Warning! This article contains spoilers for Thunderbolts*The latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thunderbolts* unites some of the franchise’s biggest misfits after they’re thrown into a life-or-death situation together. Directed by Jake Schreier, the film stars Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Lewis Pullman, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Hannah John-Kamen, Geraldine Viswanathan, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Thunderbolts* places an emphasis on mental health by taking former MCU villains and antiheroes and giving them the chance to be heroes. However, in order to do so, they all must face their inner demons.
The group is forced together by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Dreyfus), who has employed each of the Thunderbolts as a fixer at one point or another. In order to cover up her illicit activities and tie up loose ends, she tricks Yelena Belova (Pugh), U.S. Agent/John Walker (Russell), Taskmaster/Antonia Dreykov (Kurylenko), and Ghost/Ava Starr (John-Kamen) into fighting each other with the intent of killing them all. Unfortunately for Valentina, all but one survive this fight. This leads them to discover Bob (Pullman), who first comes across as a shy young man at first, before it’s revealed he is the only surviving test subject of the “Sentry” project, yet another attempt at creating supersoldiers.
You are watching: 10 Best Thunderbolts* Characters, Ranked
Once Valentina discovers Bob did develop powers, she manipulates him into becoming Sentry, unaware that his mental health history makes his powers unstable. Joining forces with Bucky Barnes (Stan) and Red Guardian/Alexei Shostakov (Harbour), the ragtag group of outsiders set out to stop Valentina and maybe, just maybe, help Bob too. With a talented cast and diverse roster, the film has one of the most interesting lineups in the MCU’s 17-year history. That being said, here are the 10 best characters from Thunderbolts*, ranked:
10
Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster
Portrayed By Olga Kurylenko
Taskmaster has one of the most tragic backstories in the MCU. The daughter of General Dreykov, overseer of the Red Room, she was severely injured as a result of Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff and Hawkeye/Clint Barton attempting to kill her father in Budapest. Afterwards, Dreykov “saves” Antonia by implanting technology into her head, which also allows her to mimick the fighting style of any combat partner. She is then forced to do his bidding, as were the other Black Widows. Natasha eventually frees her from Red Room control.
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Thunderbolts* is the first time Antonia is seen in the MCU after 2021’s Black Widow, and unfortunately, her appearance is short-lived. As mentioned, she is sent to clean up Valentina’s loose ends, where she is thrown into conflict with the others. In this skirmish, Antonia spares Yelena—as she was not ordered to kill her—but is then shot in the head by Ava. Because Taskmaster is so underutilized in the film, she sadly doesn’t leave much of an impression on audiences.
9
Congressman Gary
Portrayed By Wendell Pierce
A new introduction to the MCU for Thunderbolts*, Gary is a congressman who opposes Valentina. Played by Superman’s Wendell Pierce, Gary is involved in an impeachment trial that threatens to remove her from her role as director of the CIA over her involvement with the Sentry project. Being a congressman also leads to him crossing paths with Bucky, who is currently serving his first term in the House of Representatives in Thunderbolts*.
Gary may not have Taskmaster’s combat savvy, but he does have more screen time.
Though his relevance to the plot is minimal, Pierce makes the character memorable. He provides an obstacle to Val and even cracks a joke or two at Bucky’s expense. Gary may not have Taskmaster’s combat savvy, but he does have more screen time, which allows him to have a greater tie into the overall plot.
8
Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
Portrayed By Julia Louis-Dreyfus
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For the last few years, the MCU has been teasing Valentina as a sort of dark Nick Fury. Like the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D., she is a government official who recruits extraordinary individuals. However, unlike Fury, Valentina is primarily after power, and those she recruits are used selfishly. She has appeared a few times throughout the franchise, mimicking how Fury used to, in order to convince these various antiheroes to ally with her.
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Valentina Allegra de Fontaine’s MCU Appearances |
|
|---|---|
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Production |
Year |
|
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier |
2021 |
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Black Widow |
2021 |
|
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever |
2022 |
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Thunderbolts* |
2025 |
Thunderbolts* is her most substantial outing yet, serving as the payoff of these years of buildup. Louis-Dreyfus is entertaining in the role, as if she revels in playing such a morally grey character. In the film, Valentina seeks to cover her tracks and remain in her position of power at all costs, even sending her operatives to their deaths. After she discovers Bob survived the testing and developed powers, she quickly shifts gears, preparing to promote herself as the creator of “Earth’s Mightiest Hero.” When that goes horribly awry, she then takes credit for the Thunderbolts saving the day.
