Reported Roster of Marvel Studios’ Young Avengers Series Project CHAMPIONS
Last year, there were reports that Marvel Studios had abandoned plans for their Young Avengers team-up movie. Instead, the focus seems to have shifted toward assembling the Champions for a Disney+ series.
The Young Avengers moment, as fans have long speculated, may have passed. Many actors who would fit the team’s roster are aging out of the roles, and Marvel’s disjointed early stages of the Multiverse Saga didn’t provide the setup needed for their big debut.
The main reason for the shift from film to series is said to be because of the lackluster box office performance of The Marvels. Disney CEO Bob Iger has emphasized the importance of ensuring spin-offs meet audience expectations, avoiding anything that might diminish the draw of Marvel’s flagship franchise.
As for the rumored Champions lineup, the news comes from insider Daniel Richtman, who reports the following heroes will lead the team:
Wiccan (Joe Locke)
Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani)
Hawkeye (Hailee Steinfeld)
America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez)
Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton)
Ironheart (Dominique Thorne)
Noticeably absent is Eli Bradley, aka Patriot (Elijah Richardson), who was introduced in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. However, this doesn’t necessarily rule him or any other notable characters like Amadeus Cho or Speed out from future appearances.
Locke’s Wiccan made his debut in Agatha: Coven of Chaos and is expected to continue alongside Kathryn Hahn in the series’ second season. Vellani has been great as Ms. Marvel, and her role as the team’s founder was teased during the closing moments of The Marvels.
Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop was awesome in Hawkeye, while Gomez’s America Chavez made her debut in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and would be a critical player due to her multiverse-hopping abilities.
Thorne’s Riri Williams (Ironheart) made her MCU debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and will headline her own series, while Newton joined the franchise as Cassie Lang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Noah Hawley, the creator of Fargo, Legion, and the upcoming Alien: Earth series has met with Marvel Studios about potentially writing and directing "several projects," and one of them includes this Champions project.
Feige has teased this project in the past, saying that Marvel has been planting seeds for it. The biggest seed came at the end of The Marvels, though, when Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) goes to recruit Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld). She also mentions Cassie Lang in the scene.
Vellani previously talked about the future of the group and the possibilities, and how she believes the young Avengers/Champions will stand apart from the originals:
“They have perspectives that the older Avengers don't, especially because they've had to deal with the repercussions, but they're also a fan of the older Avengers.
“So I think they can really make this team-up something new. I think it'll be way more functional than the Avengers even were. I think Kamala being in charge might also set the tone in a really wonderful way. I think she's a natural-born leader.
“She is not only the glue of the Marvels, but could be the glue of the younger Avengers group because she is mature and she is intelligent, and she also has all this knowledge about being superheroes and teamwork and how to do it in a way that's ideal and works for everyone.
“And she's probably learned so much from being on the Marvels, so she can bring that into the Young Avengers. But yeah, I think they'll definitely be a group that a lot of the younger audiences can resonate to and relate to way more.
“I think their opinions on social justice issues, I think their opinions on just the world in general and is what's needed is way more important.
“They feel like the group that will understand humanity and the value of human life way more than I think the older group does because they're in it, right? They have relationships there.
“They're in school, they have their friends, they have their idols and their mentors. And I think all of those relationships will ground this group way more than we have mentors who's a billionaire, and you got a guy who was frozen from the 1940s. So they're definitely way more aware of reality.
"People really love these Young Avengers, but I don’t even know if they actually read those comics—not that they’re bad. The chemistry between Kamala, Miles [Morales], and Sam [Alexander], it’s too good.
“I would love to see that trio in the MCU. Neither of those characters exist yet in live action, but I’m praying for it. Yeah. I love Sam Alexander. One of their first interactions that they had. Also when Sam tried to reveal his identity and Kamala was like, 'Get away from me.' I love it."
It’ll be interesting to see how their MCU iteration evolves.
The following actors are reportedly locked to appear in Marvel’s upcoming ‘CHAMPIONS’ series, according to insider @DanielRPK :
— Wiccan Updates (@BillyKaplanUpd) January 5, 2025
Joe Locke, Iman Vellani, Hailee Steinfeld, Xochitl Gomez, Kathryn Newton, Dominique Thorne pic.twitter.com/hYtrTPJxzA