Virtually every single Marvel Cinematic Universe project across film and television can be broadly generalized as “a blockbuster superhero story that marries dysfunction and drama with action and comedy”, but 2024’s Thunderbolts is poised to put a brand new spin on the franchise’s tried-and-trusted formula by putting bad guys and antiheroes front and center.
Admittedly, plenty of fans were left more than a touch underwhelmed by the lineup revealed at the weekend’s D23 Expo, and we can include Anthony Mackie among them after the actor admitted he was upset that Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes had opted to partner up with Wyatt Russell’s John Walker, as opposed to longtime bromantic partner Sam Wilson in Captain America: New World Order.
While the DCEU’s Suicide Squad will be the stick used to beat Jake Schreier’s comic book blockbuster over the head until the summer of 2024, returning Red Guardian David Harbour teased the unique central dynamic of Thunderbolts during an interview with ComicBook.
“I think they’re all difficult people who all have many weaknesses.. As you may know, as I certainly do, when you put a bunch of people with various certain weaknesses together, there’s often drama and comedy.”
U.S. Agent, the Winter Soldier, Red Guardian, Yelena Belova, Taskmaster, and Ghost is a decent enough team, especially when a couple of those names are seeking to redeem themselves in the eyes of the fandom. Throw in Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine as the one calling the shots, as well as the presumed involvement of Zemo, and there’s more than enough about Thunderbolts for it to shake off any concerns between now and its release date.