Marvel Already Has the Perfect New Thunderbolts Replacements

by

With the New Avengers appearing in Thunderbolts*, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is ready to assemble a new team of Thunderbolts, and we’ve already seen potential members. The Thunderbolts were a thrilling addition to the MCU in Phase 5, giving several former villains and antiheroes a chance at redemption. Marvel Studios initially brought together Yelena Belova, Red Guardian (Alexei Shostakov), Winter Soldier (Bucky Barnes), Ghost (Ava Starr), and US Agent (John Walker) as the first Thunderbolts team, but now the group needs some fresh recruits.

The team initially known as the Thunderbolts in the MCU’s Phase 5 adopted the name as a playful reference to Yelena Belova’s youth soccer team, the West Chesapeake Valley Thunderbolts. However, after Valentina (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) made a surprising revelation, this group became better known as the New Avengers, effectively disbanding the Thunderbolts almost as soon as they were introduced. Now, Marvel has the opportunity to create a new Thunderbolts team using different antiheroes and villains, and a strong second iteration has already been teased.

The MCU Already Has the Perfect Second Thunderbolts Team

The initial team of Thunderbolts consisted of people recruited by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine and her organization, the OXE Group. However, a second team could be assembled from the inmates of the Raft, a high-security prison first shown in Captain America: Civil War (2016). Located in the middle of the ocean, the Raft holds some of the most volatile and powerful super-powered criminals in the MCU. As of now, five individuals with different abilities are known to be held there, and they could be ideal candidates to become Thunderbolts.

Originally, the Raft served as a hiding place for Avengers members who were on the run in Civil War, but now it holds real villains from throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe. At the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Wakanda’s Dora Milaje took Baron Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl) to the Raft. However, he still managed to exert some control from within, successfully arranging the downfall of the escaping Flag Smashers. Zemo previously caused division among the Avengers in Civil War, demonstrating that he’s a more cunning and dangerous threat than many villains with superpowers.

In 2025’s Captain America: Brave New World, Zemo found himself alongside Samuel Sterns as the Leader (played by Tim Blake Nelson) and Thaddeus Ross, who became the Red Hulk (Harrison Ford), in the Raft. After being exposed to Bruce Banner’s blood, the Leader’s intelligence grew significantly, allowing him to predict potential futures by calculating probabilities. He secretly influenced global events, helping Ross become President, but also gave him gamma pills that ultimately turned him into the Red Hulk – ironically, the very thing he always despised.

Now that Netflix’s Defenders Saga is officially part of the MCU, two more villains are confirmed to be held at the Raft. Luke Cage’s Willis Stryker, also known as Diamondback (played by Erik LaRay Harvey), and Jessica Jones’ Trish Walker, who goes by Hellcat (played by Rachael Taylor), were both taken to the Raft after fighting the heroes of their respective shows. This means Diamondback, Hellcat, Red Hulk, the Leader, and Baron Zemo could potentially team up and create a compelling new Thunderbolts group – one that might even surpass the original.

How The New Thunderbolts Team Would Be Better Than the First

The Thunderbolts first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1997’s The Incredible Hulk #449 as a group initially disguised as heroes while the Avengers were unavailable – they were actually Zemo’s Masters of Evil. Interestingly, their time pretending to be good influenced many of them to genuinely become heroes. However, throughout the years, different Thunderbolts teams have included real villains. Assembling a team in the MCU with Zemo, Red Hulk, the Leader, Hellcat, and Diamondback would more closely reflect the comic book versions of the group in this way.

As a fan, I’m really excited about this potential new line-up for the Thunderbolts! It feels like it would give the team a much more diverse range of abilities. When the initial cast was announced back in 2022, some people pointed out that most of the members had pretty similar powers – except for Ava Starr’s Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), whose phasing is totally one-of-a-kind. But imagine bringing together someone who’s a master of manipulation, a villain with the strength of the Hulk, a physically deformed genius, a character with cat-like reflexes, and a foe of Luke Cage in powerful armor! That would create a far more unpredictable and, frankly, much more interesting team dynamic. I think it’s a brilliant move to add that kind of variety. It’s a team that feels truly Thunderbolts*’ in spirit!

Creating a Thunderbolts team using inmates from the Raft would make them more similar in concept to DC’s Suicide Squad. However, this could also be the most compelling direction for the team, especially since the initial Thunderbolts roster has evolved into the New Avengers. It would be fantastic to see a Thunderbolts sequel released after Avengers: Secret Wars, as this team composition could resolve many lingering questions and unexplained events from the MCU’s history.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/movies/news/mcu-sequels-marvel-set-up-abandoned-cancelled/embed/#

Read More

2025-09-30 15:12