5 Marvel Shows to Watch Before Avengers Doomsday

Several months ago, I did a blog post about pre-Endgame movies to watch before Avengers Doomsday. Especially with the recent Doomsday trailers, I thought it a good time to revisit some more Marvel projects to rewatch before the big day. One thing the post-Endgame saga did was canonized television series on Disney Plus. Say what you will about the inter-workings of movies and series, but I’ve enjoyed it. (Though I'm still waiting for them to officially canonize SHIELD)

WandaVision

In the midst of the pandemic, this was our saving grace for nine episodes. It was definitely an amazing way to begin the Multiverse Saga. Remember all the theories and anticipation, watching for Mephisto and Agatha? While Wanda isn't confirmed to be in Doomsday (or alive for that matter) this was our first look at grief during early post-Blip life. A lot of mysteries have been answered from this series, but there are still plenty of question marks, including Wanda's boys and White Vision.         

Extra Credit - The Marvels

Say what you will about this movie (and it making Carol Denvers into a Disney princess) but there's one big thing from this movie to address leading into Doomsday: The X-Men. After getting her superpowers in WandaVision and teaming up with the Marvels in this movie, Monica ended up thrown into another corner of the multiverse where she met Beast and Binary from the X-Men universe. Plus I swear I'm one of the few people who wants to see Ms. Marvel back.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier 

A number of mixed emotions during this series but I think we were all happy to have this adventure during the pandemic. I'm not sure it was the best received Marvel project, especially after the energy surrounding WandaVision (that was a hard act to follow). It was an emotional adventure transitioning Sam Wilson from the Falcon to being Captain America, but it also introduced our new Falcon, US Agent, and of course Val.

Extra Credit - Captain America: Brave New World

If you went straight from Falcon and the Winter Soldier and straight past this movie on your way to Doomsday, you'd probably be alright. There's no indication that Red Hulk or Sterns will play a part in the next Avengers movie. That being said, this movie serves to further establish Sam's role as Captain America and Joaquin's role as Falcon (I had honestly forgotten there was a new Falcon).

Loki

We can't have a multiverse movie without addressing the Loki who triggered the multiverse. After this variant escaped in Endgame, there was humbling to happen and some Kangs to be discovered. If it weren't for this Loki, we wouldn't have the X-Men universe, What If, Tobey's Spider-Man, or any of the parallel worlds. Last we saw of Loki, he was woven into the fabric of the multiverse, so I'm curious what his role will be in Doomsday.

Extra Credit - Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

This movie was underwhelming for many people (especially since the Kang storyline was scrapped). However, it attempted to connect the threads of our Avengers to the big bad of Loki. I'm curious what would've happened with this movie and Loki if Kang Dynasty were still happening. I heard rumors we'll see something of Kang being taken care of off-screen in Doomsday, but we'll see.

Hawkeye

On the grand scale of things, this show probably won't have much impact on the events of Doomsday (especially since Jeremy Renner isn't confirmed to appear). However, it does feature Yelena, previously seen in Black Widow, who would become a major player in Thunderbolts. Plus, I also just adore her character interacting with Kate Bishop. 

Extra Credit - Black Widow

Like Hawkeye, this movie doesn't look like it will have direct impact on Doomsday. That being said, this movie introduced the aforementioned Yelena and her adopted father. Both these powerhouses (Red Guardian for his strength and Yelena for her wit) reappeared in Thunderbolts. It's hard for me to decide if this movie or Hawkeye are more crucial.

 

What If...?

Slim chance of any of these characters appearing in Doomsday (except perhaps a variant of Captain Carter), but this hit series gave us a glimpse of what a multiversal epic could be. Three seasons and three epic finales. I think it would be a shame to let this series fade into obscurity, despite the release of Marvel Zombies, so I'd love to see Kahhori or the Hydra Stomper again.

