Who Are MCU"s Thunderbolts? Team Members, Origin & Comic History Explained

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Marvel Studios officially announced the development of Thunderbolts in July 2022, and since then, more details about the MCU's premiere antihero team have been revealed. Initially reported in June 2022, Thunderbolts was confirmed to be coming to the MCU's Phase 5 at SDCC, and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige revealed the team's line-up at the D23 Expo two months later. The project is set to combine storylines and characters from multiple MCU projects, and while there are still many unanswered questions, Thunderbolts' scheduled release date of July 26, 2024, means that the team's formation is right around the corner.
In Marvel Comics, the Thunderbolts team is traditionally formed of major villains, some of which are genuinely seeking redemption as reinvented heroes or antiheroes, while others have their own agendas. The team, brought together by Baron Helmut Zemo, first appeared in 1997, filling a void left by the Avengers after Earth's Mightiest Heroes were assumed dead. For the MCU, any number of villains or morally ambiguous heroes could be involved, and many speculate that the official line-up revealed at the D23 Expo might not be the final form of the team. Here's a full rundown of Marvel's Thunderbolts, their origins, members, and what to expect from the Phase 5 film.
Marvel's Thunderbolts Team Origin & History Explained

In a bid to relaunch storylines featuring the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, Marvel Comics used the 1996 Onslaught crossover event to remove most of their non-mutant characters from the main continuity, leaving the main universe without many of its greatest champions. As a replacement for Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the Thunderbolts debuted in 1996's The Incredible Hulk Vol. 2 #449, stepping out of the shadows and dubbing themselves protectors of Earth in the Avengers' place, though the team was soon outed as Baron Zemo's Masters of Evil, a group of villains and antiheroes who had been operating under false identities and feigning their heroism.
Marvel Comics' original Thunderbolts line-up included the likes of Zemo as Citizen V, Goliath as Atlas, Beetle as MACH-I, Moonstone as Meteorite, Screaming Mimi as Songbird, and Fixer as Techno, though dozens more villains have joined the ranks of the team over the years. While some of these villains were actually seeking redemption, some even eventually joining the Avengers, others, such as the Spider-Man villain Norman Osborn, a.k.a. Green Goblin, used the Thunderbolts to orchestrate their own diabolical plans. The legacy of Marvel Comics' other antihero teams, such as the Dark Avengers, began with the Thunderbolts, which is what makes the MCU's adaptation so important.
Thunderbolts' Story In Marvel Comics

Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts is bound to focus on the primary theme shared by every iteration of the team in Marvel Comics: villains seeking redemption (a major reason the Thunderbolts and DC's Suicide Squad are often compared). Most Thunderbolts members struggle with their own internal conflicts, particularly as some genuinely want to change for the better, while others cling to their devious schemes, causing the team to often be at war with itself. For instance, when Zemo realized his plan was faltering, he threatened to uncover the true identities of the Thunderbolts, a matter that was complicated when the Avengers and the Fantastic Four returned and quickly unearthed the Thunderbolts' scam.
After Marvel Comics' Civil War event put the Superhuman Registration Act into practice, the government reinvented the Thunderbolts as a program that forced incarcerated villains to help police the superhuman community. Under the leadership of Norman Osborn, the team played a major role in the Civil War, Secret Invasion, and Dark Reign storylines, allowing Osborn to maneuver himself into a position of authority, eventually creating HAMMER to replace SHIELD. Other versions of the team have been led by Luke Cage, Red Hulk, the Winter Soldier, and Wilson Fisk during his time as Mayor of New York, which many speculate could be an important plot for the MCU's Daredevil: Born Again.
The MCU Thunderbolts Lineup

The official line-up for Phase 5's Thunderbolts was revealed at 2022's D23 Expo, bringing together several antagonists from previous MCU projects. Reprising their roles are Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr, a.k.a. Ghost, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov, a.k.a. Red Guardian, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, a.k.a. the Winter Soldier, Wyatt Russell as John Walker, a.k.a. US Agent, and Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov, a.k.a. Taskmaster. While this is an impressive line-up, it's the notable missing characters that have caused a stir among Marvel's fans.
The original founder of the Thunderbolts in Marvel Comics was Baron Zemo, who is portrayed by Daniel Brühl in the MCU, so many expected him to take center-stage in the Phase 5 film. There is speculation that his absence is a red herring so as not to spoil other upcoming MCU projects, though other prominent Thunderbolts members, such as Emil Blonsky, a.k.a. Abomination, have also been omitted from the team. Captain America: New World Order will see Harrison Ford debut as Thaddeus Ross, taking over from the late William Hurt, and many suspect that the new President of the United States could transform into his infamous Red Hulk for Thunderbolts.
Everything We Know About MCU's Thunderbolts Movie

The storyline for Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts has been kept tightly under wraps, though there were some major reveals during the MCU's Phase 4 that set up Thunderbolts to be a brilliant crossover event. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier debuted Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina, a mysterious figure seen to be recruiting Walker, and later seen talking to Belova in Black Widow's post-credits scene. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever revealed Valentina to be the Director of the CIA in the world of the MCU, suggesting that Phase 5's Thunderbolts team will be a government-funded operation, perhaps even commanded by the President himself - Thaddeus Ross.
Recent speculation has placed The Walking Dead's Steven Yeun in the role of the Sentry for Thunderbolts, potentially acting as the film's "villain." Yeun's casting in Thunderbolts is interesting, as he has previously worked with director Jake Schreier on the Netflix series, Beef, and several other Thunderbolts crew members also worked on the series, including writer Lee Sung Jin, editor Harry Yoon, and production designer Grace Yun. While not many details are known about the upcoming Thunderbolts film, it can be assumed that the line-up won't stay the same - just as the line-up of the Avengers has changed since their formation in 2012.
Thunderbolts Is The MCU’s Answer To Suicide Squad

On paper, the concepts of Marvel's Thunderbolts and DC's Suicide Squad are remarkably similar. Both teams utilize villains (apologetically or otherwise), antiheroes, and outcasts to do the dirty work that the government and the world's superheroes would rather avoid. Two attempts have previously been made at DC Studios to bring the Suicide Squad to life, with 2016's Suicide Squad being met with a mixed response and James Gunn's 2021 film, The Suicide Squad, becoming a smash hit. At first glance, the development of the MCU's Thunderbolts film might seem like a way for Marvel Studios to capitalize on this same idea.
However, what sets Marvel Studios' adaptation apart is the fact that the characters being featured in Thunderbolts have already been established in the MCU - some members have even been in the franchise for several years. Spending too much time fleshing out character's backstories might have been where DC's Suicide Squad adaptations failed - or introducing too many characters that there simply wasn't enough time to flesh them out at all - but Marvel Studios is avoiding this issue completely. This means that Thunderbolts can dedicate its time entirely to the narrative, as MCU audiences will already be familiar with the characters' histories and motives.
What Will Happen In The Thunderbolts Movie

Currently, nothing is known about what storyline will unfold in Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts, as aside from the casting for the upcoming film, details have been kept hidden. More information will likely surface in the coming months, particularly as the MCU's Phase 5 begins to get into full swing after kicking off with 2023's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Thunderbolts is expected to conclude Phase 5 and will likely be a direct response to the events of Captain America: New World Order, which releases only two months earlier. Since there are countless directions the film could take, viewers will have to wait patiently for more Thunderbolts details.
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