AfterJake Schreier was chosen to helm a film adaptation of the Thunderbolts, Marvel Studios fans began to speculate who would be part of the iconic antihero in the MCU and how they would be introduced. A few months later, we already get a pretty good idea of where Marvel Studios is taking us next, with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever offering the latest piece of the puzzle with its inclusion of Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. During multiple Phase 4 productions, including The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Hawkeye, the MCU has been teasing a secret team formed by previous villains and powered people who don’t entirely fall on the hero side of the super business. So far, this team remains in the shadows, but Marvel Studios already revealed which characters will be returning for the Thunderbolts movie and when we can expect to see them next. But who are the Thunderbolts in Marvel Comics? And what can the comics tell us about the Thunderbolts movie?
Who Created the Thunderbolts?
Created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley for 1997’s The Incredible Hulk #449, the Thunderbolts first appeared in Marvel Comics as a group of superheroes who swore to protect the Earth after the Avengers and the Fantastic Four were apparently killed by a villain called Onslaught. However, it is soon revealed that the Thunderbolts were actually a team composed of supervillains who assumed new identities to gain public trust, gather secret S.H.I.E.L.D. information, and sell it to other criminals around the world. The first iteration of the Thunderbolts was created by Baron Zemo, a fan-favorite MCU character played by Daniel Brühl.
While Zemo intended to use the Thunderbolts as a cover to continue his criminal endeavors, the villain's plan had a huge flaw. As soon as the Thunderbolts started to save the world for real, the new “heroes” were naturally acclaimed by the population. After that, many of Zemo’s team members realized they could do better in life if they left their criminal ambitions behind. Most of the Thunderbolts got a taste of fame and public respect, deciding they would prefer to remain heroes than go back to being villains. And so begins the long tradition of the Thunderbolts comics, which focus on themes such as redemption, forgiveness, and the narrow limits between illegal actions and vigilante justice.
To prevent his teammates from becoming superheroes, Zemo reveals their villain identities, an act of treason that forces the Thunderbolts to go into hiding. At this point, Hawkeye resigns from the Avengers and assumes leadership of the Thunderbolts, trying to stir the former villains towards a better path. In the comics, Hawkeye gives himself the mission of leading villains who did horrible things in their past but are willing to change for good. Hawkeye’s version of the MCU, played by Jeremy Renner, has his own skeletons in the closet after killing so many people as the Ronin. So, the MCU already introduced two possible leaders for the film version of the Thunderbolts, the first motivated by greed, while the second believes redemption is possible.
Through many decades, the Thunderbolts had different incarnations in comic books. The group was led again by Zemo during the events of the Civil War, when the Thunderbolts because a government-funded program in the likes of DC’s The Suicide Squad. More recently, the Thunderbolts also became henchmen for Wilson Fisk, who used the superteam to enforce his superhero ban once he became mayor of New York. There are many iterations of the Thunderbolts team in Marvel Comics, but they all revolve around supervillains and antiheroes trying to get on the good side of the law, sometimes because they are forced to, while, more than often, they are motivated by their own will to leave their criminal past behind.
Which Thunderbolts Members Exist in the MCU?
While the Thunderbolts film is being developed under absolute secrecy, the MCU has been leaving breadcrumbs behind for fans to follow. First of all, the MCU has recently introduced Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), a mysterious woman who works with antiheroes. Valentina enlists the US Agent (Wyatt Russell) at the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and she’s also responsible for putting Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) on the trail of Clint Barton during the events of Hawkeye. So, while little is known about the future of the MCU, Valentina is already lurking from the shadows and working with antiheroes who are not exactly Avenger material. Besides that, even if Valentina is usually associated with another antihero team in the comic books, the Dark Avengers, the MCU has been known for mixing different characters and storylines for the movies and series.
Finally, Wakanda Forever revealed Valentina is no less than the head of the CIA, and her goal is to ensure the United States is ahead of any arms race, including that of super-powered people. So, by helping to put the Thunderbolts together, Valentina can make sure the U.S. has a team of enhanced people ready to answer the call and defend the country's interest, even when they don't align with the greater good. Now we just need to figure out how each of the confirmed Thunderbolts ends up joining the team. That's because the colorful cast of Thunderbolts includes Yelena Belova, John Walker, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), and Harrison Ford as Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross.
