Kathryn Newton is one of the new stars of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Supernatural alum joined Disney’s hit franchise in Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania playing Cassie Lang, the daughter of Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang, who could soon become one of the leaders of the MCU as part of the Young Avengers.

The young actress arrived at the franchise in one of the best moments of her career, after having starred in Detective Pikachu alongside Ryan Reynolds and Justice Smith, and leading the cast of the canceled series The Society on Netflix, after passing through Supernatural. However, it seems that she had been trying to get to the MCU for a long time.

Earlier this week, Disney+ premiered Marvel Studios’ Assembled: The Making of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, a special that takes a behind-the-scenes look at the film, where Newton is seen auditioning to play Kate Bishop in Hawkeye (via Twitter user TavernaMarvel):

Ultimately, the character of Clint Barton’s apprentice was played by Hailee Steinfeld, another young actress who had been building a good career and making a big name for herself in the industry thanks to titles like Bumblebee, the acclaimed series Dickinson or the Spider-Verse.

Related: Secret Invasion: Where the Series Fits in the MCU Timeline

Kathryn Newton and Hailee Steinfeld Might Be the Future Leaders of the MCU
Marvel Studios

While the two actresses aren’t the only young stars that have joined the franchise recently, their two characters could be two of the strongest pillars of the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its new stories.

Tom Holland’s Peter Parker will be the great emblem of the saga now that other legendary heroes like Steve Rogers and Iron Man are gone, but he will have to form his own team with the apprentices of those who once helped him become a hero.

The MCU has been teasing this generational change for a long time, since the end of the Infinity saga and with the start of phases 4 and 5, which, in addition to paving the way for the arrival of television productions to the franchise, were in charge of presenting some of the characters that will take center stage in upcoming projects.

Although some well-known heroes such as Sam Wilson, who will now be the new Captain America, Scott Lang himself or Doctor Strange will continue to be part of the future of the MCU, the goal of Marvel Studios is to form new groups such as the Thunderbolts or Young Avengers, transforming them into the heirs of the Avengers to continue creating individual films and series, but also great crossovers.

At the moment, Marvel Studios has not confirmed the official development of a project that brings together the Young Avengers, although most of the characters that could make up the team will surely participate in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty or Avengers: Secret Wars, the next crossovers of the franchise that will hit theaters in May 2026 and May 2027, respectively.