The Avengers may have led the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the better part of the billion-dollar franchise's existence, but with most of the original six members of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes out of the picture, it's time for the next generation of heroes to step up to the plate.
While we may need a longer time to unveil the upcoming MCU heroes worthy of taking the mantle, we do have another set of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and that is the Young Avengers.
Nothing may be confirmed yet as to who will emerge in forming the Young Avengers, but we do have a ranking of the youngest heroes who have debuted so far in the MCU.
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Kate Bishop (Hawkeye)
Kate Bishop is the successor of Avenger’s Clint Barton who debuted in his solo series, Hawkeye.
Pretty similar to his marksman of a trainer, Kate doesn’t exactly have magical or superpowers that make her any more powerful than her sharp eye.
As a skilled archer, her lack of powers or gimmicks wouldn’t exactly make her position vulnerable.
If anything, she’d be a great long-distance sniper who could watch her teammates’ backs like Hawkeye did as a support.
Cassie Lang / Stature (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania)
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania not only introduced Scott Lang’s daughter, Cassie Lang, as a grownup but has shown great promise in handling superhero work like a pro.
Apart from using the same super suit as her father did, her superhero alter-ego, Stature, definitely needs more training and experience when it comes to executing strategies and working efficiently against the enemy.
Cassie’s going to have to master much more than just increasing and decreasing her size to an ant if she wants to follow in her father’s footsteps.
Riri Williams (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)
Riri Williams, you might even call her the Iron Man of the Young Avengers once we see her official character debut in her own series, Ironheart.
But still, her first appearance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is nothing to sneeze at, either.
Provided with Wakandan technology, Riri built her Iron Man-like suit that easily rivals Tony Stark’s and War Machine’s at a younger age than the aforementioned heroes.
This could potentially make her even more impressive (and smarter) than Tony once she gets her hands on more potential weapons and features to add to her suit.
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Taking after Wanda’s deceased twin brother Pietro, Thomas ‘Tommy’ Shepherd has become one of the most impressive speedsters in the MCU.
Though he still lacks the training and experience to use this power on the battlefield, the potential is there to even surpass Pietro’s skill and ability in harnessing this newfound fuel-driven superpower.
Billy Maximoff (WandaVision)
However, when comparing the twins’ inheritance of superpowers, William ‘Billy’ Maximoff is really the one you should watch for.
Since Tommy took over Pietro’s speed, Billy naturally gets Wanda’s sorcery magic and telepathic abilities.
If rumors about Agatha: Coven of Chaos end up getting proven right, then we’ll soon be seeing the debut of the teenage reincarnation of Billy in the Agatha spinoff where we’ll get to see him in a much darker light once he unleashes the full potential of his powers.
Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel)
Unlike the previously mentioned young MCU heroes, Kamala Khan got to debut in her own Disney+ series, Ms. Marvel, where she tries to master her powers and abilities while trying to make her way into the superhero business.
It would be no surprise if we get to see much more beyond her current capabilities once she debuts in the upcoming Captain Marvel sequel, The Marvels, alongside Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeau.
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Shuri (Black Panther)
Experience and intelligence are Shuri’s strengths, add the Black Panther inheritance, and another unstoppable force has been born.
Not only can she fight via hand-to-hand combat, but with the help of the Vibranium-made suit and Wakandan technology, she’s technically indestructible and definitely worthy of taking up being a member of the Avengers.
America Chavez (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness)
America Chavez is a multiversal traveler who could open star-shaped portals to travel to other universes she could muster.
The only downside to this character’s debut is her lack of experience and understanding of just how powerfully dangerous her superpowers depict for the MCU.
However, considering that her magical abilities are being trained by studying at Kamar-Taj, similarly to how Doctor Strange did before becoming the new Sorcerer Supreme, we’ll likely be seeing a much more overpowered hero out of America in no time.
Peter Parker (Spider-Man)
You probably saw this coming, but Peter Parker may have had the most experience when it comes to battling alongside the Avengers himself.
Not to mention, he has faced countless deadly enemies in the MCU so far and managed to get out of those battles alive.
This includes going up against the multiversal Spider-Man enemies (Doctor Ock, the Green Goblin, the Sandman, and more).
His Spidey senses and abilities combined with the advanced technology he programmed and built himself using Tony Stark’s program pretty much make him far more superior compared to the younger MCU heroes (so far).
Still, as more Marvel movies and series get released, this ranking could easily change over time.
For now, though, Spider-Man has the most heroic merit and experience to prove he has what it takes to become a hero and eventually rejoin the Avengers, even if the people who knew him don’t recognize him anymore.
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