In latest D23 presentation, Marvel Studios serves up who will be in the Thunderbolts with familiar but not-completely-heroic MCU characters. Months before the SDCC people have been talking about the Thunderbolts as a future team in the MCU. Then, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige flashed the title as part of MCU Phase 5. Now, at D23, he presents the characters that will comprise the team. Many of which are already familiar to viewers from the previous movies and Disney Plus series.
Empire tweets the announcement saying:
Let’s meet the Thunderbolts. There’s Julia Louis-Dreyfuss as Val, David Harbour returns as Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell as John Walker, Hannah John-Kamen as the Ghost, Florence Pugh as Yelena, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster – and Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes! #D23Expo
Marvel Introduces Thunderbolts To The MCU
Let’s meet the Thunderbolts. There’s Julia Louis-Dreyfuss as Val, David Harbour returns as Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell as John Walker, Hannah John-Kamen as the Ghost, Florence Pugh as Yelena, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster – and Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes! #D23Expo pic.twitter.com/T3085lkCSm
— Empire Magazine (@empiremagazine) September 10, 2022
Actors, joined Kevin Feige on-stage as he presented them as part of the upcoming team. Julia Louis-Dreyfuss returns as Val, who no longer is just a post-credit character but a main player in the series. David Harbour reprises Red Guardian, father to Florence Pugh’s Yelena. Olga Kurylenko returns as Taskmaster, which will be the first time the character appears after the events of the Black Widow movie. Wyatt Russell comes back as John Walker, whom Val recruited after the events of Falcon and the Winter Soldier series. Hannah John-Kamen as the Ghost, who first appeared in Ant-Man. Finally, Sebastian Stan is back as Bucky Barnes the Winter Soldier.
Mainly because of the premise on how the team comes together, Thunderbolts is almost always compared to DCEU’s Suicide Squad. Likewise, a number of especially abled and skilled individuals with legally questionable backgrounds team up for covert operations. However, departing from the original story of the comics, the MCU version of Thunderbolts is due to Val’s initiative. In the comics, it was Baron Zemo who forms the group. He found the opportune time to introduce a group of heroes in the absence of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. Ultimately, he wanted a group to pose as superheroes to gain access to government funding and information.
Marvel Introduces Thunderbolts To The MCU
Image: Marvel Studios
For a time, his plan worked. In fact, City Officials gave them the Four Freedoms Plaza as their headquarters. Also, public funds and donations enabled the Thunderbolts to get their Thunderjet. Everything went according to Baron Zemo’s plan. That is, until the members of the Thunderbolts began to feel they want to be true heroes themselves. Troubles ensue as Baron Zemo discloses the real identities of the Thunderbolts resulting to public despising their deceit.
This storyline would unlikely appear for the movie, however, the idea of presenting a new team in the absence of the Avengers could be a main line. Second this with the fact that they are bringing a new Black Widow and the Winter Soldier into the mix. In terms of introduction to the public, Thunderbolts in the MCU can easily fill the “post-blip” world’s need for heroes.
Certainly, there will be more layers of stories that MCU’s Thunderbolts would cover. Yelena, Winter Soldier, Ghost, U.S.Agent, Red Guardian and Taskmaster, all have different layers of connection with each other. Definitely, it will be interesting to see how their dynamics will work for the movie. All things considered; they may even eventually play important roles in the Secret Wars.
Currently on schedule for July 2024 release, Thunderbolts is among the movies that fans now closely anticipate.