Extra Credit - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

If we're going into a multiverse grand finale, we ought to include the epic (and horrific) journey that Doctor Strange took across the worlds. This movie isn't exactly what I'd envisioned from a multiverse hopping story, but it was the first (aside from Loki) so it would be a fun (and traumatic) one to revisit.

I'm sure there are plenty of other movies and series to revisit before the epic crossover of the Avengers, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four. In a few months I plan to highlight a few more post-Endgame movies. I have my list already and I probably won't finish it (especially as more and more cast members are revealed). I appreciate all that the MCU has done for superhero movies and, despite what vocal internet people say, it's not dead and I can't wait to see it continue to grow and evolve.

5 Marvel Movies to Watch Before Avengers Doomsday

I started doing my MCU “Binge List” posts after Infinity War and Endgame, when everyone was trying to watch the entirety of the MCU library before that culminating battle against Thanos. It’s served me well to prepare myself and review the story so far. However, with Doomsday coming to theaters next year, even just the known cast list provides a challenge, with over thirty movies and shows potentially playing a part in the upcoming multiversal event.

Sure, I could share the list of the forty-ish Marvel projects that will lead into this crossover… but that’s a bit much even for me. Instead, I’m going to highlight a few movies to rewatch (plus a few extra credit movies) to establish characters and story development. Later this year and next, leading up to the movie, I’ll add a few more movies and shows to the list.

X-Men

We know we have returning cast members from the original X-Men movies, including Professor X, Magneto, Mystique, and more. Since the third Deadpool movie established the Fox X-Men saga in the multiverse, it’s possible we’ll have those variants in Doomsday. However, there’s no guarantee they’ll portray the same variants from Fox or if they’ll be new variants (maybe from the universe where Monica ended up in The Marvels). Regardless, the original X-Men movie produced by Fox will give you a sense of the main characters appearing from X-Men, regardless of where they come from in the multiverse. 

Extra Credit - X2

The sequel to X-Men, so we have the continuation of Professor X and Magneto’s story. Also, this is when we meet Nightcrawler, who’s set to return in Doomsday. 

Iron Man

Since Tony Stark is gone, this movie might be a strange choice for rewatch before Doomsday. But this is where the formal MCU began (before retconning in Spider-Man, X-Men, Blade, etc.). It’s worth revisiting where this epic story began and how far we’ve come since Tony became Iron Man. And with RDJ portraying Doctor Doom, it’ll be interesting to see how they had the likeness between Doom and Tony. If they don’t address the issue of the doppelgänger, bringing RDJ back would be a waste of time. 

Extra Credit - The Avengers

We’ve come a long way since the Battle of New York, but this is when the Avengers first became a team. From the original roster, only Thor is confirmed to appear. But it’s worth remembering where the team began. 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier 

Bucky may have been originally introduced in The First Avenger, but his brainwashing at the hands of Hydra still impacts his story. Plus this movie marks the first appearance of Sam Wilson (the current Captain America) and it was a turning point in the story, as SHIELD fell. Plus since it’s still one of the most popular MCU movies, it could be the considered the pinnacle of MCU movie potential. 

Extra Credit - Captain America: Civil War

Just as The Winter Soldier changed the MCU with the fall of SHIELD, this movie was a turning point for the Avengers. Infinity War would’ve played out 100% differently if the Avengers hadn’t broken up. Plus, this movie introduced Wakanda and Spider-Man and it pushed Bucky’s story along powerfully. 

Avengers: Infinity War

After the fallout of Civil War and Ragnarok, things got chaotic really fast when the Avengers were pushed together on multiple fronts. This movie changed the MCU forever, not just because of Thanos’s snap, but also because of how the Avengers grew to include new intergalactic colleagues. We don’t have the Guardians of the Galaxy confirmed for Doomsday, but you never know (they did say Star Lord would return after their third movie).

Extra Credit - Ant-Man and the Wasp

I know plenty of people didn’t care for this Ant-Man sequel, but I enjoyed it. Bridging the gap between Civil War and Endgame, this movie progressed Scott Lang’s story. Plus, traveling into the Quantum Realm pushed us forward toward the multiverse, even if we didn’t know it yet. 

