Marvel has presented readers with some of the most iconic supergroups ever to grace comic books. Notable teams like the Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four have redefined what a superteam could be, while lesser-known groups such as the various X-teams, the Defenders, and the New Warriors have won over fans throughout the years. Marvel has consistently delivered captivating teams to their readers. However, one team that stands out as particularly intriguing yet hasn’t made a recent appearance is the Young Avengers. Debuting in the 2000s during Marvel’s heightened focus on the Avengers, the Young Avengers have carved out an unique niche within the Marvel Universe.
The Young Avengers initially emerged as a successor group to the Avengers, adopting symbols reminiscent of their predecessors and creating entirely new characters such as Patriot, Iron Lad, Hulking, Wiccan, Hawkeye II, Stature, and Speed. Their early stories during the ’00s Marvel era and the second volume of Marvel NOW! are often overlooked but highly regarded. The addition of members like America Chavez and Noh-Varr in this later series is thought to surpass the original. At one point, it appeared that the Young Avengers would be shaping the future of the Marvel Universe; however, that prediction hasn’t fully materialized, leading us to ponder: Will the Young Avengers prove to be Marvel’s next great next-gen team, or have they already reached their peak?
The Young Avengers Have a Lot of Competition for the Title of Best Next Gen Team
The Young Avengers mark a significant departure from the earliest Marvel teen superhero team, the Young Allies. While the Young Allies were indeed the first teen superteam in comics, they are not typically recognized as such compared to DC’s Legion of Superheroes. The X-Men came next but eventually grew into an adult team. Most subsequent Marvel teen superteams have been mutants, like the New Mutants, X-Force, and the New X-Men. In the ’90s, readers got the New Warriors, and in the ’00s, the Runaways. The Young Avengers, however, represent a fresh attempt by Marvel to create a teen superteam centered around their most iconic characters.
The team was a huge success, with Iron Lad’s central secret adding an intriguing twist to the early issues of the comic book series. The original volume of Young Avengers was notable for its queer themes, particularly the relationship between Hulkling and Wiccan that developed over time, culminating in a kiss five years after their debut in “Young Avengers: The Children’s Crusade” (2010).
The second volume of Young Avengers was even more openly queer, as every member of the new team-characters like America, Wiccan, Hulkling, Prodigy, and Noh-Varr-were gay. The Young Avengers quickly garnered a devoted fanbase and have remained a beloved team among readers ever since.
One significant issue with the Young Avengers is that they haven’t been given a prominent role by Marvel, as evidenced by the progression of teams like the New Mutants/X-Force or the New Warriors. For instance, Wolfsbane and Cannonball, introduced in the early ’80s with the New Mutants, were eventually promoted to adult teams such as X-Factor and X-Men respectively. Similarly, Firestar and Justice from the New Warriors joined the Avengers in 1998.
In contrast, none of the Young Avengers have ascended to the main team. Additionally, the Young Avengers comic book series has been absent for quite some time now. Despite being around for two decades, their influence on the Marvel Universe has been minimal at best. Characters like Hulkling and Wiccan have become leaders of combined Kree and Skrull Empires, but they seldom appear anymore. Hawkeye II has had occasional focus, but she’s an exception. The rest of the Young Avengers are virtually unknown entities in the Marvel Universe. This lack of prominence is a major disadvantage for them in contention for the best upcoming superhero team.
The Young Avengers Aren’t Marvel’s Best Next Gen Team, Unfortunately
The Young Avengers possess an immense amount of promise and are generally considered a trendy team, but unfortunately, they’ve only remained as a promising group without ever fully realizing their potential within the Marvel Universe. Unlike other teams, they have not served as a breeding ground for adult superhero groups. Interestingly, when Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), Nova (Sam Alexander), and Miles Morales left the Avengers to create a new teen team, there was an opportunity for Marvel to develop them into such a team. However, Marvel instead named this newly formed team “the Champions,” which was originally a less popular 70’s Marvel group. To be fair, the Champions have proven to be more effective, although arguably, it might be the New Mutants that hold
While it’s possible that Marvel could eventually develop the Young Avengers into their most promising new generation team, it seems unlikely given the publisher’s history of minimal interest in promoting the group as significant. Most members of the team have been relegated to the sidelines by Marvel, and the team itself has been inactive for quite some time. There was initially optimism that the MCU might adopt them, but with whispers of a large-scale MCU reboot following Avengers: Secret Wars, it appears that this may not materialize. In essence, Marvel seems to have intentionally hindered the possibility of the Young Avengers becoming prominent.
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2025-08-25 04:10