The Marvel Cinematic Universe is truly entering a new era, one that sees a wave of younger heroes entering the fold. In the past year alone, the MCU has introduced notable names like Kate Bishop (Hawkeye), Billy and Tommy (Wiccan and Speed) and America Chavez. And even more are on the way, with Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) being the latest to join the massive franchise. These new additions have had some fans speculating that Marvel Studios is looking to introduce a team, though nothing has been confirmed yet. Still, Vellani has given the matter some thought, and she sounds pretty sure about who she’d like to see fight alongside Kamala as part of the Young Avengers lineup.
One of the most delightful things about Iman Vellani is that she’s been a fan of Marvel Comics and the MCU for years and has no problem giving her two cents on both continuities. So when I spoke to her during the Ms. Marvel press junket, I had to get her thoughts on what the Young Avengers or the Champions could look like in the cinematic universe. With this, she enthusiastically listed off some prospects, and one of them may surprise you:
Ironheart. Easy. Kate Bishop. Why not? Spider Man? I feel like that'd be fun. America Chavez. Let's bring in Sprite from Eternals. No one talks about her. I think she's great. And yeah, she's human now? She can age? I guess she's still young. That movie confuses me sometimes [laughs].
That’s definitely a strong team, though I’d also add in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s Eli Bradley (known as Patriot in the comics). If I’m being totally honest, Sprite wasn’t one of the first characters that came to mind when thinking about the young superhero team. She is indeed an intriguing pick but, as Iman Vellani mentioned, her status moving forward is somewhat questionable. At the end of Eternals, the cosmic being (played by Lia McHugh) gave up her illusion-based abilities, allowing her to physically age. Despite this, there’s always the chance that she could join a young superhero team as a fighter (and she could also contribute her knowledge of different languages).
CinemaBlend also caught up with Lia McHugh at the world premiere of Ms. Marvel, where we asked her how she’d feel about joining any kind of team that includes Kamala Khan. The actress seemed keen on the idea and weighed in on how Sprite might mesh with such a group:
Oh, my gosh. That would be really cool. That would be awesome. I mean, any opportunity I could get with Marvel, honestly. But yeah, being part of a new Avengers [team], that’d be pretty sick. … Sprite’s a bit bossy, I’d say, a little bit out there. I don’t know. I’d like to think she’d maybe be a bit of a leader. That would be cool.
From where I’m standing, it feels like Marvel Studios is indeed setting the stage for some kind of team-up involving its more youthful do-gooders. Within the next year, the Ironheart series will land on Disney+, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will give fans a teenaged, and recast, Cassie Lang, who may or may not become Stature. Amid the rise of these newcomers, MCU guru Kevin Feige has addressed Young Avengers rumors. The savvy producer would neither confirm nor deny such a thing but did say that the potential for characters like these is “endless.”
Like so many people, I eagerly await the arrival of the MCU’s Young Avengers or Champions. In the meantime though, we can look forward to Kamala Khan’s debut in Ms. Marvel, which critics have been high on so far. It may be too early to say this, but Iman Vellani’s protagonist could end up becoming a leader should a team of teeny-boppers come together.
Ms. Marvel, which will be streamable with a Disney+ subscription, premieres on June 8th. Be sure that you stay tuned to CinemaBlend’s 2022 TV schedule to stay in the know on upcoming MCU shows.
