These are the Marvel stories to check out to prepare for the MCU’s next big saga

The Young Avengers were introduced in 2005.

Creators: Writers Allan Heinberg and Kieron Gillen, and artists Jim Cheung and Jamie McKelvie

Why it matters: “Young Avengers” launched in 2005 by Heinberg and Cheung and introduced a team of young heroes with ties to classic Avengers, all of whom have either been introduced in the MCU’s phase four or will play essential roles going forward.

They include the female archer Kate Bishop/Hawkeye; Cassie Lang/Stature, the daughter of Ant-Man; Eli Bradley/Patriot, the grandson of Isaiah Bradley, who went through the same super-soldier program that created Captain America; and Speed and Wiccan, the sons of Scarlet Witch and Vision. The team also had ties to Kang, the MCU’s next major villain.

The “Young Avengers” series relaunched in 2013 by Gillen and McKelvie, and featured a new team that included America Chavez, who was introduced to the MCU in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.”

Further reading: If you want to read more of Kate Bishop’s adventures, read writer Matt Fraction and artist David Aja’s 2015 “Hawkeye” comic series, one of the most acclaimed Marvel runs in recent years that inspired the Disney+ “Hawkeye” show.