Why Spider-Man Should Lead The MCU’s Young Avengers

Spider-Man should be the leader of the MCU’s Young Avengers. In 2016, Marvel introduced the youngest hero yet; Peter Parker, the amazing Spider-Man. Played by Tom Holland, this latest iteration of the wall-crawler proved a hit with viewers. Unlike previous Spider-Men, this one existed in a world already populated by superheroes such as Iron Man and Captain America. Marvel quickly settled into a simple formula that saw Spider-Man continually operate alongside older, mentor father figures.

Peter Parker was the beginning of a trend. Phases 1 to 3 of the MCU predominantly starred adult superheroes, but Phase 4 will introduce a new wave of younger characters. Some will appear alongside old, established Avengers – take the example of Kate Bishop’s Hawkeye. Others will actually get to star in their own Disney+ TV shows, with the most exciting being the imminent introduction of the MCU’s Kamala Khan. All will exist in a world where superheroes are a known commodity, where the political establishment has long wrestled with the question of just what to do with enhanced individuals, and where there are surely those who would seek to exploit these teenage vigilantes.

It is surely only a matter of time before the teenagers from across the different MCU properties get together as a team to form the Young Avengers. But what will Spider-Man’s relationship be to his fellow teen superheroes? With his experience and previous mentors, he’s surely ready to take on the role of leader.

The MCU’s Young Avengers Won’t Be The Same As The Comics

It’s long been clear Marvel was preparing the way for the Young Avengers. Back in June 2018, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed the character of Cassie Lang in the Ant-Man films was deliberately being positioned for her traditional role in the comics – as Stature, a member of Marvel’s Young Avengers. “That’s why we wanted Cassie, a very young Cassie in [Ant-Man & the Wasp], to be inspired by her father,” he explained. “Just planting seeds.” The setup became a lot more explicit in Avengers: Endgame because the five-year time jump means Cassie is no longer a child; she is now a teenager. She isn’t the only member of the Young Avengers to be appearing in the MCU’s Phase 4, either; Wiccan and Speed were introduced in WandaVision as Wanda and Visions twin children and, though they were apparently erased from existence in the finale, a post-credits scene saw Wanda Maximoff hear their voices calling out for help. Meanwhile, Kate Bishop – the second Hawkeye – is also soon to debut in an upcoming Disney+ TV show. The lineup of the Young Avengers is assembling nicely.

But, while Marvel Studios has a reputation for mining the best comics for ideas, they are always happy to switch things up a little. Given that is the case, it is important to note Xochitl Gomez has been cast as America Chavez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness; the reality-jumping superhero has also been a member of the Young Avengers in the comics, even if she wasn’t part of the first team. Marvel will also surely want Ms. Marvel in the Young Avengers as well, given she is another so-called “legacy superhero,” and her individual brand is more powerful than the other team members. If the MCU’s Young Avengers will be so different to the comics, then, it is entirely possible Spider-Man will be part of the team as well.

There is actually comic book precedent for this idea – from a certain point of view. Marvel could quite easily choose to combine the Young Avengers with another teenage superhero team from the comics, the Champions. This group includes the likes of Kamala Khan and Ironheart – also confirmed to soon appear on Disney+ – and they also have their own Spider-Man. Miles Morales is one of the founding members of the Champions, and it is worth noting the MCU’s Spider-Man is heavily influenced by Miles; in fact, his best friend Ned is really based on Miles’ confidant Ganke. So it’s not inconceivable Peter Parker could wind up part of this group.

Spider-Man Would Be The Perfect Leader For The Young Avengers

The dynamic would be significantly different, however. Peter Parker may be a teenager, but he has a lot more experience than any of these other potential Young Avengers. He’s been serving as a street-level superhero for years by this point, but he also has experiences operating on a far greater scale. Spider-Man participated in the superhero civil war in Germany, going up against Falcon and Winter Soldier, in Avengers: Infinity War he was one of three Earth-bound superheroes to be transported to the distant planet Titan to battle Thanos. Most importantly, Spider-Man was also involved in the final fateful battle in Avengers: Endgame, which seems to have become legendary in the MCU. This experience means that Spider-Man is actually the most suitable leader of the Young Avengers.

This would also be a smart continuation of Spider-Man’s own character journey. Thus far, Spider-Man has operated alongside heroes like Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and Nick Fury. Some viewers have expressed frustration at this, feeling he should be able to operate alone; but should Peter wind up leading the Young Avengers, these mentors could be reinterpreted as a useful setup. Spider-Man would be able to look to them for inspiration, assessing their lessons and using them to serve as a mentor himself. This is a position Spider-Man has seldom occupied in the comics, and as such it would be a fascinating indication of the wall-crawler’s character growth.

The MCU’s Spider-Man is heavily influenced by the Ultimate Comics, a modernized relaunch of the Marvel Comics universe launched in the early 2000s. There, Peter Parker was tragically killed before he could fulfil his destiny; the scale of the tragedy was indicated by none other than Captain America, who insisted Spider-Man should have been destined to become the greatest superhero of them all. The MCU’s Spider-Man could actually fulfil that destiny, as he steps forward into a position of leadership and helps a new generation of superheroes figure out just what it means to be Young Avengers.