Avengers: Endgame

This movie is the basis for where the MCU left us in recent years. The Avengers reformed and traversed the multiverse to bring back everyone they lost in the Snap. This is also where half our original Avengers roster said goodbye. No more Tony, Natasha, or Steve. As far as the team is concerned, this is where we left the Avengers and Doomsday is an Avengers movie. It’s gotta be done. 

Extra Credit - Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

This is arguably one of the most popular movies from the post-Endgame era of the MCU. It’s certainly my favorite Marvel movie of recent years. And, along with Far From Home, this movie did a great job establishing the post-Blip world. 

I’ll be back in a few months with more Marvel projects to revisit. I expect we might have more cast announcements by that point. Avengers assemble!

Why You Should Be Excited For Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania

 

With Antman and the Wasp Quantumania coming out in February I would like to share with you what we, the fans of Marvel, should be excited about.

The Supporting Cast

When Antman came out in 2015 I was surprised on how funny it was. I knew Paul Rudd was funny and he did a great job, but the supporting cast were stood out more. I still think that Luis, played by Michael Peña, is one of the funniest supporting characters in marvel cinema. I hope to see him more in this movie.

Scott Lang as Antman

Like I just recently mentioned Paul Rudd is hilarious as Antman and I enjoy him playing as Scott Lang. Scott Lang was the first father superhero in the marvel cinematic universe. He accepts his role as Antman to provide and protect his daughter, Cassandra Lang. He puts his friends and family first which makes him a great role model. Also, he has some of the most quotable lines like “As far as I’m concerned, that’s America’s a**.”

Family Message

From watching the trailer, we see that Scott will be tempted by Kang to go back to the past to raise his daughter Cassandra. As a father I can see how tempting this would be for a loving father. I don't want my children to grow up.  However, I accept it and as they age I believe the most important thing I can do for them is be there for them now and not dwell in the past. I think that is what Scott will learn.

MCU Facility

Kang the conqueror

I haven’t read marvel comics, but I have seen Loki and I have played Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2, so I know a few things about Kang.

In Loki the main antagonist is Kang. When we meet him, he was protecting the universe from his incarnations and by the end of the series we see Loki kill that version of Kang which releases and infinite amount of devils. We know from Loki that Kang manipulates time so if Scott Lang defeats this Kang there are many more version of him. Just think about Endgame, the avengers had to defeated two version of Thanos. With Kang, they will have to face an endless amount of him.

In Lego Marvel Superheroes 2 the main antagonist was Kang who, like the cinematic universe, can manipulate time and brings together multiple universes into one location, Like Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. I would expect that this is where Kang Saga will lead to. A multiverse being brought together.

Conclusion

I hope that this movie will do well. I liked the first two movies of Antman, and I have been considering seeing this movie in theaters. The cast is great, it will have a message about family, and we will finally get to learn Kang motives.

Ant-Man Binge List

As we enter 2023, we also enter phase five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We begin with the third movie starring Ant-Man and the second movie starring Wasp (though technically she was in the first Ant-Man too, just not as Wasp yet). Ant-Man is one of my MCU favorites, and not just because of a man-crush on Paul Rudd. Regardless, we've got four movies featuring Ant-Man and one Disney Plus series featuring his villain. So let's review before Quantumania comes to theaters. 

Ant-Man 

I absolutely loved this movie. If you haven’t watched it in a while, watch it before the new movie comes out. A gem at the end of Phase Two, it was the solo hero origin story. Kind of refreshing after sequels and team ups. Getting to focus on ex-burglar Scott Lang and his inner battle trying to be a good father and a productive member of society. Now especially as a dad, I love this movie even more.

