How The Falcon and the Winter Soldier possibly introduced us to Young Avengers' leader in MCU: All about Joaquin Torres

The Young Avengers have been teased repeatedly throughout the MCU's Phase 4. Still, there was no mention of a Young Avengers movie during Marvel's Hall H presentation during San Diego's Comic-Con 2022 (SDCC).

That's not to say that there isn't anything in the works. All the groundwork is being laid for the team to debut.

Fans have even glimpsed potential leadership for the team. If you think Kate Bishop will become the de facto leader of the young team, think again.

Joaquin Torres, introduced in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and played by Danny Ramirez, may claim that position. After being brutally experimented on, Torres eventually takes on the Falcon's mantle in the comics.

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Why is it likely that Hawkeye (Kate Bishop) won't be leader of Young Avengers in MCU?

Joaquin Torres spent his pre-superhero time caring for the Mexican community in the comics. He was eventually captured by the Sons of the Serpent while assisting those trying to cross the American/Mexican border and brought to a scientist named Karl Malus.

Malus conducted experiments on people due to his fascination with superpowers.

Despite being rescued by Captain America (Sam Wilson), Torres was stuck with the mutations given to him. This included a pair of falcon wings and a psychic link to Sam since Redwing, Sam's avian partner, was used in the experiments.

After extensive care and some adjustments, Torres eventually became the new Falcon.

Torres as The Falcon (Image via Marvel Comics)

Torres' story will be slightly different in the MCU since he's in the military, and Sam doesn't have a psychic link to an actual falcon. He's perfectly set up to become the next Falcon, though, and an ideal candidate for a leadership role with the Young Avengers.

His military training alone positions him as a leader compared to the other candidates introduced in the MCU already.

The Maximoff twins are too young, and even if they are brought over to 616-Earth, Cassie has no experience as a superhero yet (she's supposed to follow in Scott Lang's footsteps during Ant-Man 3), and Kate Bishop is too new to the scene.

Ms. Marvel and America Chavez are also potential leaders, but Kamala Kahn needs to discover herself before concerning herself with delegating the Young Avengers, while America is busy studying the mystic arts. She can easily be on a team but has bigger concerns than leading at the moment.

Again, however, they lack the experience that Joaquin Torres brings to the table. He managed Sam before he was Captain America and knows how to delegate since he's in the armed forces.

Joaquin has possession of Sam's first pair of wings by the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, teasing his future as Falcon. The origin would be slightly different, but that's about par with the MCU.

Ms. Marvel is a mutant now, after all. Maybe Torres won't be experimented on at all. Perhaps he will be captured along with the Falcon wings, and he'll pull a Tony Stark to escape.

Kate Bishop working alongside Clint Barton (Image via Marvel Studios)

Kate can easily be a co-captain or second-in-command with the Young Avengers because of her skill and experience working with one of the original Avengers. It'll be a similar dynamic Tony and Steve had with the original Avengers.

Unfortunately, even by the end of Hawkeye on Disney+, she still struggled with following orders. It's a clear sign that she has more to learn.

Granted, Torres is older in the MCU than in the comics, and the Young Avengers are comprised of teens and young adults. When he becomes Falcon in the comics, he's only 17. Since his MCU counterpart is in the military, he's probably closer to 19 years old, if not older.

However, fans may be in for a treat with Avengers: The Kang Dynasty on the horizon. Iron Lad, a young version of Kang, might be introduced and take on the leadership role as he did in the comics.