As a cosmic war comes to an end, Marvel teases the return of one superhero team that hasn’t led their own title in over a decade. The events of Jonathan Hickman’s Imperial shake the cosmic corner of the Marvel Universe, pitting galactic empires against each other and leading alliances to crumble. Despite their attempt to collaborate, the Skrulls are on bad terms with other powers once again.
The Skrulls’ aggressive nature leads them to add more fuel to the fire created by Maximus and the Grandmaster. As a result, Hulkling’s reign as king concludes prematurely. On the bright side, both Hulkling and Wiccan survived the attacks that broke the Galactic Council and led to J’son of Spartax’s death. However, Wiccan has been injured, and Hulkling can’t return to his people for help.
Fortunately for Hulkling and Wiccan, an old friend arrives just in time to help them.
Marvel Teases The Young Avengers Will Be Assembled Soon
Imperial #4; Written by Jonathan Hickman; Art by Iban Coello, Federico Vicentini, and Federico Blee
In Imperial #3, Wiccan remembers he’s carrying a communicator with a star shape on it. In Imperial #4, after Wiccan suffers another attack from a Skrull and continues to bleed profusely, America Chavez arrives to bring Hulkling and Wiccan with her. With Wiccan, Hulkling, and America back together, it’s clear that the Young Avengers are closer than ever to reuniting officially.
The last time the Young Avengers headlined their own ongoing title was in 2013’s Young Avengers by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie. The series saw the heroes face off against an interdimensional parasite known as Mother. Using Wiccan’s Demiurge power, the Young Avengers sealed Mother away from their dimension for good. This run ended after fifteen issues with the team’s amicable disbandment.
Since then, the Young Avengers have appeared sporadically across various titles and events, with several members gaining prominence individually. Wiccan and Hulkling took major roles in Empyre, America Chavez joined the Ultimates, and Kate Bishop anchored her own Hawkeye title. Although Marvel has teased the team’s return multiple times, the Young Avengers haven’t reunited in an official ongoing series in over a decade.
Now Is The Perfect Time For An Official Young Avengers Return
The Avengers & The Champions’ Might Come Together For Their MCU Debut
Now is the perfect time for the Young Avengers to return. Nearly every member is active again across the Marvel Universe: Kate Bishop has cemented herself as a top-tier solo hero and America Chavez has grown way past the team. Meanwhile, Hulkling and Wiccan are finally free from their royal duties following Imperial‘s crisis.
The timing also aligns with the MCU. The Marvels’ post-credits scene saw Ms. Marvel recruit Kate Bishop to form a team, while Agatha All Along followed Billy Kaplan’s transformation into Wiccan. These developments tease the MCU’s own Young Avengers project, and a new comic series could capitalize on that growing interest.
Given the MCU’s mix of younger heroes, Marvel Studios is likely to merge the Young Avengers with the similarly young Champions team. The comics could get ahead of the MCU by launching a new Young Avengers lineup that blends both rosters in a brand-new comic series. This strategy would modernize the team and reestablish the Young Avengers in the comics for a new generation.