Who Will Lead the Thunderbolts in the MCU?
John Walker, aka the US Agent, led the Thunderbolts while Wilson Fisk was in charge of the Thunderbolts in the comic books, and since Russell is already confirmed as part of the movie, he could become the MCU's team leader. That is even more likely because Zemo, who led multiple versions of the group in the comics, usually using them to their own favor, is apparently not a part of the MCU project. Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier, is also a hero with a lot of blood in his past, which leads him to form his team of Thunderbolts in the comic books. In the MCU, Bucky still didn’t figure out how to redeem his past as a killer, which explains why he'll end up working with Valentina.
Another temporary leader for the Thunderbolts was the Red Hulk, the gamma-infused version of General “Thunderbolt” Ross. In the MCU, General Ross becomes the U.S. Secretary of State and advocates for the control of enhanced people, so it would make sense for him to form a version of the Thunderbolts, a super team that follows military orders. Since Ford is taking over the part, it seems like Marvel Studios has great plans for the character, and the MCU version of the team could be named after the general.
Another classic Thunderbolts member is Taskmaster, who in the comics was part of three different iterations of the team. The MCU introduced its version of Taskmaster during the events of Black Widow, but so far, we don’t know the villain's fate. In the comic books, Taskmaster first becomes part of the team during the Civil War and later rises to the position of leader of the Thunderbolts when Earth is fighting against Knull, the king of all the symbionts. Finally, Taskmaster remains on the team when Fisks bans superheroes but under the command of the US Agent. There's a huge gap in the timeline between Black Widow and Thunderbolts in the MCU, so writers can get really creative when explaining why the character joins Valentina and General Ross. Other characters returning from Black Widow are Yelena and Red Guardian. Neither has a history with the Thunderbolts in Marvel Comics, but since they both are comfortable acting for profit outside the law, it shouldn't be hard to get them on board of the MCU team.
Finally, Ghost, or Ava Starr, the phase-shifting villain introduced by the MCU in Ant-Man and the Wasp, has also joined the Thunderbolts in the comics on multiple occasions. First, Ghost was part of the Thunderbolts unit formed after the Civil War. Then, the antihero remained on the team when Luke Cage took charge, and Ghost was even part of the Thunderbolts unit that hunted down the Punisher. So, with so much comic book history between Ghost and the Thunderbolts, it makes sense for the MCU to bring the character back.
Which Other Thunderbolts Characters from the Comics May Appear in Marvel's Upcoming Movie?
While Marvel Studios has been keeping Thunderbolts plot under wraps, nothing prevents the movie from including yet unannounced members. For instance, another (living) MCU villain who was already part of the Thunderbolts in the comics is Emil Blonsky, the Abomination, played by Tim Roth. In the comic books, the Abomination joins the Thunderbolts only when the team is working as enforcers for Wilson Fisk, so he’s not really willing to reform. However, the MCU version of Emil is already on his path to redemption. In Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings, we learn the MCU version of Abomination is training with Wong, the Sorcerer Supreme (Benedict Wong). Then, in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, we find out that Abomination is now a haiku writer who preaches peace and prosperity. Even so, Emil ends up on the wrong side of the law at the end of the series, with Wong helping him escape prison. So, the MCU Thunderbolts could be a way for Emil to prove he's a changed man, deserving of getting his freedom back.
Hundreds of villains and antiheroes were already part of the Thunderbolts in the comics, and the team has eleven different versions in Marvel Comics. So, if the MCU is developing a Thunderbolts film, there’s a lot of material they could use to make it a memorable experience. Many classic Thunderbolts members in the comic books are also very alive in the MCU, giving screenwriter Eric Pearson (Black Widow) and producer Kevin Feige a lot of characters to play with. Let’s hope we hear more about the project soon enough.
Thunderbolts will hit theaters on July 26, 2024, ending Phase 5 of the MCU.