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Valentina does have some depth to her; through Sentry’s empathic ability, we are shown how her father was murdered in front of her as a child. While this doesn’t excuse any of her actions, it does indicate that her desire for power and control was born out of childhood trauma. As such, even Valentina’s mental health is considered, furthering the overall message of Thunderbolts*.
7
Mel
Portrayed By Geraldine Viswanathan
Simply named Mel, Geraldine Viswanathan’s character is Valentina’s assistant. Her backstory isn’t fully explained, but she comes across as an ambitious young woman who entered government affairs as a result of wanting to do the right thing. Bucky spots Mel’s hesitation during Valentina’s impeachment trial, and he rightly suspects she is a chink in her boss’ armor. Similar to Kate Bishop, she was young when the Battle of New York occurred, and she never really lost her faith in heroes like the Avengers.
As such, she is persuaded to help Bucky in taking Valentina down, becoming an integral part of the plot. Her deeper psychology isn’t delved into as much as Valentina’s, but Mel comes across as a relatable figure who is in over her head. Even when she makes the choice to save Valentina’s life, it’s hard to blame her. Viswanathan brings a lot to the table as Mel, making the supporting character feel layered.
6
Ava Starr/Ghost
Portrayed By Hannah John-Kamen
Debuting in 2018’s Ant-Man & The Wasp, Ghost is another tragic figure. Following a quantum accident that killed both of her parents, Ava developed painful powers that could render her intangible. Eventually, she joined up with S.H.I.E.L.D., becoming a stealth operative. They provided her with a containment suit that helped prevent her from deteriorating and misled her to believe they would help cure her.
Upon realizing they had no intention of helping, Ghost plots to use Hank Pym’s quantum chamber to stabilize herself, something that Ant-Man objects to because it jeopardizes the rescue of Janet Van Dyne. Ultimately, she fails, but Janet is able to help her. Once again, Thunderbolts* is this character’s first MCU appearance since her freshman outing. Ava has apparently been working as a hired gun for Valentina, and she joins up with the team after discovering the latter sent her to die.
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Unfortunately, Ghost doesn’t have as strong of an emotional arc as the others, though she does ultimately make redemptive choices. Truly, the most notable aspect of Ava in Thunderbolts* is her unique powerset, which yields many of the film’s best fight sequences. Given her previous story and her entertaining combat style, Ghost remains one of the most exciting newer additions to the MCU.
5
Bucky Barnes
Portrayed By Sebastian Stan
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Bucky is perhaps the most emotionally complex character in the MCU. He starts off in Captain America: The First Avenger as the confident, loveable best friend of Steve, before a tragic fall landed him in Hydra captivity. Bucky was experimented on and brainwashed into being the Winter Soldier, spending decades committing heinous crimes with no control over himself. Worse yet, he remembers everything he did, even after Steve breaks him free from Hydra’s control. Following this, he undergoes therapy, making amends for his misdeeds, and becomes a bonafide hero.
Even so, Thunderbolts* opens on a Bucky who is a bit aimless. He has become a congressman, hoping to fix the system from within, but he finds himself frustrated when the bureaucratic nature of politics binds his hands. As such, he steps outside the law again to expose Valentina, inadvertently enlisting Yelena, John, Ava, and Alexei to do so.
Thunderbolts* isn’t Bucky’s movie. Rather, he’s there to serve as a guide for Yelena and the others who haven’t been on the same healing journey he has. Stan is—as usual—fun in the role, and Bucky does have some amazing stunt scenes, but at the end of the day, he’s not given as much development in this film as the other team members.
4
Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian
Portrayed By David Harbour
Red Guardian is a fairly straightforward type of character; he’s a goofball who embarrasses his daughter but means well. Alexei has a complicated history riddled with regrets. In service to Russia, he made a lot of reprehensible choices. Thunderbolts* doesn’t fully address this, but it doesn’t gloss it over, either. Black Widow already saw Alexei remorseful for allowing his adoptive daughters, Yelena and Natasha, to become Dreykov’s pawns. As a result, his relationship with Yelena is and will always be complex.
