Who are the THUNDERBOLTS? New MCU Team EXPLAINED

The Thunderbolts are officially coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe! In this video we explain the new MCU team and its likely members: Zemo, Abomination, USAgent, Yelena Belova, Taskmaster, Winter Soldier, Justin Hamer, Ghost, and Skurge.

Edited by Harriet Lengel-Enright and Srinidhi Rao

We’re going to explain who the thunderbolts are, who’s on the team, who should be on the team, and what kind of threats they’ll face in the MCU.

The movie will be directed by Jack Schreier–he did that robot and Frank movie. This follows Marvel’s pattern of hiring indie directors to direct their big budget movies. This is because a lot of Marvel’s pre-viz process maps out big action sequences ahead of time, but they still need someone to tell the humans how to make feelings on screen..

The Thunderbolts is a group that is unlike anything else we’ve seen in the MCU up to this point. People keep saying they’re Marvel’s suicide squad, but that’s not exactly true. See, the Thunderbolts first began during this 90s story called Heroes reborn. Basically, all the heavies, the Avengers, Fantastic Four, were sucked into other dimensions, so everyone in the Marvel universe thought they were dead. A new team called the thunderbolts showed up and started picking up the slack for the missing avengers.

The public gradually accepted this new super team–but it turned out that they were actually a team of villains in disguise, led by baron Zemo. I don;t think the movie is going to comply with that kind of twist, cause, we;ll, we already know the twist. But, there have been many other intierations of the team over the years. At one point, Norman Osborn became the director of shield and formed his own team to act as a kind of suici0de like team of villains to do the dirty work the heroes wouldn't touch.

During this time, Osborn was basically put in charge of all the government’s superheroes, in an event called dark reign. Basically, after Civil war tony was put in charge of shield, then he failed to stop a skrull invasion, so the government put a former villain in control. Biven current events, that no longer seems unlikely.

Dark reign also gave us the dark avengers. This was another team of villains and anti-heroes disguised as good guys, who were anointed as the Avengers.

I think that we’re going to see an amalgam of these two teams in this movie. Events are very similar. The core of the Avengers is broken, with Tony and Natasha dead, Steve and Clint retired, Thor off finding himself and banner–I guess is just doing consulting work. We don;t have an official avengers team, or an official avengers headquarters.

So with the Avengers gone, this is a perfect opportunity for Thunderbolt Ross to step in and flex his muscles. Ross first entered the MCU in the Incredible Hulk, where he was hunting Bruce Banner because he wanted to create an army of hulks from his blood. [that man is govt property] You’ll remember that in that movie he used a lesser version of the serum to give Emil Blonsky powers [clip], him getting kicked] [not a great plan].

Ross keeps popping up in the CU attempting to control other heroes. He spearheaded the sokovia accords, haunted Natasha, and made the Avengers report to him in Infinity war. This is a guy who has always wanted his own team of avengers. And now he finally has his chance.

Now I should mention that the actor who plays Ross, William Hurt, recently passed away. Personally, I’m in favor of recasting almost any role in these movies, because the characters should live forever. Maybe Sam Elliot would reprise the role, or Brian Cox from succession.

Or. the team could just be named the thunderbolts in his honor, if the character has died. We know he has a bad ticker

It also seems very likely that Ross’s chief agent is the former spy Valentina allegra de fontaine [val, for short]. We’re seen her pop up in falcon and the winter soldier, black widow, and offscreen in hawker. All we know about her is that she seems to have some security clearance and she hires out Yelean for assassin work. She’s also not above meaning the truth, as she lies to Yelena about her target.

#Thunderbolts #MCU #Marvel

[janethoffman]

I love Bucky and want to see more of him, but can’t see him working with Thunderbolt Ross or on a “dark” team. He has worked so hard to lose that part of himself.

[DeividManuRos]

If they can make Thunderbolts. I hope this means they can make Midnight Sons.

[shadwfsh]

I hope winter soldier isn't in Thunderbolts. He's my favorite and after all his growth he deserves to be an Avenger

[DeividManuRos]

it's sad that William Hurt can't see this finally coming out. i am looking forward to seeing what direction they take the movie.

[xxPenjoxx]

I would love to see Ryan's Deadpool get into the mcu with thunderbolts. And yes, Karl Urban is so great. Good shout with Skurge.

[scottcrown]

I want to see Red Guardian on the team

[corbydaniel]

1. Thank you for giving the first good explanation of The Thunderbolts I've seen on YouTube.
2. I really hope we get more of the original Thunderbolts in the MCU version. At the very least, I hope they introduce Moonstone in The Marvels and get her on the team, because she's always been the most interesting member to me, because you really never know which way she's going to go.
3. I would love it if Ross put together The Thunderbolts (Zemo, and hopefully mostly characters from the original comics series) and Contessa put together The Dark Avengers (US Agent, Yelena, Abomination, Justin Hammer) and we had the two teams going up against each other.
4. My hope for how they handle Ross, is that he took a new Super Soldier serum, that rejuvenated him (maybe recast him with Jon Hamm) leading to him becoming Red Hulk down the road.

[acekiller]

Thunderbolt movie is going to be 2hrs+ of Zemo dancing at a night club.

[thatsjstgreatpingpng]

I love the Bullseye idea. Also I think Justin Hammer will join the team as well. I can see him being reintroduced in armor wars.

[lorepeeters]

Bucky and yelena on the same team is a need

[tulip]

i didn’t want to get excited in earlier videos when you were theorizing about the thunderbolts set up, but now that it’s announced… it’s probably the thing i’m most excited about. that and maybe blade. i would like to see loki again too.

[tiny-grimes]

To balance a mostly male team I would like to see Elektra and Hell Cat in the team as well

[devisrikadem]

I really appreciate this video.Keep up the good work(Ryanery).

[ahmadroberts]

Whoever they eventually put on the team will be awesome !

[archangel]

I completely agree with having Thunderbolt Ross recasted. I also would love to see Baron Zemo take on the mantle of the Patriotic Citizen V, like in the comics. I’m pretty sure it won’t happen but it would definitely be cool to see.

[victorapellegrinosc]

My dream team for the thunderbolts
Yes you need Zemo in there. U.s agent, Yelena, and abomination may fit in perfectly but I am not sure about ghost. Honestly I personally think that the thunderbolts may be a good way to reintroduce The Punisher go the mcu he was a member of the thunderbolts at one time

[lutilda]

I can see the Thunderbolts being the catalyst that brings the Young Avengers together! Cause in the comics they decide to fill the hero void left after M Day, so this seems similar.

[bonniefinleyanimation]

Your the only person I can listen to about all this stuff and actually enjoy nerding out to. Thanks, Ryan! <3

[CaptainPikeachu]

Walker isn't an idiot, he's smarter than people are willing to give him credit for, he’s certainly proven that in the comics and even in the MCU, if they'd all just worked together like he said they should do from the very beginning instead of busy with the internal clashes between each other over the shield, they'd have gotten Karli taken care of a lot earlier and with a lot less casaulties. It's not Walker who's an idiot but rather the story refuses to acknowledge his points because Sam and Bucky have to be the heroes of the story and be in the right, even if their "smart plan" was to break a murderous terrorist out of jail and get more people killed along the way.

[hahajenkins]

“Aw man, the hammer drone killed taskmaster”
Crazy Hammer drone Hijinx