Starting with Avengers Disassembled in 2004 and ending with Siege in 2010, Marvel Comics delivered storylines we’ve seen influence the MCU time and time again. Thunderbolts* is the latest to reveal some of those influences ahead of its release in May, combining several storylines and plot elements on the screen to craft something special for audiences. Storylines like House of M, Civil War, Secret Invasion, and others have all made their way into the MCU in some form or another. With the introduction of the Thunderbolts, Sentry, and a big change for the Avengers Watchtower, are we set to see Dark Reign take over in the MCU?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine seems to be the catalyst for bits of what we saw in Dark Reign to take hold. In the comics, she’s a former member of S.H.I.E.L.D. who is later revealed to be the latest Madame Hydra during the Dark Reign storyline. On top of being a Hydra agent, she was also revealed to be a Russian mole working with the Leviathan espionage group out of the former Soviet Union. Basically, she’s a major a thorn in Nick Fury’s side.
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But in the MCU, she’s been a shadowy force in the background and the current director of the CIA as well as the ex-wife to Black Panther liaison Everett K. Ross. Since her debut in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Black Widow, Fontaine has been putting together her team of tainted heroes and villains for the Thunderbolts. She has also been revealed as the new owner of the Avengers Tower, renaming it the Watchtower in the new trailer.
The latest Thunderbolts* trailer confirms the Avengers Tower purchase something director Jake Schreier tees up in a feature interview with Empire using some ominous language.
“We know what that tower means,” Schreier said. “Who’s the person you would least like to own that tower, that means so much to so many people? Can you use that as a symbol of things taking a darker turn?”
In the aftermath of Avengers Disassembled, former members of the team recruit new members for an Avengers squad that works out of the tower after a breakout at The Raft forces the heroes to come together again. During this period, Sentry joins the team and his “watchtower” becomes part of the Avengers tower. It’s not as ominous in the comics, with Sentry being a hero at the time despite his complicated background.
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With Dark Reign, Sentry remains an Avenger, but specifically a Dark Avenger under Harry Osborn, alongside the former Thunderbolts posing as former members of the team. This includes Bullseye as Hawkeye, Daken as Wolverine, Mac Gargan as Spider-Man, Osborn as Iron Patriot, and Moonstone as Ms. Marvel. Greek God Ares joins in place of Thor, while Grant Morrison creation Marvel Boy joins as the new Captain Marvel.
If only Ares knew that he’d be torn in half by Sentry when Seige rolls around, he might’ve tried things differently. Once Sentry is revealed to be fully evil under Osborn’s influence, letting The Void take him over, he tears Ares apart and battles the original Avengers before being defeated. It’s comics, so he’s come back and died a few times over the years, but just go with it.
There is no way this will directly translate to the screen in any form, especially with Secret Wars on the horizon. It also has the weight of comic logic holding it back, necessitating a pruning we’re sure to see starting with Thunderbolts*. That said, Fontaine and the team are sure to play a part in both new Avengers films, but it isn’t clear if they will maintain any Dark Reign hints before Phase Six ends.
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And none of this even tips a hat toward the existence of The Cabal, the evil version of the Illuminati that ends up playing a big part in Secret Wars. Dark Reign established the first iteration of the group, though the lineup quickly changed after Doctor Doom decided he was better solo. Later, The Maker leads a new Cabal with Thanos, Terrax, Black Swan, Proxima Midnight, Corvus Glaive, and Inhumans villain Maximus.
We’ll have to wait and see what the MCU’s version of “darkness” turns out to be. We know Sentry will be turning people into shadows in Thunderbolts*, so maybe the tone will be set as Phase Six arrives.
Do you think Thunderbolts* will bring a Dark Reign to the MCU? Sound off in the comments.
Starting with Avengers Disassembled in 2004 and ending with Siege in 2010, Marvel Comics delivered storylines we’ve seen influence the MCU time and time again. Thunderbolts* is the latest to reveal some of those influences ahead of its release in May, combining several storylines and plot elements on the screen to craft something special for Read More