think we have an idea of what one of the production companies could possibly be. Blueberry Waffles, here is our explanation. We have seen in Young Avengers Volume 2, written by Kieron Gillen and launched in January of 2013, that the team continuously meets up at Joe’s Diner for breakfast. In one of the issues, Kid Loki eats blueberry pancakes. As I like to say, waffles are just pancakes with abs, so this could be the production we are looking for. While we already know Marvel is developing a Young Avengers project, this could be them moving forward with the project. We are not 100% sure, but this could the answer.

     

     

    While this is some pretty shaky evidence, we do know that Marvel Studios is developing many other projects like Blade (he stakes vampires with wood, so Log Jam…get it?), Ghost Rider, Illuminati, Ironheart, Secret Invasion and Secret Warriors, in addition to Young Avengers, so there are plenty of reasonable options for these production companies. Keep in mind that not all production companies are tied straight to the comic books. For example, WandaVision was Static Productions. Nobody would have ever found that one out. It is the same situation for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier streaming series that was Pandemic Productions. Until we have further proof, all we can do is keep this in the back of our minds as something to think about and with Marvel Studios slate already pretty full, it would be a while before any of these projects got up and running.

  • Xochitl Gomez Joins ‘DOCTOR STRANGE’ Sequel

    Xochitl Gomez Joins ‘DOCTOR STRANGE’ Sequel

    Actress Xochitl Gomez has joined the cast of Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness, according to a trade report. Though the trade said her role was unrevaled, it’s almost certain that she has landed the prized role of America Chavez, an alien from the Utopian Parallel with the power to travel the multiverse! The Illuminerdi first broke the news that Chavez was set to appear in the sequel and now it would seem Marvel Studios has found their America!

    Though terms of the contract were not discussed, it’s a near certainty that Gomez will appear in Marvel Studios Young Avengers project, which has been rumored to be in development for some time now, after completing the Strange sequel. The 14-year old Gomez previously starred in the Netflix series The Babysitters Club and also on the Disney Channel series, Raven’s Home.

  • Theory Thursday: Ant-Man and the Young Avengers

    Theory Thursday: Ant-Man and the Young Avengers

    This theory was meant to go up two weeks from now, but considering the amount of hype the Ant-Man threequel film has been getting with the casting announcement of Jonathan Majors as Kang, I thought it might be the appropriate time to discuss a little theory i’ve been working on for quite sometime now for ‘Ant-Man 3’ or as I like to call it; Ant-Man and the Young Avengers.

    ‘Ant-Man and the Young Avengers’  Concept Logo by Superhero Theorist (aka me).

    Now, I want to delve a little bit into some of the comic lore that kind of helped me develop this theory.

    COMIC CONNECTIONS

    Let’s talk a little bit about how the Young Avengers were formed in the comics, and actually, while I’m mentioning it, my buddy Joseph Aberl a couple of days ago actually discussed a lot of Kang’s origin in the comics here on Murphy’s Multiverse and how his counterpart, Nathaniel Richards aka Iron Lad, helped set up the Young Avengers in the comics and how the film can loosely base itself on it. So be sure to check that out if you’ve got a minute and then pop back in here if you’d like.

    Caught up? Alright, well in his article, Joseph states the following point; “Nathaniel (Richards) is the one that brings the team (Young Avengers) together after the Avengers disbanded.” This is a magnificent point that he brings up and he goes on to explain how the Avengers in the MCU are pretty much disbanded following the events of Avengers: Endgame. While it is a brilliant point, I do want to add a very crucial detail to the story of the Young Avengers’ origin story, by adding just a little more to Joseph’s original statement. So, let’s look back at the statement again shall we? In the 616 continuity in the comics, “Nathaniel is the one that brings the team together after the Avengers disbanded” following the events of the comic run, House of M. 

    Now, this is really important because if we look back at the Phase 4 lineup, we already know that WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness are well into production and are going to base themselves on the House of M comic run. And with both Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Ant-Man 3 both slated for 2022 (if all goes according to plan), we might see the repercussions of that film and WandaVision play out in a similar way to the comics with the creation of the Young Avengers as a result.

    Let’s continue on with the comic lore lesson shall we?

    Later on, in Young Avengers Vol. 1 #2, Nathaniel runs away from Kang after his first encounter with him and manages to escape by travelling back in time to the regular timeline. He tries to go to the Avengers for help but realized, as we stated before, that the Avengers disbanded. So he broke into a Stark Industries warehouse where he found the broken body of the Vision and his fully functioning A.I. (Depicted above). Considering that Vision right now is pretty much broken following the events of Avengers: Infinity War, it would be a nice touch to see the AI form of Vision, J.A.R.V.I.S., come back into the fray to help form the Young Avengers since his comic counterpart played an important part in the Young Avengers comics.

    Either way, back to the story, Vision’s AI explained that he designed the Avengers Fail-Safe Program, a program designed “to be utilized to recruit the next generation of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, in case the Avengers were ever destroyed or disbanded.”

