How The Thunderbolts Lineup Falls Short
Image Source: Empire
One of the big announcements at this year's D23 was a new Thunderbolts movie. In case you're not familiar, the Thunderbolts are a superhero team made up of anti-heroes and villains looking for redemption. It is pretty much Marvel's answer to Suicide Squad without the forced service via an explosive in the brain. The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s lineup consists of Black Widow/Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), U. S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko). The team is headed by the Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Marie-Dreyfus). While team-up movies are always intriguing and the idea of this varied and complex group provides ample materials, this lineup misses the mark.
Imbalance Of Franchises
Image Source: Attack of the Fanboy
If we look at this lineup, half of the members that will see on screen are all from 2019’s Black Widow. Two were in Falcon and The Winter Soldier with the Contessa also making her first appearance in that show. Not only does this ignore several other great characters that have been in the comic book iterations of the team, but it can also lead to storylines becoming fragmented from all the past encounters certain characters have with each other. Typically, one of the great things about these team-up type movies is that all the characters come together from different backgrounds, and walk into a fresh situation. The current team configuration will now have to juggle Yelena’s unresolved issues with her “father” and history with Taskmaster. Winter Soldier and U. S. Agent have obviously crossed paths, but I would also be very surprised if Winter Soldier and Red Guardian had not run into each other in the past considering how long they have both been around and their Soviet ties. All this leaves Ghost on the outside looking in. I am not saying the movie cannot give all these storylines adequate space and screen time, but they seem to be restricting themselves before even getting into the story.
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A Misuse Of Yelena
While the new Black Widow (who is easily one of my favorite new additions to the MCU) may not be prominent enough to carry her own solo movie, I could think of several projects off the top of my head that would be a much better vehicle for the character. She is also in the next generation of heroes, so it does not make sense for her to be associated with the old guard. This assignment may work as her redemption arc, but something like a Young Avengers series where she takes a leadership role (similar to Natasha in Avengers: Endgame) would add more depth and layers to her character. Even a Kate Bishop Hawkeye team-up show leading into a Young Avengers would be great based on the phenomenal chemistry they had together in the Hawkeye Disney+ series. The fact that Yelena is doing any project at all without Kate Bishop in it should be criminal. In my opinion, Yelena has shone the brightest in one-on-one conversations. She added much more in her back-and-forths with both Natasha and Kate than in larger group conversations where she sometimes got drowned out. It could also be a character choice to have her be more of an introvert that is more comfortable interacting with one or two people. In any case, it seems like another unnecessary hurdle to ensure she gets the time needed to justify using such a great character in a large ensemble piece.
Missing People
Image Source: Comic Book Herald
There have been multiple iterations of the Thunderbolts through the years with many early versions being mostly D-listers. However, as time went on there have been some more prominent names in recent years. There are characters that have debuted in the comics that would be more interesting to bring to the MCU. While the current roster has been in the comics version of the team at one point or another with the exception of Red Guardian, there are others who would make better members of the MCU’s Thunderbolts.
For one, how much more variation both in powers in backstory would someone like Abomination add? As seen on She-Hulk, he is also trying to walk the reformed criminal walk. General “Thunderbolt” Ross (yes the guy the team is named after) could easily step into the Contessa’s spot and possibly lead to a Red Hulk side arc. Thunderbolts could also bring some of the Netflix characters to the MCU since they don’t seem to be recasting (thankfully). The Punisher, Luke Cage, and Elektra have all had brief stints on the Thunderbolts, and would be great introductions to new skill sets and group dynamics.
The biggest omission has to be the original leader of the Thunderbolts, Baron Zemo. It is an absolute shame since he has quickly gone from a complex and well-rounded villain to someone we are not quite sure how to feel about on Falcon and The Winter Soldier (especially his dancing). Marvel must be looking for a way to bring him back and having him lead the Thunderbolts would be a perfect opportunity. He could take the road to redemption or be working for his own selfish purposes while appearing to pay for his sins. While it would be entertaining, sadly, we will see neither.
Of course, the production team will do their best to present the best version of the Thunderbolts. I hope that Marvel exceeds everyone’s expectations and makes the most of the concept and the characters. There are just other directions that I think would better benefit the movie and the MCU overall.
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