Young Avengers Appreciation 2023

[Frontier]

Agreed. There’s a lot of overlap between the two teams. So a merger could really harm some characters.
Plus both teams are already so full of interesting characters who never get spotlight. If they merged, that would only make things worse.
But I do get the reasoning. It’s not like the MCU cares about being comics-accurate, so it makes sense to put all their popular young heroes in the same team. They’re never going to do both teams justice, so they’re picking and choosing from them (and doing their usual bad decisions in the process, like deaging America, choosing Skaar over Hulkling etc).

And comics-wise Marvel can never keep a consistent teen hero team going so why not just combine the two?

[Factor]

And comics-wise Marvel can never keep a consistent teen hero team going so why not just combine the two?

Sadly, you have a point. I wish there was space for both, but Marvel’s track record isn’t the best one.

If we had do combine both in the comics too, we’d probably have something like:
- Kamala
- Kate Bishop
- Miles Morales
- Ironheart (less chance of Iron Lad returning)
- America (less chance of Patriot returning)
- Cassie or Nadia (probably Cassie for synergy)
- Wiccan & Hulkling (but only if they join the MCU team, as Marvel is all about the synergy)
- Viv Vision (she’d win against Jonas Vision for sure, but she might get ignored anyway)

Others like Brawn, Speed, Nova, Pinpoint, Prodigy, Noh Varr, White Tiger etc would probably not appear as even the team of “most likely additions” is already too big.

[ComicNoobie]

Agreed. There’s a lot of overlap between the two teams. So a merger could really harm some characters.
Plus both teams are already so full of interesting characters who never get spotlight. If they merged, that would only make things worse.
But I do get the reasoning. It’s not like the MCU cares about being comics-accurate, so it makes sense to put all their popular young heroes in the same team. They’re never going to do both teams justice, so they’re picking and choosing from them (and doing their usual bad decisions in the process, like deaging America, choosing Skaar over Hulkling etc).

The sad thing is I get why they'd use Skaar over Hulkling. Hulkling overall is a more popular and more successful character than Skaar has ever been. That being said Skaar is more straightforward and as someone else said in another thread, the son of Bruce Banner will draw more attention than the son of Mar-Vell for non-comic book readers. It sucks but it's the truth. There are too many things working against a comic-accurate Teddy and the MCU will change things for their universe. Just ask Ultron.

They were never going to do a accurate YA in the MCU. I'm more worried for if they do a synergy book. I look at the new Thunderbolts comic coming out and I get nervous.

[Factor]

The thing is, introducing Hulkling isn’t actually that hard. They don’t do it because they don’t want to.
He doesn’t even need to be the son/grandson of MCU Mar-Vell for his backstory to work. He just needs to be the son of a respected Kree hero or soldier who fell in love with a Skrull royal. Sure, it would be better if they could be more faithful to the comics, but being the son of a couple from to warring cosmic empires is way more important than mentioning if his father is called Mar-Vell or not.
He’s the son of a Kree hero and a Skrull royal. Simple enough. But the MCU did a crappy job with the Kree and Skrulls and ignored every logic opportunity to introduce Teddy. The real reason is probably more connected to him being part of Marvel’s most prominent gay couple than anything else.

[Frontier]

I remember seeing people okay with them replacing Teddy with Skaar so long as they make him gay and I'm like...what ?

[ComicNoobie]

I remember seeing people okay with them replacing Teddy with Skaar so long as they make him gay and I'm like...what ?

I wonder if whoever said that were real fans of Billy/Teddy or just wanted a gay couple no matter who it was. Being gay isn't the only thing that makes Teddy popular. He has a compelling story on his own with his Kree/Skrull heritage and uniting the two and dealing with their conflicts. The same is true for Billy with his own heritage, families, and powers. What makes Billy and Teddy work so well for me is they are both strong characters that can stand on their own. It makes them as a couple even more compelling when they support one another's story.

I didn't take into account that Disney might be holding him back because of the gay couple thing. He and Wiccan are the most prominent and successful Young Avengers.

[Maestro 216]

I wonder if whoever said that were real fans of Billy/Teddy or just wanted a gay couple no matter who it was. Being gay isn't the only thing that makes Teddy popular. He has a compelling story on his own with his Kree/Skrull heritage and uniting the two and dealing with their conflicts. The same is true for Billy with his own heritage, families, and powers. What makes Billy and Teddy work so well for me is they are both strong characters that can stand on their own. It makes them as a couple even more compelling when they support one another's story.

I didn't take into account that Disney might be holding him back because of the gay couple thing. He and Wiccan are the most prominent and successful Young Avengers.

But the Kree and Skrulls have been ruined in the MCU.

