During this past weekend’s D23, Marvel Studios finally revealed a secret weapon that was all but known to be on the way as MCU fans got theThunderboltsroster they had been waiting so long, with most names being on most people’s lists prior to the special showcase.
Nevertheless, since theMCU’sX-Menplans remain a distant dream, for now, one of the major letdowns for Marvel fans was knowing they wouldn’tsee the likes of Juggernaut and Deadpoolmake up theirSuicide Squad. Instead, the core team of Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, U.S. Agent, Red Guardian, Taskmaster and Ghost, led by headhunter Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine is a very promising, albeit mixed bag of characters that still has a lot to prove in Phase Five’sAvengers-style closing act.
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The Definitely Good
The placement of each actor on the excellent artwork by Andy Park that Marvel used at D23 is of course no accident, right at the center is Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, who will take on the role of the Thunderbolts leader after a successful introduction inBlack Widow. With Scarlett Johansson out, Yelena has looked the part as one of the MCU key female leads thanks to her character’s personality and humor proving to be quite charming, so the choice seems ideal, no complaints here as she’ll be judged on merit only.
The same goes for the Winter Soldier, because MCU fans have had over a decade to grow fond of him, something that’s not really hard considering the complex pain and story arc Bucky’s endured. Sebastian Stan is a beloved actor with direct ties to the MCU’s finest era and a more than a solid sidekick or lead in screenplay terms, however, as seen inThe Falcon and the WinterSoldier, Bucky is not one to crave the spotlight, meaning being second in command fits him perfectly.
Likewise, Bucky and Yelena are the only two operatives to have verified experience on the field, and although the latter may have failed Val on herHawkeyeassignment, she’s at least a semi-reliable asset. These two can do a fine job leading Marvel’s black ops crew, no argument there.
The Rad
Next in line is one of theThunderbolts’bolder choices, the Red Guardian. Despite lacking the Marvel Comics’ connection other names have to theThunderbolts(Red Guardian is not in any source material lineup), he actually fits in quite nicely. Given Yelena is the de facto leader, it makes perfect sense she’d bring on her father to help out as that reduces the number of potential liabilities the Thunderbolts will have to deal with — for viewers, the Red Guardian ensures that there’s someone to function as comic relief without having to sacrifice the rest of the team for the usual share of MCU humor.
As for Val and U.S. Agent, Julia Louis-Dreyfus has had little screen time in the role, but she plays the part perfectly and is unlikely to see much action; whereas John Walker not onlygave the MCU one of its bloodiest moments, his mental health issues alone make him a great antihero for the long term after being the first one put on redemption path under the Thunderbolts initiative. Again, it’s hard to contest these choices.
The Questionable
It’s here where things get trickier, as theThunderbolts’first absentee is sadly their namesake creator General “Thunderbolt” Ross due to William Hurt’s passing, especially becausethe MCU never quite made the bestuse of his talents. This meansthe Thunderboltswill be one Red Hulk shortin their efforts, which deprives them of one of their strongest members.
Olga Kurylenko’sTaskmaster is arguably one of the worst MCU villainsto date, simply due toBlack Widowrendering her as nothing more than a silent watchdog for its villain, and thoughThunderboltsmay open the door for her to show some personality, it’s fair to say there’s no reason to be excited about her inclusion unless she gets a radical upgrade. Meanwhile, no matter thatAnt-Manmovies have overachieved for Disney, to a certain extent, it’s hard to say the same about Ghost, who does have a favorable story arc to justify her inclusion but feels a bit like filler, hence why these are shunned to the corners of the presentation concept art.
While these two actors could perfectly exceed expectations, the harsh reality is that their spots appear to be more of a consequence of Marvel’s insistence on killing its villains so quickly and not as part of some genius plan from Kevin Feige. Abomination had long been rumored to bea sure bet for theThunderbolts, and yet, even if Tim Roth has looked better than these two ever did in his return forShe-Hulk, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Granted, no MCU fan should rule outa few surprises coming their way inThunderbolts, and the group’s nature makes practically any member a disposable soldier, so new players are always welcome, but for the film being Phase Five’s bookend entry, it sure could use another big Marvel name or, at the very least, Helmut Zemo’s cunning mind to balance so much super soldier muscle (Daniel Brühl’s acting talents are also welcome).
Evidently,this overview of theThunderbolts’teamcannot account for what the movie’s plot will be and who the supergroup will go up against, as the quality of those two would surely make up for any potential shortcomings. After all, the Avengers are all about teamwork anyway.