    Eventually, he uses the program to find and assemble the Young Avengers to eventually take on Kang the Conqueror.

    Now that we’ve all caught up with the story behind the Young Avengers, let’s get into my theory:

    Ant-man iii might loosely base itself on the Young avengers vol. 1 storyline.

    Now I’ve seen people get confused as to why the third Ant-Man film would be the place for the Young Avengers to assemble. I personally think it would be fantastic to have them assemble in this film and let me explain why. Marvel has been setting up the Young Avengers for a while now and have been teased in subtle ways through the films. The main thing is determining exactly which characters from the comics will be a part of this team in the MCU. And I think I may already have the roster.

    THE ROSTER:

    This would be my ideal roster of characters for the MCU Young Avengers. The characters are (from left to right):

    AMERICA CHAVEZ

    iRON lAD

    Kate Bishop

    Hulkling

    Stature

    wiccan

    Speed

    The idea of the Young Avengers joining the MCU really isn’t too crazy, since the seeds have already been planted across multiple MCU films. The idea was most recently teased during Avengers: Endgame when we saw with Cassie Lang (who eventually takes on the mantle of Stature in the comics) already being a teenager by the time Avengers: Endgame ends & Harley Keener’s appearance during Tony Stark’s funeral in that same film. Many fans have speculated for a while now the possibility of Harley Keener becoming taking on the mantle of Iron Lad and considering his age, it is entirely possible that we could see him take up the mantle. Though I wouldn’t necessarily count Nathaniel Richards out of the picture yet, considering that Kang the Conqueror was already cast in the MCU.

    We already know from our good friends at the Illuminerdi and a report from our own Charles Murphy pretty much confirmed that America Chavez is joining the MCU pretty soon in the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel. We also know that both of Wanda’s children, Wiccan and Speed, are set to be introduced during the Disney+ show, WandaVision, and we also know that Kate Bishop is set to be introduced in the upcoming Disney+ show, Hawkeye. Lastly, as for Hulkling, considering that he was an original Young Avengers member, a member of the skrull race, with the introduction of S.W.O.R.D. coming into play for WandaVision, and the eventual relationship he develops with Wiccan in the comics, I totally see Hulkling coming into the MCU along with the Young Avengers for their assembly.

    The mentors

    Considering that this is an Ant-Man film, it’s obvious that we will be seeing more of Scott Lang, Hope Van Dyne, Janet Van Dyne and Hank Pym. Personally, for this film, I would love to see a sort of mentoring role from all of these characters. Scott and Hope can help train the Young Avengers in combat, while Hank can help in trying to find the best way to outsmart Kang, considering both their intellects. And Janet can help these new Avengers into understanding their powers and can finally fulfill a very important point from the comics, which is that she helped form the original Avengers in the comics.

    The threat

    Kang the Conqueror is the first threat the Young Avengers face in the comics, and Jonathan Majors’ casting as Kang is definitely indicative of Marvel wanting to base themselves on the comic lore of the Young Avengers for their introduction. Kang has been known to harness the power of time to travel and has an extremely complex backstory, since time travel can be confusing at times. We know that during Avengers: Endgame, the Avengers used the Quantum Realm to travel to other points in time to collect the Infinity Stones and we also know that the upcoming projects, Loki & the Doctor Strange sequel will deal with the concepts of space-time, which might draw the attention of one particular time traveler.

    If Kang does decide to intervene and take on the Earth and conqueror the world, he better be fully prepared to take on the full force of Ant-Man and the Young Avengers.

  • How to Play Thor and Captain America in ‘Avengers’ Beta

    It just doesn’t end for the upcoming Marvel’s Avengers game. More players are getting a chance to test out the Beta on various consoles. This limited players to four characters. You can only play as Ms. Marvel, Hulk, Iron Man, and Black Widow. Only during A-Day can players test out Thor and Captain America. Still, they were in the game’s code so some crafty players didn’t let that stop them. They found a way to play as both characters and access their various features. Here is some gameplay from YouTuber TonyBingGaming playing the patriotic hero:

    If you are interested in checking out the costumes and skill trees, they have been shared on Reddit as well:

    LEAKED Cap & Thor Costumes from Marvel Avengers Countdown on Twitter
    byu/Overwatch3 inPlayAvengers

    LEAKED CAP AND THOR SKILL TREES Preview
    byu/Overwatch3 inPlayAvengers

    As one can see from the gameplay, the glitch won’t give you the final build of the characters. Captain America has the hover ability of Iron Man, as he replaces him through the glitch. What stands out though is that their character cards and skill trees are included in the beta. these could still be from an earlier build of the game, as the introductions to the moves are missing. It is exciting though to think what the game lets you unlock as you play through it. There are quite a few costumes one can unlock for these characters with the “season pass”-inspired character card. It is quite impressive what the Internet can do when they get their hands on something. This certainly wasn’t planned to happen by developer Crystal Dynamics.

    Source: YouTube (TonyBingGaming), Reddit (Costumes), Reddit (Skill Tree)