The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for constantly expanding, with projects hitting theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Without a doubt the most highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movie is Avengers: Doomsday, which looks like it's going to be absolutely epic. Writer Michael Waldron recently revealed a scrapped plan for Jonathan Majors' Kang and the Young Avengers, and it's truly a wild choice that I would have loved to see.
What we know about Avengers: Doomsday is very limited, but the cast is massive and contains entire teams of heroes. While Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom will be the main villain, there was a time when Marvel Studios was crafting a blockbuster around Kang. In an AMA on Reddit, Waldron spoke about some of the alternate plans for that mysterious blockbuster, revealing:
Jeff Loveness and I spent an afternoon pitching on the Young Avengers defeating a version of Kang and being so stoked about it...only to discover that that particular Kang carried a little card that said to Be Patient with him, it was his first day as a Kang. And then they were so bummed. I think he was gonna be the lizard Kang from the end of Kang Dynasty? I don't know. Anyway we had fun.
Talk about a gag. I can only imagine how thrilling it would have been to see the Young Avengers' victory over Kang... only to realize that they've got a newbie version of the antagonist. This sequence seemingly would have included both action and comedy, and now I kind of wish we got to see it. Alas, Jonathan Majors' firing from the MCU has resulted in the studio dropping that character altogether.
It's crazy to think about just how much writing was done on the next Avengers movie when it was originally titled The Kang Dynasty. Majors' villain was set up as the next big bag in a number of projects including Loki and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. But for reasons unrelated to storytelling, all those plans were scrapped, and focus was shifted over to RDJ's Doctor Doom.
Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order have been not-so-patiently waiting for the Young Avengers to come together. After a number of younger heroes were introduced throughout Phases Four and Five, it certainly looked like that team was going to be formed. The Marvels' ending showed Ms. Marvel recruiting Kate Bishop, and also naming Ant-Man's daughter as another possible member. But exactly when we'll see them united on the big screen is currently a mystery.
The Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement didn't include any of the characters who would make up the Young Avengers, so their fate is unclear. Maybe they're being saved for Secret Wars? Hey, a guy can dream.
All will be revealed when Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18th of next year as part of the 2026 movie release list. Secret Wars will follow suit on December 17, 2027.
