The Thunderbolts are coming to theMCU. At San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced thatThunderboltswould be released on August 14, 2025, and would be the end of Phase 5 of the MCU. Fans were already aware thatThunderboltswas getting a film prior to the announcement ever since June 2022 whenRobot & FrankfilmmakerJake Schreier was announced to directthe film. The announcement was still big news, as the Thunderbolts are a popular concept in the comics and one the MCU seems to have been teasing through Phase 4.
Created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley in 1997, The Thunderbolts were originally presented as a new team of superheroes to take the place of The Avengers who were missing in action at the time, only to be revealed in the final pages to be the super villain team The Masters of Evil in disguises, a twist that Marvel closely protected. Since then, the concept has mainly been used by Marvel as a team of reformed supervillains recruited by the United States government. In many ways, they are Marvel’s answer to The Suicide Squad at DC.
The Thunderbolts Are Coming
The seeds ofThunderboltshave been planted throughout Phase 4. Much like the comics where the Thunderbolts sprang up from, there is no official Avengers team in the MCU. A mysterious woman namedLa Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine(Julia Louis-Dreyfus) showed up in bothThe Falcon and the Winter SoldierandBlack Widow, recruiting characters in a manner similar to Nick Fury throughout Phase 1. The inclusion of projects likeSecret InvasionandAgatha Harkness: Coven of Choasleading into theThunderboltsin Phase 5 suggests that this phase is some adaptation ofDark Reign, where the villains were running the show in the Marvel Universe for a time after the public became disillusioned with superheroes.
That storyline introduced The Dark Avengers, a team of supervillains that were taking on the mantle of popular heroes like Spider-Man foe Norman Osborn ditching the Green Goblin person for the more heroic Iron Patriot. TheThunderboltsmovie is likely an amalgamation of the Thunderbolts and Dark Avengers concepts in the comics; it’s worth noting that theDark Reigncomic storyline was born from the fallout ofSecret Invasion, and now in the MCUSecret Invasionminiseries will premiere beforeThunderbolts.
Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine appears to be recruiting the Thunderbolts, and will likely pop up in more MCU projects in the near future. With her acting as the team’s Nick Fury, the question now centers on whom she’ll recruit to be in her team. While past MCU phases have killed off popular villains, Phase 4 has shown a lot more kept alive and more anti-heroes pop up for Valentina to recruit. These are the eight best possibilities for recruits inThunderbolts.
This one seems like a safe bet, asThe Falcon and the Winter Soldierended with Val giving John Walker (Wyatt Russell) a new suit and codename: US Agent. It appeared to be a tease of what is to come, and the Thunderbolts are likely going to need a strong face for the public and a Captain America figure makes sense.
Related:Why Does the MCU Need the Thunderbolts?
US Agent was also recently added to the Thunderbolts in the comics, and the comics are often a good indicator of what the movies are setting up. Marvel wants a certain synergy to both prepare current readers and attract audiences who are first introduced to the concepts by the film.
Yelena Belova
The second character audiences saw recruited by Val in the MCU (although she was technically supposed to be inBlack Widowfirst beforeThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) is the adopted sister of Natasha Romanoff and is set to take on the mantle of Black Widow within the MCU. Yelena becoming the team’s Black Widow seems obvious. Yelena already showed up inHawkeye, with Val pointing her in the direction of killing Clint Barton, and it appears she is still employed by Val for whatever she has planned.
Abomination
Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) also known as The Abomination made one appearance inThe Incredible Hulkback in 2008, and was not seen or heard from for years. 13 years later, he showed up in a cameo role inShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,where the character was fighting/working with Wong (Benedict Wong) from theDoctor Strangefilms.Abomination will appear inShe-Hulk: Attorney At Lawin what appears to be a major role, though, possibly being the major case of the series and maybe laying the groundwork for the character to appear in Thunderbolts as the team’s Hulk figure.
Abomination was showcased as one of the major zombie characters in the upcomingMarvel Zombiesseries, so Marvel Studios is heavily invested in the character after a long absence. Abomination also became a member of the Thunderbolts for the first time in the comics during the event ‘Devil’s Reign’, a strong indicator that Marvel wants audiences to associate the character with the team.
Tony Dalton wasHawkeye’s breakout character, playing Jack Duquesne who, in the comics, is a character that goes by the name Swordsman, and has been both a hero and villain. InHawkeye, the character was a misdirect villain, ultimately revealing himself to be a caring potential step-father figure to Kate Bishop. The character had such a great presence, and it feels like too good of a character to just leave as a one-off appearance.
The character could be recruited by Val to join this team. Part of the fun of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is bringing in different characters from across the universe together and having them interact. A character like Jack Duquense would certainly have plenty of fun dynamics with the various team members, exploring new dynamics for the character and moving him outside his small segment of the franchise into the wider universe.
Agatha Harkness
But also just from a story dynamic, putting the breakout character with atalented performer like Kathryn Hahnin an ensemble piece is a no-brainer. A lot of great comedic potential and banter with the fellow members of the Thunderbolts, particularly as characters like US Agent, Abomination, and Yelena are more militarized in nature.
Related:Here’s Why Kathryn Hahn is Perfect as Agatha Harkness
It is also worth noting that theAgatha: Coven of Choasseries premieresin late 2023/early 2024 beforeThunderboltsopens in theaters in July 2024. Both are Phase 5 projects focused and centered on villains, allowingAgatha: Coven of Choasto lead directly intoThunderbolts.
With both Charlie Cox and Vincent D’noforio reprising their role as Daredevil and Kingpin respectively fromTheDefenders Sagaseries that premiered on Netflix, Marvel is open to bringing back past characters and performers. One important figure who was sadly short-changed was Elektra. While Elektra died at the end ofThe Defenders, her body was never shown, and she likely survived just like Daredevil did.Thunderboltscould be the perfect way to bring Elektra back into the MCU, with Eloide Young reprising her role. Elektra became a member of The Thunderbolts during the ‘Marvel Now’ run of the comics, and adding her to the film makes for an easily recognizable character for audiences.
One of the most prominent characters in the Thunderbolts roster tends to be Ghost, who appeared as an antagonist inAnt-Man and the Wasp.Ghost aka Ava Starr (Hannah-John Kamen), is initially a threat to the heroes, but they make amends with Ghost when they realize she is not a villain but a victim of a serious ailment.Ant-Man and the Waspend with the Pyms and Scott Lang vowing to help Ghost find a cure. The reason Scott Lang survived the snap and was stuck in the Quantum Realm for five years was that he was grabbing healing particles for Ghost. Since then, Ghost’s story has remained unresolved and there is no indicator she will appear inAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Last but not least is the team’s wildcard and possible leader, Zemo (Daniel Brüh). Zemo first appeared inCaptain America: Civil Warand later reappeared inThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier. In the comics, Zemo was the leader and founder of the original Thunderbolts and has been involved with several incarnations of the team.
In-universe, there is a great deal of sense to put Zemo in The Thunderbolts, as he already has military experience and ran the elite Sokovian kill squad. While the character has expressed his distaste for superheroes and superpowers, he has also shown his willingness to manipulate those with powers to achieve his goals. Many Phase 4 projects likeWandaVision,Spider-Man: No Way Home, andDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesshave shown a world that is starting to distrust superheroes more. Zemo could play off that distrust and position the Thunderbolts to be heroes in a way he sees fit, creating a larger divide in the world. With him captive aboard the superpowered prison The Raft, he is just sitting there waiting to be recruited.
