MCU Star’s Pregnancy Announcement Raises Questions About Her Young Avengers Future

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An actress who plays a Young Avenger in the Marvel Cinematic Universe might have complicated her role after revealing she’s pregnant. Although Marvel has many different hero teams, fans have been anticipating the Young Avengers‘ official debut for a long time.

Hailee Steinfeld, known for her role as Kate Bishop, and her husband, NFL MVP Josh Allen, are expecting a baby. They shared the news with a sweet 28-second video on Instagram, showing them playfully in the snow and Steinfeld’s baby bump. Steinfeld was also wearing a sweatshirt repeatedly featuring the word “mother.” You can watch the full video here.

Kate Bishop, played by Hailee Steinfeld, most recently appeared in 2023’s The Marvels, where she connected with Ms. Marvel and hinted at the future Young Avengers team. While this was only her second live-action role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—following her first appearance in 2021’s Hawkeye—it’s currently unknown when she’ll appear in the MCU again.

Currently, Marvel Studios hasn’t announced a Disney+ series or movie focused on the Young Avengers. Also, there are no confirmed plans for the actors expected to be in the Young Avengers team to reappear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before the end of Phase 6, which will conclude with Avengers: Secret Wars in December 2027.

Is Young Avengers Team Getting Too Old Before MCU Debut?

Hailee Steinfeld is expected to have her baby in four to six months, which is leading to discussions about how much longer the actors currently considered for the ‘Young Avengers’ team will still fit the age group. This applies to most of the potential members of the team as they all get older.

Hailee Steinfeld recently turned 29 in mid-December, making her the oldest of the potential Young Avengers cast members. Kathryn Newton, who plays Cassie Lang, is close behind, turning 29 in February 2026. Dominique Thorne, who plays Ironheart, will also be 29 before the end of 2026, specifically in November.

As a huge Marvel fan, I’ve been keeping track of the ages of the young cast members in the upcoming projects, and it’s interesting to see how close they all are in age! Ruaridh Mollica, who’s playing a character, is 26, and Joe Locke is 22. Wil Deusner, playing Skaar, is also 22, and Iman Vellani – who’s quickly become a favorite as Ms. Marvel – is around the same age at 23. But the youngest of the group is definitely Xochitl Gomez, who plays America Chavez; she’ll turn 20 in April 2026. It’s cool to see such a young and talented group leading the way!

Even if the Young Avengers appear in the next two Avengers films, several of the actors playing them will likely be over 30 years old. This raises a question about the team’s name – they might be better known as the “Champions” instead. Considering that many of the original Avengers were in their late 20s or early 30s when they first appeared, it’s becoming harder to consider this new group truly “young.”

The team was first planned to appear in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, but that movie’s title changed to Avengers: Doomsday. Now, it’s uncertain when they will actually make their debut.

As a movie fan, I can really feel the connection between these actors – you could tell how close Selena Gomez and Hailee Steinfeld were when Selena showed up to Hailee’s birthday a few years back. But honestly, it’s a little worrying that we haven’t heard anything about what they’re working on next. With the big Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars movies coming up, I’m starting to fear they might not be included, and that would be a shame!

Marvel Studios might still introduce a Young Avengers project before the upcoming Secret Wars movie, which is set to release in two years. Starting the team now would allow them to unite while still young, but it could create challenges for future storylines as the characters mature and grow up.

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2025-12-23 23:04