Marvel Reportedly Developing Film Focused On The Young Avengers

Should have called it Avenjuniors. 

According to a new report by We Got This Covered, Marvel Studios is apparently cooking up a special project in its movie-making kitchen — a tasty little something titled New Avengers. 

Contrary to what the project's (possibly tentative) name may suggest, the characters set to be featured aren't fresh heroes fans have never before seen on the page or screen. Rumor has it that the film will center on the Young Avengers, a group of heroes whose line-up has included various teenage and young adult characters from the Marvel Comics canon. 

In the reported New Avengers movie, a script for which is apparently already in development, the "rejuvenated roster" features the following heroes: the Kate Bishop iteration of Hawkeye (as opposed to the Clint Barton version fans are most familiar with); Wiccan, the imaginary, magic-using teenage offspring of Vision and Scarlet Witch; Hulkling, a shape-shifting gay Skrull teenager who is in no way related to the Hulk and who is in love with Wiccan; Stature, the superhero moniker of Scott Lang's daughter, Cassie; Iron Land, a teen take on Kang the Conqueror from the Fantastic Four lore; Patriot, the grandson of the black Captain America, Isaiah Bradley, who was involved in a secret government experiment to recreate the Super-Soldier Serum that transformed Steve Rogers into the Star-Spangled Avenger; and a new form of Vision, not the adult iteration Paul Bettany plays in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but a hybrid of his operation system and the armor Iron Lad wears. 

Considering that the comics position Iron Lad as the "recruiter" of the Young Avengers, one could assume that he might be the star of New Avengers — if Marvel truly is working on such a project, that is. 

Sources close to We Got This Covered claim that Emma Fuhrmann will take on the role of Stature in New Avengers, which would make sense given that the young actress is reportedly playing an older Cassie Lang in Avengers: Endgame. Similarly, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has previously teased that Cassie is "inspired by her father," that her inclusion in the Ant-Man movies was a bid to "plant seeds" for her involvement in future films, and that he would love to make a Young Avengers movie happen. He told ScreenRant ahead of Ant-Man and the Wasp's debut in mid-2018, "Clearly, anything from the comics is our inspiration going forward. We love that Cassie in this movie in particular is inspired by her father, wants to do good. Certainly, we're following that trend. Where, when, how, we'll see, but I think it would be cool." 

This all adds additional credence to all the Stature-related speculation. However, like the New Avengers project as whole, Fuhrmann's casting hasn't yet been confirmed, but it's good to know that it holds some substantial weight. 

Another Endgame actress who might climb aboard New Avengers is Katherine Langford, the Aussie star who broke out with her role as Hannah Baker on Netflix's 13 Reasons Why. Word about Langford's ties to Endgame first got out in late October 2018, when reports indicated that she had filmed scenes for the superhero ensemble. Marvel didn't provide details about her character (not that anyone expected the secretive studio to do so in the first place), but that didn't stop fans from theorizing that she could appear as Kate Bishop. The Endgame trailer confirmed what set photos and leaked artwork suggested: Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye will take on his alter ego Ronin within the fourth Avengers film. With Clint having possibly sunsetted Hawkeye for good, there's a clear path for Kate to rise and assume the Hawkeye mantle. Perhaps Endgame will even feature Clint and Kate engaging in a mentor-mentee dynamic, with the former guiding the latter as she readies to rise as the hero he once was. 

Then again, Langford could star as a number of other characters — like Dormammu's daughter Clea, Doctor Strange's eventual wife, or the villainous Queen Veranke — in the upcoming Avengers pic. But with all the fan art that has imagined the brunette actress as Kate Bishop, we're personally more inclined to believe she'll fling some arrows and fight some baddies in Endgame — then usher in the next generation of Earth's Mightiest Heroes in New Avengers. 

Looking beyond the scope of the silver-screen Marvel universe, Kate Bishop's reported involvement in New Avengers and the hero's potential inclusion in Endgame could give us insight into the storyline of the rumored Hawkeye show that might launch on Disney's forthcoming streaming platform, Disney+. The series, along with the in-development show The Vision and Scarlet Witch that has Captain Marvel co-writer Jac Schaffer attached as showrunner, is apparently meant to set up a standalone film for the character. Both MCU Vision actor Bettany and MCU Scarlet Witch actress Elizabeth Olsen are expected to star in The Vision and Scarlet Witch, which would lead one to believe that Renner would top-line the series all about Hawkeye. 

If Kate does appear in Endgame and work alongside the hero formerly known as Hawkeye, perhaps she will lead the Hawkeye series, with Clint making recurring appearances. Recent rumors claim that the series is in the early stages of development, and is a "'caper' about Hawkeye coming out of retirement to help aspiring vigilante as Kate Bishop after she gets in trouble with organized crime while using his name." This could potentially complicate Kate's appearance in New Avengers and might nix the need for a Hawkeye solo movie featuring her iteration of the hero. 

On the flip side, if those rumors prove false and the Hawkeye series ends up turning back the clock and focusing on Clint's origins, involving Kate in a lesser capacity, there would be room for both a Renner-topped Hawkeye solo movie and a standalone centered on Kate Bishop, and would allow for more exploration of the character within New Avengers. (Follow all that? Good.)

As far as The Vision and Scarlet Witch is concerned, the series is expected to focus on the heroes as a couple — and that might include their children, like Wiccan. The show could introduce him at some point, establishing who he is and what he's capable of and granting viewers the chance to get acquainted with him before seeing him in New Avengers. 

In all, though the New Avengers movie is nothing but a rumor for the time being, it's one of the more plausible ones we've heard. We wouldn't be surprised if Marvel makes an announcement regarding the project a few months down the line, in the post-Endgame world that may be adjusting to a life without some of Marvel's most beloved heroes.