Captain America: Civil War 

Though he played a small part in this Avengers conflict, this movie bridges the gap between the two Ant-Man movies. After his encounter with Falcon during the first Ant-Man movie, it’s no surprise that Scott would be Team Cap. This movie also introduced Ant-Man’s super-sized “Giant Man” ability, which would become a staple of his powers later on.

Ant-Man and the Wasp 

After being put on house arrest in the aftermath of Civil War, this movie saw Scott teaming up with Hank and Hope (who were on the run, after the Avengers Civil War). On one hand, you had Ghost coming after them. But from other directions you have mobsters and the FBI chasing down Ant-Man. When you look at it like that, it almost sounds like a Scooby-Doo chase scene.

Avengers: Endgame 

Despite being absent in Infinity War (because of the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp, I suppose), Scott played an integral part of Endgame. After Chang freed him from the Quantum Realm, it was Ant-Man who put events into motion to carry through the Time Heist to bring back the Snapped. If Ant-Man wasn’t an Avenger after all that, he definitely is now.

Loki (Season 1, Episodes 1-6)

I’m still anxiously awaiting the second season. But I’m guessing the events of Quantumania will play directly into the events of Loki. The first season saw the Loki variant from Endgame going into the TVA and inadvertently taking it down (more or less). In the finale, his variant, Sylvie, kills the guy behind the TVA… who just so happens to be a variant of the main villain in Quantumania. 

Unfortunately, even after refreshing myself on all these movies, I’m unlikely to see Quantumania when it first comes out, as it premieres two days after my little girl is due. So to all of you seeing Quantumania in theaters, enjoy! And no spoilers! Once it hits Disney Plus, you can bet I’ll watch it right away.

Disney Dads

As Father’s Day approaches, I have noticed that there has been a lot of Father’s Day memes involving Darth Vader. I will admit some of them are funny but do you have to cut off your child arm to become father of the year? If anything, it says a lot about Luke forgiving him and helping him to become a Jedi again. In this post we will look at different Disney fathers that should be recognized more than Darth Vader as this holiday approaches.

Pacha: Emperor’s New Groove

When I think of excellent fatherly characters Pacha comes to mind. He goes out to meet the emperor, Kuzco, to change his mind to keep his family home as well as his villager’s home from being destroyed. Pacha is a hard worker with his duties of being a father, a llama herder, and the leader of his village. Pacha is best described as a family man, his wife and kids love him and his isn’t a dumb dad like most dads portrayed in media in the 2000's. When Pacha met Kuzco he felt that he was a spoiled brat. But when Kuzco became a llama, instead of taking the easy way out and abandoning Kuzco and having Yzma rule, he helped him--- hoping that the emperor’s attitude would change like a father would with a wayward son.

George Banks: Mary Poppins

George Banks loves his kids throughout the movie, but it never registered to his children because of how he showed his love. He wanted his children to become successful so they wouldn’t have financial problems when they become adults, which is what all parents want but his approach was not the best. He wanted them to become so successful that they could not enjoy being children. However, as George's professional life turns upside-down, he realizes the ultimate value of his family and makes real changes in his life. As he walks to his job, in one of the most beautiful scenes in cinema, you see the fear he has about the future but, as his ties to his job are finally cut, we also see the resolve develop within him to make some real changes in his life.

Mufasa: Lion King

Instead of celebrating Darth Vader on Father’s Day how about focusing on another role that James Earl Jones had where he was a sacrificing father, like Mufasa. Mufasa was king of Pride Rock. He had a good work and home life balance teaching his son and being king. He taught Simba to respect all creatures, but also having fun playing games on Zazu. He sets boundaries to protect his son, but also encourages him to explore. When his son disobeyed he reprehends him, but also forgives him. The most notable quality Mufasa has is he sacrificed himself so his son could live.

