The ages of the perfect Young Avengers in the Young Avengers team will finally make its live-action debut. While this is exciting, the fact that Marvel is taking so long setting up the team has raised concerns that the perfect line-up may soon be too old to be considered Young Avengers.
The Young Avengers made their first appearance in Marvel Comics' eponymous Young Avengers #1 in 2005, comprising a number of young heroes who have connections to some of Marvel's more-established superpowered characters. The perfect roster for a MCU's original Avengers team, these concerns get put to rest.
There Have Been Concerns About The Young Avengers Ages
The Young Avengers Team Is Taking A Long Time To Form
Perhaps the most central member of the Young Avengers that Marvel Studios has already introduced is Iman Vellani's Kamala Khan, who was 18 years old when cast as Ms. Marvel in September 2020. Now, Vellani is 22, and is only one example of growing concerns that the Young Avengers' possible cast may be getting too old to be considered Young Avengers, as Marvel Studios is taking rather a long time to set up the superhero team. In Marvel Comics, all the Young Avengers' are in their late teens or very early 20s.
The MCU's Most Likely Young Avengers Lineup, Ranked By Power
While there are many characters who could the MCU's Young Avengers, the team will likely only comprise a few of the most powerful young heroes.
Following the rule that Young Avengers should be in their late teens or early 20s, right now would be the perfect time to bring together the Young Avengers in the MCU. Unfortunately, there has been no word on whether a movie or series focused on the Young Avengers will actually be developed, aside from audience speculation and fan theories. It seems the Young Avengers may be formed in 2026's Avengers: Doomsday, which would make all the actors almost two years older, but, thankfully, this might not actually be the problem many believe it to be.
How Old Were The Original Avengers Team In 2012?
Six Heroes Formed The Avengers In Phase 1
At the end of the MCU's Phase 1, Marvel Studios' The Avengers, which premiered on May 4, 2012, brought together six iconic Marvel heroes as the original Avengers team. This adult Avengers team has been through many changes in the years since, adding and losing before seemingly disbanding after the Battle of Earth in Avengers: Endgame. The ages of the six original Avengers and the team's benefactor, then-SHIELD Director Nick Fury, vary massively, ranging from late 20s to early 40s, though Fury was 61 during The Avengers.
Original Avengers Actor |
Role |
Actor's Age (2012) |
Character's Age (2012) |
|---|---|---|---|
Scarlett Johansson |
Natasha Romanoff's Black Widow |
27 |
27 |
Chris Hemsworth |
Thor |
28 |
Roughly 1050 |
Chris Evans |
Steve Rogers' Captain America |
30 |
26/93 |
Jeremy Renner |
Clint Barton's Hawkeye |
41 |
30s/40s |
Mark Ruffalo |
Bruce Banner's Hulk |
44 |
42 |
Robert Downey Jr. |
Tony Stark's Iron Man |
47 |
42 |
Samuel L. Jackson |
Nick Fury |
63 |
61 |
Of course, the Avengers' ages in the MCU have a huge scope, as Steve Rogers was born in 1918, so was technically 93 in May 2012, but was frozen in stasis for most of that time, while Thor has lived for over a millennium, thanks to his Asgardian physiology. Both Scarlett Johansson and Natasha Romanoff are the youngest of their respective groups, while Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr.'s MCU characters are the same age, despite three years being between the actors. Comparing these ages to the Young Avengers quells any concerns about the team.
The MCU’s Perfect Young Avengers Team Is Still Younger Than The OG Avengers
MCU's Young Avengers Are Still Very Young
So far, Marvel Studios has seemingly confirmed at least seven possible of the Young Avengers, whether that be in the final moments of 2023's The Marvels, in the recent The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Agatha All Along Disney+ shows or in Disney's Worlds of Marvel cruise experience. Contrary to some popular beliefs, the ages of the Young Avengers are not yet getting close to being discounted from the team, ranging from as low as 14 to as high as 23. This means the Young Avengers still have plenty of time to make their MCU debut.
Young Avengers Actor |
Role |
Actor's Age |
Character's Age & Project |
|---|---|---|---|
Xochitl Gomez |
America Chavez |
18 |
14 in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness |
Joe Locke |
Billy Maximoff's Wiccan |
21 |
16 in Agatha All Along |
Iman Vellani |
Kamala Khan's Ms. Marvel |
22 |
16 in The Marvels |
Elijah Richardson |
Eli Bradley |
22 |
Roughly 20 in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier |
Kathryn Newton |
Cassie Lang's Stature |
27 |
18 in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania |
Dominique Thorne |
Riri Williams' Ironheart |
27 |
19 in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever |
Hailee Steinfeld |
Kate Bishop's Hawkeye |
27 |
23 in The Marvels |
Thankfully, even though several of these actors are in their late 20s, they are able to play considerably younger in the MCU, allowing them to bring their experience and talent into some of these younger superhero roles. America Chavez is the youngest member of this team, but has perhaps been forced to mature more than the others, after losing her mothers and raising herself across many universes. Eli Bradley takes up the Patriot moniker in Marvel Comics, so could assume this role in the MCU, too, fleshing out the age-appropriate Young Avengers even further.
1 Young Avengers Member’s Age Makes Her The Perfect Team Leader
Kate Bishop Is The Oldest Possible Young Avengers Member
Naturally, Kamala Khan's Ms. Marvel has been put front-and-center among the Young Avengers, using a SWORD tablet to track down new heroes at the end of The Marvels. However, as the oldest member of the team by a considerable amount, Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop would make the perfect leader of the Young Avengers team instead of Ms. Marvel. Kate Bishop even noted that she is slightly too old to be called a Young Avenger in The Marvels, so it would be great to see her take some of the younger under her wing, just as Hawkeye did for her.
Who Is Kate Bishop? Marvel’s New Hawkeye Explained
Kate Bishop is gearing up to take over Hawkeye's mantle in the MCU in his Disney+ series. Here's how she acquired the codename in Marvel Comics.
Kate Bishop's age and experience alongside original Avenger Clint Barton have taught her skills that she could put to good use as the leader of the Young Avengers. Kate Bishop is currently the only possible member of the Young Avengers to embark on a mission with one of the six original of the Avengers, and has even adopted Clint Barton's own superhero moniker in his place. This will surely make her a central member of the team, and could make it easier for her to help recruit the other of the Young Avengers.
- Created by
- Kevin Feige
- Films
- Avengers: Secret Wars
- TV Shows
- Agatha: Coven of Chaos, Vision Quest
- First Film
- Iron Man
- First TV Show
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Cast
- Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Edward Norton, Paul Rudd, Tom Holland, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Brie Larson, Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Stan, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff, Josh Brolin, Karen Gillan, Clark Gregg, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Simu Liu, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Angelina Jolie, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Barry Keoghan, Gemma Chan, Ma Dong-seok, Brian Tyree Henry, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Lia McHugh, Jonathan Majors
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount's Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
