Who Are The Thunderbolts?
Image Source: Attack of The Fanboy
The 2022 Disney D23 Expo announced a Thunderbolts movie in the works, but if you are not familiar with the comics, should you still be excited? Absolutely!
First appearing in the Incredible Hulk graphic novels, The Thunderbolts are a team of (semi)reformed villains with many famous faces on their rosters. Baron Zemo led the original cohort, but they’ve also been captained by Norman Osborn, Luke Cage, Red Hulk, The Punisher, The Winter Soldier, and Wilson Fisk. Marvel has announced the line-up and there appear to be many returning characters from Black Widow and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D series, which isn’t surprising since Eric Pearson (Black Widow, Thor: Ragnarok) is writing the script. Marvel newcomer Jake Schreier (Paper Towns, Robot & Frank) won the director’s chair, and it will be exciting to see where he takes the team. Let’s run through the lineup.
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Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine aka Val (Julia Louis-Dreyfus)
Image Source: IGN
An expert manipulator, recruiter, and tactician. A member of the European jet-set, it looks as if she will be the brains of the operation. She’s got links to Nick Fury in the comics and Union Jack, who has made a brief onscreen cameo in Captain America: The First Avenger. It will be interesting to see if either makes a return.
Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen)
Image Source: The Feature Presentation
A S.H.I.E.L.D. assassin with the ability to phase through solid objects and invisibility due to an accident when she was a child. In the comics, Ghost began as an adversary of Iron Man, but this latest incarnation is more likely to crossover with the Wasp and Ant-Man, despite any (unsubstantiated) rumors of Tony Stark’s return.
Red Guardian (David Harbour)
Image Source: IGN
Adopted father of the Black Widow and super soldier in his own right. The budget clearly did not stretch to the whole family, which is a pity, as we would have loved to have seen Rachel Weisz return.
Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh)
Image Source: The Indian Express
Adopted sister of Natasha Romanoff and fellow graduate of the Red Room. She is likely to bring some comic relief to the film, along with her father. It’s highly likely she will end up in the Avengers to replace Scarlet Johansson as the Black Widow, so we might see a lot more of her.
Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan)
Image Source: GamingBolt
This best friend of Steve Rogers was brainwashed by HYDRA. Bucky Barnes has switched sides a LOT, but adding yet another assassin on the team (especially one with a cybernetic arm) suggests this movie is going to be high on action.
U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell)
Image Source: Esquire
John Walker was initially chosen as the successor to Captain America, but was rebranded as US Agent after beating a civilian to death with the shield. In the comics, U.S Agent goes through several different styles of shields; one can only wonder which version the film will choose.
Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko)
Image Source: CinemaBlend
The daughter of General Dreykov is one of the main antagonists of Black Widow. Antonia is yet another assassin on the Thunderbolts team, and she has the ability to mimic fighting styles. The chip in her brain, however, may make her a problematic character to portray onscreen.
The release date for the movie is July 26, 2023, and fans can’t wait for it to hit theatres. This looks as if it is going to be action-packed, but how true will it stay to the original material?
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Source(s): ScreenRant, Fandom, Collider, IMDB