Mando: The Mandalorian

I get it--- you're probably a Star Wars fan and love all the memes that have been generated over the years. Father’s Day is another Star Wars day for you. Well thankfully Disney has created a new unorthodox father in Star Wars, Mando. After he captures and delivers Grogu to his client he goes against the code for bounty hunters and rescues Grogu and essentially adopts him until he finds a Jedi to teach him. When they finally find Luke, it was a sad departure for them because of their relationship as father and son, but Mando wanted what was best for Grogu and lets him leave. Of course, he wouldn’t stop being a father and tries to visit Grogu bringing gifts.

Goofy: Disney

Speaking of unorthodox parents, we couldn’t ignore Goofy: a single father. Goofy may be silly but he is also a wonderful role model for a father. With a teenager going through angst, he manages to show kindness and compassion making him aspirational for fathers. He works a demanding job, so they are financially stable. When his son, Max, is struggling he plans a father-and-son trip to lift his spirits because he cares about Max’s emotional health. He lets his son be an individual and takes interests in Max’s hobbies. He trusts his son completely, he allows Max to choose stops along their road trip. Even when Goofy suspects that Max is changing their road trip destination, he gives Max the responsibility of being the navigator because of that trust. Finally, he pays attention to his son’s feelings and gives him space. If you don’t believe me watch “A Goofy Movie”.

Scott Lang: Ant-Man

When divorce happens it hard for a father to be fully invested in their children. In Ant-Man we see Scott Lang doing his best to be a father while respecting his former wife's boundaries. After being released from jail he wants to be part of his daughter’s life and tries to be law-abiding by working at Baskin Robbins even though he has an engineering degree. He wants to make his daughter proud and be a good example for her. He becomes Ant-Man at first because of his thieving skills, but transitions to being selfless. He helps Captain America and saves Janet Van Dyne from the quantum realm. In Avenger’s Endgame we see Scott come out of the quantum realm to find his daughter aged by five years. We see the depression on his face when he realized how much of his daughter’s life he has missed.

Agustín and Félix: Encanto

This one is cheating a bit because I couldn’t choose which of these fathers to talk about. They are both good examples of being part of their children’s life. Agustín is sympathetic and understands how it feels not belong in the family and tries to comfort his daughter Mirabel when she obtains no magical gift. We see in the movie that he pays attention to all his daughters’ feelings. For example, when Luisa loses her strength and runs away saddened, he chases after her. We don’t know much about Félix, but he is also present with his children and supportive to his wife, presenting a positive attitude even when it rains.

Mr. Incredible: Incredibles

We couldn’t end the list without the most recognized superhero father, Mr. Incredible. After the first movie Mr. Incredible, Bob Parr, learned to keep his selfish interests in check and become involved with his children more. Instead of giving up on helping his son, Dash, on his homework, he learns how the new approach and helps Dash. He also cares about his children’s feeling by helping his daughter, Violet, talk to her crush by taking the family to the diner where he works. It turned out horribly, but he does the most honorable thing a father can do, apologize to his daughter for making things worse.

These are just eight honorable Dads we decided to mentioned in this post, but Disney has produced more decent fathers. Here is a list of honorable mentions.

• Marlin: Finding Nemo
• Pongo: 101 Dalmatians
• James: The Princess and the Frog
• Carl: Up
• Geppetto: Pinocchio
• Héctor: Coco
• Mr. Potatohead: Toy Story
• Vision: Avengers
• T’Chaka: Black Panther

Before They Were Heroes (MCU)

You won’t typically see us with any shortage of Marvel content. But while we wait for the premiere of Moon Knight, we’re in a bit of an MCU drought. With how far the Marvel Cinematic Universe has come since Iron Man started the show (or Spider-Man if you want to count 2003 as the beginning). I wanted to take a step back and look at where our heroes were before they became the Avengers.

Chris Evans (Captain America) - Fantastic Four

Before he was Steve Rogers, Chris Evans was already a superhero. Back in the day, he played Johnny Storm in Fox’s first iteration of Fantastic Four. As the Human Torch, we saw him “flame on” in 2005 against Julian McMahon (before he played Jonah in Runaways). At the time, Chris Evan was also known for playing one of the exes in Scott Pilgrim.

Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner) - 13 Going on 30

He wasn’t the MCU’s first Hulk, but he is the one we’ve come to love. Before he first hulked out, he was the best friend/love interest in this 2004 romcom. As grown up Matt Flamhaff, it was his influence that showed Jennifer Garner she shouldn’t have wished to grow up so fast. A must see movie for anyone who thinks they grew up too fast and I shamelessly watched it for my 30th birthday last year.

Scarlett Johnansson (Black Widow) - The Prestige

Before Natasha stepped onto the scene in Iron Man 2, she was the lovely stage assistant Olivia in The Prestige. I remember going to see this movie with my brothers and it was trippy! Weird to look back now and see Black Widow in a magic act. She also voiced Princess Mindy in the Spongebob Squarepants movie, if you’re a Spongebob fan.

Chris Hemsworth (Thor) - Star Trek

Before he became the God of Thunder, Chris Hemsworth was a Starfleet captain (albeit for 5 minutes) caught in the middle of a battle against enemies from the future. During his short time as captain of the ship, his wife (played by Jennifer Morrison, Emma Swan) gave birth to the famous Captain Kirk.

Paul Rudd (Ant-Man) - Friends

There are so many wonderful shows and movies I could reference in talking about Paul Rudd. Supporting roles in Perk of Being a Wallflower and Night at the Museum and a recurring role in Parks and Rec. But as it’s me, I’m going to reference his character from Friends: Mike Hannigan. He came out of nowhere towards the tail end of the series. Literally came out of nowhere. Joey basically called out a random name and Paul Rudd responded. He eventually became Phoebe’s soulmate and they were married by the end of the series. Also, does he ever age?

Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange) - The Hobbit

Depends on your social circle but I feel like our beloved Stephen Strange is best known as Sherlock, but Trekkies might remember that he played the rebooted Khan. But one of his biggest things before Doctor Strange was when he voiced the dragon Smaug in The Hobbit trilogy. You may have your opinions on how well the trilogy was done, but I think we can agree he was a great dragon.

Of course we could also address other heroes like Star-Lord or Gamora, but I figured we’d save their previous lives for another day. After writing this, now I just want to go watch the Star Trek movies again. And The Prestige.

Who are the Young Avengers?

(Guest Post by Jared)

**SPOILERS ahead for WandaVision finale**

It seems that Marvel is setting up a brand new Avengers team in the form of a fan favorite long running comic. This team was formed by a kid named Iron Lad from the future who came back in time to have the Avengers help him fight a time travelling Kang the Conqueror. When Iron Lad arrived he found that the Avengers had been disbanded after the Scarlet Witch lost her mind and killed several team members. Without the Avengers to aid him Iron Lad went through the Avengers files to find and build a new team, the next generation of Avengers.

Stature

Cassie Lang is our first Young Avenger to be introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She appeared as daughter of Scott Lang in both Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp. She again appeared, but now as a teenager in Endgame reunited with her missing father. We’ll see a re-casted Cassie in Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania next year in 2022 portrayed by Kathryn Newton.

In the comics Stature was not one of the original Young Avengers, but joined the team shortly after. She has the same powers as her father, however she doesn’t need a suit to grow and shrink in size. She confesses to her teammates that she repeatedly stolen Pym particles from her father for years, but only had recently begun to experience any effects.

Wiccan and Speed

The comic versions of Vision and Wanda’s twins is very convoluted, but now that they’re official in the MCU after appearing in several episodes of WandaVision, we can be confident they’ll join the Young Avengers team, but the biggest question mark is how since by the finale of WandaVision the kids have been erased and Wanda is off isolating and searching for a way to return them to reality. We hear them screaming as she’s searching the darkhold in the finale after credits scene. Are they in pain or in danger somewhere? This tease would only exist if Marvel planned for their return.

