Before the Avengers return, the MCU brings us a new team made up of anti-heroes and ex-villains. The 7 members of the Thunderbolts are no strangers to
Currently, there are no more Avengers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe who face great threats together as a team. But before the mightiest heroes regroup in Avengers 5: The Kang Dynasty, a new team will be unveiled on the big screen: The Thunderbolts.
At Disney’s D23 fan convention, the cast of the upcoming MCU Phase 5 film was announced for the first time. We introduce you to all 7 confirmed members of the antihero Avengers in more detail.
Before the Avengers return: these are the Thunderbolts in the MCU
In Marvel Comics, the Thunderbolts are a team of reformed supervillains who decided to commit acts of heroism. But then a shocking twist ensued and the team around Baron Zemo revealed their true and utterly villainous intentions. Later, however, Marvel presented the Thunderbolts as a troupe of ex-villains and anti-heroes who want to make amends and be truly heroic.
Also in the MCU, the Thunderbolts are made up of familiar characters who either did evil in the past or cannot be clearly classified as good. It is basically Marvel’s answer to DC’s The Suicide Squad.
The exact origin of the Thunderbolts in the MCU has not yet been officially confirmed. However, the team’s name could be a reference to Marvel Secretary of State and former Lieutenant General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross. The latter’s actor William Hurt passed away last March.
Member of the Thunderbolt team in the MCU: Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) works for an unknown organisation that seeks superhumanly strong recruits who often straddle the grey areas between good and evil. With her 2 MCU appearances so far, Val presented herself as a Nick Fury knock-off with the goal of assembling her own team. Now we know that this team is the Thunderbolts, who are sent on missions by Val as the lead officer.
- Previous MCU appearances: The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Black Widow
Member of the Thunderbolt team in the MCU: Black Widow
Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), like her adopted sister Natasha Romanov, was trained as an elite spy in Red Space. She is also a Black Widow and an excellent hand-to-hand fighter. After the destruction of Red Space, Yelena sought out other Black Widows to free them from their brainwashing. She also works as an assassin-for-hire.
Member of the Thunderbolt team in the MCU: Red Guardian
Not only Yelena, but also her adoptive father Alexei Shostakov aka Red Guardian (David Harbour) joins the Thunderbolts. He was the Soviet Union’s first (and only) super soldier and has powers similar to Captain America. For a secret mission in the US, he and Black Widow Melina Vostokoff created a fake family in the 1990s and raised Yelena and Natasha as his daughters.
Member of the Thunderbolt team in the MCU: Taskmaster
Taskmaster is already the third character from the MCU film Black Widow to join the Thunderbolts. Behind the stylish mask is Antonia Dreykov (Olga Kurylenko), the daughter of the leader of the Soviet training programme Red Space. After a serious accident in her childhood, her father implanted her with a chip that deactivated all her senses and turned her into a will-less soldier. As a taskmaster, she has the ability to imitate fighting styles and movements. After Antonia was released from her mind control, she disappeared alongside other Widows.
Member of the Thunderbolt team in the MCU: Bucky Barnes
As the most prominent member of the Thunderbolts, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) returns to the big screen for the first time since Endgame. Like several other members of the team, Bucky is a human who was used as a will-less super soldier by evil forces in the past. Having finally come to terms with his past deeds as a Winter Soldier, Bucky now finds a new purpose with the Thunderbolts.
Member of the Thunderbolt team in the MCU: U.S. Agent
Former soldier John Walker (Wyatt Russell) was supposed to be the next Captain America. But his brutal behaviour, illegal ingestion of superhero serum and a public murder caused him to be stripped of the title by the US government. The disgraced John is eventually recruited by Val, who approves of his actions and gives him the new name U.S. Agent.
Member of the Thunderbolt team in the MCU: Ghost
Ava Starr aka Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) is an excellent fighter and has the ability to dematerialise her body. The reason for this is a quantum accident that changed her body forever many years ago. For a time she worked as an agent for S.H.I.E.L.D.. In Ant-Man and the Wasp, she appeared as the antagonist in a desperate search for a cure for her condition and took flight at the end of the film.
When does Thunderbolts open in cinemas?
Thunderbolts will hit the cinemas as the 5th phase entry of the MCU. However, fans will have to be patient until that time comes. In the USA, the official release date has been set for 26 July 2024. In German cinemas, the new Marvel team-up will probably be seen as early as 24 July 2024.
