Who are the Thunderbolts? Find out the history of Marvel’s anti-hero team-up

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When the MCU’s Avengers stormed onto the scene, it was inevitable that some of the bad guys would want to get in on the action. That’s where the Thunderbolts come in – a collection of villains and anti-heroes with looser morals than the Avengers, allowing them to take on jobs that their heroic counterparts can’t. Before Thunderbolts* (there’s that all-important asterisk!) finally lands in cinemas in 2025, here is everything you need to know about this unusual superhero team.

Who are the Thunderbolts?

The first iteration of the Thunderbolts debuted in 1997 in the pages of Marvel’s Incredible Hulk comic book series. Here, they were presented as a new super-powered group poised to take the place of the Avengers, who were presumed dead. However, this was all a ruse – the original Thunderbolts were actually the Masters of Evil in disguise.

The original group was composed of some classic Marvel villains in new costumes to conceal their identity. Baron Zemo became the patriotic hero, Citizen V. Beetle became MACH-1 and Fixer took the name Techno. Goliath rebranded as Atlas and Screaming Mimi changed to Songbird. Finally, Moonstone was added to the team and took the name Meteorite and the Thunderbolts’ original line-up was complete.

The idea was that the group would fill the hole left by the apparent deaths of the Avengers to become the most powerful superhero group on Earth. Zemo would then use that position to gain access to classified intel from S.H.I.E.L.D. and Avengers Tower, which he would then sell for profit. However, things didn’t go to plan for Zemo. Turns out that, while pretending to be superheroes, the villains started to believe that they were superheroes and turned on Zemo to go do more heroic missions and legitimately earn the world’s trust.

Of course, this is a comic book team-up we’re talking about, which means that there have been dozens of members of the Thunderbolts over the years, with a rotating roster that has been disbanded and reformed by heroes and villains across Marvel’s history. Norman Osborne, Kingpin, Hawkeye, and Luke Cage have all had turns leading the Thunderbolts over the years.

The roster of the Thunderbolts has included some remarkably obscure characters from Marvel’s history, but it has also included some well-known characters. Deadpool, Venom, Elektra, Shang-Chi, and Ghost Rider have all been members at various points in the comic’s history. Most recently the Winter Soldier has had his chance to lead the notorious team in the pages of Marvel comics.

Who is in the MCU’s Thunderbolts?

Like their comic book counterparts, the MCU’s Thunderbolts consist of heroes and villains from previous Marvel films. The current line-up of the upcoming movie is:

Winter Solder/Bucky Barnes
Ghost/Ava Starr
U.S. Agent/ John Walker
Black Widow/Yelena Belova
Red Guardian/ Alexei Shostakov
Taskmaster/ Antonia Dreykov

The leader of this version of the Thunderbolts appears to be Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, played by Harrison Ford. However, considering the trickery that often takes place just below the surface with the Thunderbolts, we can’t be too sure who is really in charge until the end credits roll on May 5, 2024.

Are the Thunderbolts good or bad?

The line between a hero and a villain can be surprisingly thin, so the answer to this question is usually – yes. The Thunderbolts have, across their almost 30 year history in the comics, been both good guys and bad guys. Sometimes genuine heroes team up with characters like Wilson Fisk for the greater good while occasionally the likes of Hawkeye will try to steer the team in the direction of good, with various results. The important thing isn’t how good or bad they are. The important thing is that they get results.

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