In the comics the twins are created by Wanda, and then removed from reality by Doctor Strange. Later when Iron Lad comes from the future to form the Young Avengers he finds two teenagers who mysteriously look alike, but have never met. Turns out that these two are the long lost twins whose souls had been merged with teenagers.

Their comic characters share the same powers as their MCU counterparts, magic and super-speed. Only time will tell how these will emerge on screen when their fully grown. Assuming that they age up again to teenagers and are recast, which would line up with their story in the comics.

Hawkeye

Kate Bishop first appeared alongside the original Young Avengers team after Clint Barton’s Hawkeye had been killed by the Scarlet Witch. The Young Avengers accidently ran into Bishop during a fight where she jumped in as a highly skilled archer and swordswoman. She later followed the team and insisted she join permanently. 

There’s a common misunderstanding that Barton’s daughter in the MCU will be joining the Young Avengers after her quick appearance with the bow in Endgame before she was snapped out of existence. However Bishop has no biological connection to Clint Barton’s Hawkeye in the comics. Will it be the same for the MCU? Only time will tell, but we know she is not the daughter we’ve seen several times already. 

Bishop will take on the codename Hawkeye in the upcoming Hawkeye series where she’ll costar with Jeremy Renner. Hailee Steinfeld has been cast to portray her in the upcoming series slated for late 2021.

Patriot

In the comics Eli Bradley was actually the second hero to go by the name of Patriot, the first was his grandfather who was a test subject for a super soldier serum project. When approached to join the team by Iron Lad, Bradley claimed he gamed powers through an emergency blood transfusion from his grandfather, but this was untrue. He had gained his abilities by using a street enhancement drug called Mutant Growth Hormone and later left the team.

While his future in the MCU is uncertain it’s heavily rumored that he’ll be appearing soon in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier played by Elijah Richardson. The story revolves around the US government demanding that the Captain America codename belongs to the military and can’t simply be handed over to Falcon. Since the story revolves around the super soldier serum and a new government created Captain America it seems likely we could be introduced to others who have been experimented on.

Miss America

Although she wasn’t an original member of the Young Avengers she’s become one of the most popular. America Chavez is an inter-dimensional traveler with superhuman strength and speed.

With her reality hopping powers it’s no surprise she’s rumored to be in Doctor Strange the Multiverse of Madness, this rumor has gained speed since it was announced that Xochitl Gomez has been confirmed for the cast of the film in an unknown role.

Ms. Marvel

Even though she’s never appeared as a Young Avenger in the comics it seems very likely that she’ll be joining the team in the MCU. We already have an upcoming television series starring Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, Ms Marvel slated to premiere in late 2021. She is also confirmed to be co-starring alongside Brie Larson in Captain Marvel 2 in November of 2022.

In the comics Khan was an American Muslim from New Jersey who idolized Captain Marvel, and taking a previous codename from her now that Danvers was solely going by "Captain". Khan was introduced and then later revealed to be an Inhuman, so with the cancelled (and seemingly non-canon) television show Inhumans it’s unknown how they’ll introduce her powers for Disney+, but her powers will be unique to see as we haven’t had a elastic powers appear in the MCU yet so Khan will premiere these before even Mr. Fantastic!

Hulkling

We met both the Skrulls and the Kree in first Captain Marvel film, and the story did a 180 from the comics making the Skrulls the lesser of the two evils. We’ll see how this plays out for Hulkling as he is actually half Skrull and half Kree and destined to be the ruler of both and finally bring peace to the races.

In the comics he has absolutely no connection to the Hulk but takes on his persona for public relations as the shapeshifting Skrulls are very much hated across Earth. He typically appears as a large green man with giant gargoyle wings.