[ShatteredReality]

The sad thing is I get why they'd use Skaar over Hulkling. Hulkling overall is a more popular and more successful character than Skaar has ever been. That being said Skaar is more straightforward and as someone else said in another thread, the son of Bruce Banner will draw more attention than the son of Mar-Vell for non-comic book readers. It sucks but it's the truth. There are too many things working against a comic-accurate Teddy and the MCU will change things for their universe. Just ask Ultron.

They were never going to do a accurate YA in the MCU. I'm more worried for if they do a synergy book. I look at the new Thunderbolts comic coming out and I get nervous.

Well what could they actually do for synergy? Have wiccan divorce hulkling to get together with skaar? Hulkling and skaar fuse together and take on a new codename? Hulkling gets a DNA test and it turns out he's actually the son of the hulk? It would have to be really contrived to match what might happen in the MCU.

[skyvolt2000]

And comics-wise Marvel can never keep a consistent teen hero team going so why not just combine the two?

90% of that issue is MARVEL.

Combine the two and you will still have issues.

The Champions have members that the echo chambers HATE.

Young Avengers are like Blue Marvel-folks want them around and even some creators want to use them but it's MARVEL standing in the way.

[Digifiend]

Agreed. There’s a lot of overlap between the two teams. So a merger could really harm some characters.
Plus both teams are already so full of interesting characters who never get spotlight. If they merged, that would only make things worse.
But I do get the reasoning. It’s not like the MCU cares about being comics-accurate, so it makes sense to put all their popular young heroes in the same team. They’re never going to do both teams justice, so they’re picking and choosing from them (and doing their usual bad decisions in the process, like deaging America, choosing Skaar over Hulkling etc).

I always thought they could've relaunched YA even when Champions was running. After all, DC had Teen Titans and Young Justice at the same time, and before that two Titans teams. If DC can do it, why couldn't Marvel?

Others like Brawn, Speed, Nova, Pinpoint, Prodigy, Noh Varr, White Tiger etc would probably not appear as even the team of “most likely additions” is already too big.

White Tiger has never been a Young Avenger or a Champion. She was on the Mighty Avengers and New Avengers alongside the Power Man who later joined the Champions, but she didn't end up there with him.

[Factor]

I always thought they could've relaunched YA even when Champions was running. After all, DC had Teen Titans and Young Justice at the same time, and before that two Titans teams. If DC can do it, why couldn't Marvel?


White Tiger has never been a Young Avenger or a Champion. She was on the Mighty Avengers and New Avengers alongside the Power Man who later joined the Champions, but she didn't end up there with him.

I know. But I've always thought she'd be a great fit and a bit less obvious than most other legacy characters.

[Chris0013]

And comics-wise Marvel can never keep a consistent teen hero team going so why not just combine the two?

There was always that difference in that the YA were to be Avengers Legacies...somehow tied to an existing Avenger and mirrored powers or at least appearances.

So keeping them separate does make sense with that part of the YA's history.

[Factor]

There was always that difference in that the YA were to be Avengers Legacies...somehow tied to an existing Avenger and mirrored powers or at least appearances.

So keeping them separate does make sense with that part of the YA's history.

Yes, but The Champions are also mostly Avengers legacies. The most popular/common members, at least.
Kamala, Brawn, Nadia, Viv, Riri, Miles…
Nova is less associated with the Avengers, but Richard Rider was a Secret Avenger for a time.
Teen Cyclops is the biggest exception, but he is also the member least likely to reappear…

[Chris0013]

Yes, but The Champions are also mostly Avengers legacies. The most popular/common members, at least.
Kamala, Brawn, Nadia, Viv, Riri, Miles…
Nova is less associated with the Avengers, but Richard Rider was a Secret Avenger for a time.
Teen Cyclops is the biggest exception, but he is also the member least likely to reappear…

Yes...but as they expanded the Champions branched out from that. I would say keep them both with the Champions being opened for all young heroes and keep the Avengers Legacies for YA. And even having some overlap between them. Nadia is clearly a Legacy...and to see her at some point on the YA with her Brother William would be fun.

[Drops Of Venus]

At this point I just want them to name this new MCU team New Avengers or Next Avengers or something like that. It's probably better than using Young Avengers or Champions and essentially disappointing the fans of either group. At least with another name people won't have expectations based on the comics.

The real reason is probably more connected to him being part of Marvel’s most prominent gay couple than anything else.

I mean, they are supposedly introducing Billy in the Agatha show with a boyfriend, so I don't know what the issue would be with just introducing Teddy. Unless they want Billy to be like Phastos and have his romance be the D-list plot of a movie, so giving him a civilian love interest is more convenient than a superhero one.