If This MCU Rumor Is True, I Think Marvel’s Making the Right Call With the Young Avengers

[[{“value”:”

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been building up to its introduction of the Young Avengers for years. The Multiverse Saga has included the live-action debuts of multiple younger superheroes who could finally join together to form the first lineup of the iconic team from Marvel Comics. While rumors of the MCU’s Young Avengers remained firmly in the realm of speculation for years, 2023’s The Marvels finally confirmed that the team would be coming shortly, as Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel approached Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop in hopes of starting their superhero squad. While Marvel Studios has yet to officially announce a Young Avengers-centered project, fans are expecting such an announcement to come shortly.

As audiences wait for more news concerning the team’s debut, recent rumors suggest that the Young Avengers will star in their Disney+ series rather than a spinoff film. This rumor is supported by the fact that the MCU has very few theatrical releases left before the end of the Multiverse Saga in 2027, giving the franchise very little time to fit in a Young Avengers crossover. This rumor may come as a surprise to many viewers, who have come to expect the MCU’s big crossover stories to come in the form of theatrical films rather than streaming series. However, if these rumors prove to be true, I believe that turning the Young Avengers into a Disney+ series is the best choice that Marvel could have made for the team’s debut.

The Young Avengers Will Work Better as a Series

A Disney+ Series Can Flesh Out Marvel’s Newest Superhero Team

While some fans might need to take time to process this shift, a Young Avengers Disney+ series would portray the team much better than a movie ever could. The MCU is growing increasingly expansive and, as a result, has grown somewhat unruly over the years. A plethora of characters and storylines have led to countless lingering plot threads and several characters getting lost in the mix. The MCU of the Multiverse Saga is a far cry from the much tighter storyline of the Infinity Saga, which benefitted from focusing on six core characters and a stellar supporting cast to round out their adventures. Now, with so many stories to tell and characters to work with, the Multiverse Saga doesn’t always deliver on its long-running storylines, making it all the more important that Marvel nail the introduction of the Young Avengers. Although the lead-up to the Young Avengers has been steady throughout the Multiverse Saga, fans have spent very little time with each of the characters that are expected to join the team. As a result, the MCU’s best path forward is to make the Young Avengers crossover a Disney+ event, consisting of a multi-episode season that can better flesh out its story–and each member of the team.

A Disney+ series is better suited to a team that will include many characters. While the first Avengers movie only worked with six main heroes, there are over a dozen characters who could join the MCU’s Young Avengers. It is unlikely that Marvel will include all of these characters as a part of the team, but there is no doubt that its starting lineup will be far bigger than the first lineup of the Avengers. A movie featuring such a large cast of characters would inevitably leave some in the background, disappointing viewers who came to see those particular heroes shine. A series, on the other hand, could give each member of the Young Avengers an arc, making them equally essential to the team and leaving no one behind as an extraneous cast member. Audiences have spent considerably less time with each Young Avenger than they did with the original Avengers before their first team-up, making it all the more essential that each new hero get more screen time in the upcoming crossover. A series can achieve this goal far better than a single movie ever could.

A series would also give Marvel more time to explore the formation of the Young Avengers team, rather than rushing to bring all of its characters together. The Avengers was able to do this in its first act, though many agree that this is the weaker part of the movie, as it jumps from location to location in a desperate rush to get each hero to where they need to be to finally join the team. The timeline of a season of television is far more forgiving in this regard, potentially giving showrunners one or two episodes just to explore how the Young Avengers came together in the first place. With the necessary time to craft this story, Marvel will leave audiences more inclined to follow the continuing adventures of the Young Avengers.

Moreover, a multi-episode format makes it easier to set up a compelling villain for the Young Avengers. Unlike The Avengers, which recycled Loki as its main villain after his previous appearance in Thor, the MCU’s Young Avengers don’t yet have a villain that audiences know. The series will need to take time to build up a believable villain for the team to face. In a movie, every second spent with the villain could have been used to deepen each of the hero’s arcs. This is why many Marvel villains have been known to be lackluster, as each film preferred to spend more time with its hero than its antagonist. A Disney+ series could juggle characters much more easily, allowing for more time to build up a villain that is both powerful enough to take on the Young Avengers and compelling enough for audiences to enjoy watching through the course of a season of television.

A Young Avengers Series Is Exactly What the MCU Needs

A Young Avengers Disney+ Series Can Fix Certain MCU Complaints

While a Disney+ series might be the perfect way to introduce the Young Avengers, it might also be exactly what the MCU needs. As the franchise continues an era of restructuring following several misses and box office flops, Marvel is looking for better ways to tell its expansive stories. The addition of the Disney+ series allowed the MCU to introduce many new characters but has also added to the rising feeling among fans that the franchise is growing too large and unwieldy. Nevertheless, the answer to this complaint may not be to cut out the Disney+ series altogether, but rather to introduce more multi-season series that fans can follow over several years. This keeps the storylines of the MCU’s shows tighter, while still allowing the franchise to explore new characters, locations, and plot points. Much like the other Marvel Entertainment series before Disney+, long-format shows would help expand the lore of a franchise without letting things get out of hand.

The Young Avengers would be a perfect subject for a multi-season Disney+ show, allowing viewers to revisit the team year after year as they continue to grow and mature into the heroes that will one day lead the MCU. Audiences could follow the Young Avengers season by season, watching them overcome different obstacles and grow closer as a team. With so much time dedicated to their adventures, the Young Avengers could grow to become the most beloved characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, perfectly positioning them as the new faces of the franchise as the original heroes continue to retire. This would go a long way in helping build the next era of the MCU, setting up a new cast that audiences already know and love.

The Young Avengers are coming to the MCU, but the medium in which they appear could change everything. While many viewers are expecting a film to mark the team’s debut, a Disney+ series would serve the Young Avengers far better. Not only would a series give each Young Avenger a chance to shine, but it would also contribute greatly to the MCU’s renewed efforts to rebuild following a string of disappointments.

“}]] Recent rumors suggest a major change to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Young Avengers–and it’s the right choice for the new superhero team.  Read More