Thunderbolts*isn’t like any other film Marvel Studios has put out, mainly becauseits entire cast is full of antiheroes or straight-up villains. The film will bring together Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), her adoptive father Alexei, the Red Guardian (David Harbour), Eva Starr (Hannah John-Kamen), the intangible assassin known as the Ghost; Antonia Dreykov (Olga Kurylenko), aka the Taskmaster, John Walker (Wyatt Russell), who is struggling with his fall from grace as Captain America, and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), formerly known as the Winter Soldier. That’s not even factoring in “Bob” (Lewis Pullman), who is potentiallythe solar-powered titan known as the Sentry.
The Thunderbolts have usually been a team where former villains turn to the path of good, starting all the way with their original incarnation byKurt BusiekandMark Bagley. After the Avengers and Fantastic Four were presumed to be killed in a battle withthe mutant menace Onslaught, the Thunderbolts rose up to defend the world. It wasn’t until the end ofThunderbolts #1that the truth about this new team was revealed:they were the Masters of Evil in disguise, led by Baron Helmut Zemo. Since then, the Thunderbolts have gone through a number of roster changes, with some surprising characters joining their ranks.
Baron Zemo Led the Original Thunderbolts Until Hawkeye Stepped In
Zemo originally intended for the Thunderbolts to pose as heroes until he could get his hands on the secrets of the superhero community and sell them to other villains. Two factors impeded his plans: most of the Thunderbolts, particularly armored genius Mach-IV, sonic-powered Songbird, and shape-changing Atlas actually grew toenjoybeing heroes, and the Avengers and The Fantastic Four turned out to be not-so-dead, having been shuttled to a pocket reality by Franklin Richards.Zemo revealed the Thunderbolts' true identities,but they turned on him and defeated him. It wasn’t long before the team gained a new leader in Hawkeye (aka the “strongest Avenger”), who guided them through trials and tribulations to truly become heroes. None of them counted on Zemo to return and usurp Hawkeye’s leadership, leading to a battle between the Avengers and Thunderbolts in the appropriately titledAvengers/Thunderbolts: Best Intentionsminiseries.
Green Goblin Led a Thunderbolts Team That Included Venom and Bullseye
The Thunderbolts gained a new roster after theCivil Warstoryline and a new mission:hunting down heroes who refused to sign the Superhuman Registration Act. Their new leader was none other than Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin, and Osborn intended to utilize some of the deadliest villains on the planet to carry out his work. Those villains were Mac Gargan, the former Scorpion who now possessed the Venom symbiote, Daredevil’s archnemesis Bullseye, the Radioactive Man, Penance, who was formerly the New Warriors' Speedball, Andreas von Strucker, son of Hydra leader Wolfgang von Strucker and the new Swordsman, and founding Thunderbolts Moonstone and Songbird.
Wait, Wolverine and Elektra Were Married?
With Jennifer Garner back as Elektra in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine,’ let’s dig into her comic book history with the clawed mutant.
During theSecret Invasioncomics storyline, Osborn killed the Skrull Queen Veranke and was given his own agency, H.A.M.M.E.R. To keep up his new public image,he gave his Thunderbolts new identities as the Dark Avengers.Venom took on Spider-Man’s identity, Hawkeye became Bullseye, and Moonstone became Ms. Marvel with Wolverine’s son Daken, the Sentry, and the god of war Ares joining Osborn’s team. But following Osborn’s fall from grace in theSiegeminiseries byBrian Michael BendisandOlivier Coipel, the Dark Avengers disassembled.
The next leader of the Thunderboltswould be none other than Luke Cage, who stuck to the idea of reforming former villains. Operating out of the Raft, Cage selected a new team of Thunderbolts including the X-Men’s former foe, the Juggernaut and the Man-Thing. Once again, Moonstone and Songbird return, though the former was one of the Raft’s inmates. Following a trip through time and another shift in their roster, the Thunderbolts' next incarnation would be led by Thaddeus Ross,better known as Red Hulk! Ross gathered together a team including Elektra, Flash Thompson (who used the Venom symbiote as Agent Venom), the Punisher, Deadpool, and Ghost Rider to take out superhuman threats with extreme prejudice.
The latest incarnation of the Thunderbolts returned to the group’s mercenary roots,courtesy of Wilson Fisk, the former Kingpin of Crime. Fisk had become mayor of New York City and assembled a team of criminals whenthe symbiote god Knullattacked the Earth duringKing in Blackto protect Norman Osborn, who had briefly wielded the Carnage symbiote. He’d once again make the Thunderbolts into hero hunters during theDevil’s Reignstory byChip ZdarskyandMarco Checchetto, after signing a bill that outlawed vigiliantism in New York.Devil’s Reignended with Luke Cage taking over the mayor’s office, and reformatting the Thunderbolts under Hawkeye’s leadership - bringing them back to their roots.
Bucky Barnes and The Thunderbolts Have a History
Believe it or not,Bucky Barnes has led two separate teams of Thunderbolts.The first incarnation saw him assemble most of the original Thunderbolts to protect Kobik, a young girl who was also the living embodiment of a Cosmic Cube. They came into conflict with Baron Zemo and his reformed Masters of Evil, but Bucky’s next team of Thunderbolts was far more successful. InThunderbolts: WorldstrikebyCollin Kelly, Jackson LanzingandGeraldo Borges, he assembles a covert team of operativestofinally take out the Red Skullonce and for all— and succeeds. The Thunderbolts have a long, morally conflicted history, and it looks likeThunderbolts*will be making good use of that dynamic.
Thunderbolts*
Thunderbolts follows a group of unconventional superheroes who emerge in a world without the Avengers. As this new team bands together, they navigate complex missions and moral dilemmas, seeking to establish themselves as protectors while uncovering hidden threats that could jeopardize global safety and stability.
Thunderbolts*comes to theaters August 10, 2025.
