Recent rumors have claimed that the Young Avengers Disney+ series - which was originally envisioned as a movie - has been rebranded as Champions, and we're now hearing that the project has enlisted a writer.
According to Nexus Point News, who has broken a lot of news stories before the trades, Rachna Fruchbom has been tapped to write the series, and will presumably serve as showrunner/executive producer.
Fruchbom currently writes and executive produces Apple TV+’s Shrinking, and has previously served as a co-executive producer and writer on And Just Like That… and Fresh Off The Boat. She has also worked on NBC’s Parks and Recreation.
The show's roster is believed to be a mixture of characters from both teams. There does tend to be at least some crossover between the Young Avengers and the Champions in the comics, but the latter's original line-up included Miles Morales (Spider-Man), a teenage version of the X-Men's Scott Summers (Cyclops), and Sam Alexander (Nova).
Last we heard, production was scheduled to commence late next year, although there have been reports that shooting won't get underway until 2026, which would make Champions a post-Avengers: Secret Wars project.
We still don't know for sure which heroes will join forces to form the team, but we have a pretty good idea.
In The Marvels, after helping Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeau defeat Dar-Benn and prevent a catastrophic Multiversal event, Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) uses Nick Fury's S.W.O.R.D. tech iPad to track down Hawkeye's Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) and tells her she's putting a team together.
Khan also mentions Ant-Man's daughter, Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), and it's probably safe to assume that Wiccan (Joe Locke), Speed (?) and America Chávez (Xochitl Gomez) will also be a part of the group. Other possibilities include Eli Bradley (Elijah Richardson), and The Hulk's son Skaar, who was briefly introduced in the season finale of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
Vellani was asked about her "Nick Fury moment" during a recent interview, and she revealed which characters she'd most like to recruit.
"People really love these Young Avengers, but I don’t even know if they actually read those comics—not that they’re bad. The chemistry between Kamala, Miles [Morales], and Sam [Alexander], it’s too good. I would love to see that trio in the MCU. Neither of those characters exist yet in live action, but I’m praying for it. Yeah. I love Sam Alexander. One of their first interactions that they had. Also when Sam tried to reveal his identity and Kamala was like, 'Get away from me.' I love it."
Several members of the team featured in the recent Doomsday/Secret Wars concept art that was shared online.