We do not have any rumors on casting, and nothing is confirmed for an MCU story as of the ending of WandaVision but there are a few places he could easily pop up that make the most sense. We have an upcoming Secret Invasion TV show with Nick Fury in production and an estimated early 2022 release. The comics Secret Invasion story revolves around several key Avengers, X-Men and world leaders that are replaced by shapeshifting Skrulls in hopes of taking over Earth. Fury finds out and goes into hiding not knowing who to trust. Since we saw Fury at the end of Far From Home and he’s working with the Skrulls we can guess as to what the story will turn out to be, but with the Skrulls being a huge player it seems like the most likely place for Hulkling to pop up! 

Hulkling is the only member of this lineup that is not announced or rumored, however with his romantic relationship to Wiccan and his status as an original Young Avenger it seems unlikely they’d leave him out of the team’s first teamup!

There are other members of the team such as a newly rebooted Vision, Kid Loki from an alternate timeline, Prodigy a former student at Xavier’s School for the Gifted, and Iron Lad who turns out to be a younger Kang the Conqueror from the future. These kids could show up down the line, but with these previous mentioned eight other Young Avengers already all but confirmed or rumored (aside from Hulkling) it seems like the lineup is pretty large as it is. 

Falcon and the Winter Soldier Binge List

We're officially less than a month from the premiere of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. So if you've forgotten your Marvel history during all the delays, check out our binge list to catch the high points for Sam and Bucky and get your fix in while waiting for the release. Lots of these were on the WandaVision list, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy them again.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2 hours 4 min)

Obviously First Avenger introduces the Captain America mantle. And of course the movie also introduces Bucky Barnes, one of the title characters of this new Disney Plus series. He doesn’t become the Winter Soldier until after the events of this movie, but he has his start here. Gotta include that backstory.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2 hours 16 min)

So since neither Sam nor Bucky appear in Avengers, we’re skipping right past that one. It includes Captain America, but that’s not important here. But in Winter Soldier, we get introduced to several characters who are set to appear in Falcon and the Winter Soldier. We meet Sam, the Falcon, of course. In addition, we also meet Sharon Carter (Agent 13) and we see Bucky’s alter ego (Winter Soldier) for the first time.

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2 hours 22 min)

We may have skipped the first Avengers movie, but since Sam appears in Age of Ultron, we’re picking this one up. We see him working alongside the original Avengers. In addition, at the end of the movie, we get a glimpse of the Falcon working with the Avengers as a new-ish team is formed.

Ant-Man (1 hour 58 min)

This would be more optional viewing in preparation for Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The movie obviously focuses most on Ant-Man. However, at one point he breaks into the Avengers compound and fights Sam. So if you want a little extra Falcon, make sure to include this one in your binge. Also, a Civil War scene/preview appears in the credits.

Captain America: Civil War (2 hours 28 min)

It’s been said that Civil War is less a Captain America movie and more an Avengers movie. That may be the case, but we still get a good focus on Cap’s people. We see Sharon Carter again, Bucky returns to action, and Falcon and Cap team up off screen as they take off at the end. We also get introduced to Zemo, who is set to return as a major villain. In a credits scene, we also see Bucky getting put into stasis in Wakanda.

Black Panther (2 hours 15 min)

Like Ant-Man, the movie as a whole isn’t so important for this watch-through. However, one of the credit scene is an important part of Bucky’s transformation. It’s short, but it shows how the Wakandans have been able to presumably take away Bucky’s brainwashing and take him out of stasis. It’s a short scene, but worth it.

Avengers: Infinity War (2 hours 40 min)

We’re getting the band back together. While Tony is off into space, on Earth we’ve got Cap getting an army together. Of course Falcon and the Winter Soldier are included. Things don’t exactly work out in the end for the Avengers, but that’s why we’re going straight into Endgame.

Avengers: Endgame (3 hours 2 min)

Obviously Endgame is short on Falcon and Winter Soldier scenes, but it’s also equally obvious how important this movie is for the overall storytelling. After the original Avengers and their comrades bring everyone back, we get set up for whatever this next phase of Marvel has to bring us. Cap is gone. Tony is dead. And who knows what else happened during the Blip. I guess we’ll find out in Falcon and the Winter Soldier.