They may not be the Avengers (or even the Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men, Fantastic Four or Eternals) but Marvel has a new team assembling in “Thunderbolts*.”
The MCU’s latest movie is bringing together some of the anti-heroes and villains from past movies and shows, like “Black Widow,” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” and more, and putting them on a brand new team. Imagine DC’s “Suicide Squad” but less murder and gore.
Assembled by the mysterious Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), the Thunderbolts are made up of Black Widow agent Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh); Bucky Barnes, aka the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan); Yelena’s adopted dad and Russian super soldier Red Guardian (David Harbour); the disgraced Captain America wannabe John Walker (Wyatt Russell); the invisible and intangible spy Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen); and combat expert Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko). After realizing they’ve been set up by Valentina, the anti-heroes’ first mission involves protecting an unassuming target named Bob (Lewis Pullman), who is hiding an alter-ego as the super-strong comic character Sentry.
The other mystery of “Thunderbolts*” is what that pesky asterisk means, but have no fear because curious Marvel fans will get a definitive answer.
“It may star six characters you either forgot about or couldn’t name if your life depended on it, but going forward, you’ll be expected to know who they are and could be quizzed on events that happen in ‘Thunderbolts*’ at any time — starting with the asterisk that appears after the title,” writes Variety chief film critic Peter Debruge. “The ‘dirty half dozen’/’magnificent six’ featured here — a mix of hotheaded rejects and randos — can’t agree on what to call themselves, but have no illusions about one thing: They’re the losers of the MCU.”
The new team is also ready to have an impact on the future of the MCU as many of the characters are confirmed to return for next year’s “Avengers: Doomsday.” Read more about the cast and their past MCU appearances below.
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Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh)
Image Credit: Marvel Studios Recent appearances: “Black Widow,” “Hawkeye”
Just like her adopted sister Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Yelena is a skilled assassin who survived her childhood training in Russia’s brutal Red Room. In “Hawkeye,” she was hired by Valentina to kill Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) for murdering Natasha, but she lets him go when she learns that Natasha sacrificed herself to save the universe in “Endgame.” Since then, she’s been grieving the death of her sister and estranged from their adopted father Alexei, aka the Red Guardian.
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Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan)
Image Credit: Disney Recent appearances: “Captain America: Brave New World,” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “Avengers: Endgame,” “Avengers: Infinity War”
Bucky is the one member of the Thunderbolts who’s been in the MCU the longest — dating all the way back to the first “Captain America” movie in 2011. On “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” he finally moved on from his past as a brainwashed assassin for Hydra. In his most recent appearance in “Captain America: Brave New World,” it was revealed that he’s an incoming U.S. Congressman. Even though Bucky has gotten into politics, it seems like he hasn’t fully left his superhero life behind.
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Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus)
Image Credit: Marvel Studios Recent appearances: “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Black Widow,” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”
Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is the new director of the CIA and handler for the Thunderbolts. She recruited John Walker and made him the U.S. Agent after he brutally killed a civilian in “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”; she sent Yelena to kill Clint Barton in “Hawkeye”; and she bought Avengers Tower to turn it into her base of operations. She’s a shadowy, Nick Fury-esque character whose true motivations are unclear. She was also revealed to be the ex-wife of CIA agent Everett K. Ross (Martin Freeman) in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
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Red Guardian (David Harbour)
Recent appearances: “Black Widow,” “What If…?”
Alexei Shostakov is the Red Guardian, the Soviet Union’s super soldier equivalent to Captain America and Yelena’s off-kilter, but loving, father figure. He claims to have fought Cap in the ’80s; since then Alexei has gotten a little out of shape, but still fights by Yelena’s side.
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John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell)
Image Credit: ©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection Recent appearances: “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”
John Walker was introduced as a government-appointed Captain America in “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” and given Super Soldier serum, but his reputation was tarnished after he publicly killed a civilian. After that, he created his own Cap shield and was recruited by Valentina to run covert missions as her U.S. Agent.
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Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen)
Image Credit: Marvel Studios Recent appearances: “Ant-Man the Wasp”
Ava Starr is the spy Ghost, who can turn her body invisible and intangible for short periods of time and pass through any surface. She was first introduced in “Ant-Man and the Wasp” as a rogue assassin working for the corrupted S.H.I.E.L.D. and searching for a way to control her erratic powers. With her abilities stabilized, Ava now works for Valentina.
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Bob/Sentry (Lewis Pullman)
Image Credit: Marvel Studios Recent appearances: None
In the comics, Robert “Bob” Reynolds is the Superman-esque Sentry, who has the power of flight, super strength and invulnerability. He’s also the vessel for the Void, a dark entity within Bob that feeds off negativity.
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Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko)
Image Credit: Marvel Studios Recent appearances: “Black Widow”
Antonia Dreykov is another graduate of the Red Room, the Soviet female assassin initiative run by her father (Ray Winstone). As the masked Taskmaster, she went head to head with Yelena and Natasha in “Black Widow.” She can perfectly imitate someone’s fighting style just by watching them, so she’s mastered Cap’s shield, Hawkeye’s bow and more.
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Mel (Geraldine Viswanathan)
Image Credit: Marvel Studios Recent appearances: None
Mel is Valentina’s assistant, helping her run the Thunderbolts and always ready with a fresh cup of coffee.
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