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Alexei’s arc in Thunderbolts* is twofold. On the surface, he’s a washed-up former superhero who misses his glory days. Underneath that, Alexei holds a deep grief and longing for connection, specifically with his still-living daughter. Throughout the movie, we see this in the way that he hastily tidies up his house when Yelena rings his doorbell and bounds into action when he thinks she is in danger. Additionally, he is hyper-supportive of Yelena in everything she does. Alexei has his shortcomings, including a big ego, but he holds an endearing combination of love and regret that makes him innately likable.
3
John Walker/U.S. Agent
Portrayed By Wyatt Russell
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Undoubtedly the most divisive member of the team, U.S. Agent is an interesting case. InThe Falcon and The Winter Soldier, he was chosen as a replacement for Steve Rogers as Captain America because of his stellar military record, but he lacked the moral fiber of his predecessor. Following a very public, brutal murder of an unarmed combatant, John was discharged from the military and somewhat publicly disgraced. By the time Thunderbolts* picks up his story, he is in an emotional freefall due to this failure.
Since he is no longer Captain America, U.S. Agent, like the others, picks up mercenary work—though he maintains a cocky air of superiority. Over the course of Thunderbolts*, this facade crumbles. John’s wife has left him. He has lost custody of his son. Beyond his failings as Captain America, he has lost what mattered to him in his private life. Notably, this analogizes John and Alexei as fallen heroes and fathers who “failed” their children—something the movie itself seems aware of in moments such as John telling Yelena to lay off Alexei.
In a standout sequence, John sees a flashback of himself ruminating on his shortcomings and ignoring his crying infant son. When he exits the vision, he is standing dangerously close to a ledge, hinting at deeper suicidal ideation. Though John is arrogant and often disses others around him, there is more to him than simply being a jerk. Moreover, he does come through for the team in the end. U.S. Agent is not a likable character, but he is a well-written one, and Russell portrays him excellently.
2
Bob Reynolds/Sentry/The Void
Portrayed By Lewis Pullman
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Sentry is a difficult character to adapt to film for a variety of reasons. Firstly, his powers are so high-concept that both explaining and depicting them would be a challenge for filmmakers. However, more importantly, Bob has schizophrenia. Portraying mental illness in a sympathetic light is something movies have historically struggled with, and Sentry is one of the first characters in the MCU with such a complicated health issue. Despite the hurdles that come with adapting Bob to film, Thunderbolts* succeeds in a sympathetic, well-written portrayal of mental illness.
Bob’s schizophrenia diagnosis is not outright stated in Thunderbolts*. Rather, he is stated to be an addict and a victim of child abuse.
In the movie, Bob is introduced when Valentina sends her operatives to take each other out, and they inadvertently release him. He and Yelena click immediately, as she has a drive to protect him. Bob initially comes off as awkward, nice, and most significantly, non-powered. That is, aside from his ability to conjure up people’s worst memories. After the team’s escape attempt goes sideways, he sacrifices himself, only to discover he has the powers of flight and invincibility. Unfortunately, Valentina is able to manipulate him with the lure of becoming an Avengers-level superhero.
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Due to his mental health and the empathetic nature of his powers, Bob becomes unstable, with an alternate personality called the Void taking over. The Void shadows people throughout New York, trapping them into reliving their trauma. Yelena confronts her tragic past head-on and is able to reach Bob within the Void. Together with the rest of the Thunderbolts, Bob is able to escape his inner darkness and save everyone else. His story of overcoming his mental struggles is moving, and Pullman brings a vulnerability to Bob that just makes you want to give the guy a hug.
1
Yelena Belova
Portrayed By Florence Pugh
Though Thunderbolts* features an ensemble cast, Yelena is undoubtedly its lead. First appearing in Black Widow, the former assassin is the younger sister of Natasha, who is still struggling to cope with her death. She acts as a mercenary for Valentina yet aspires to do more. Without a true purpose in life, Yelena is desperate to feel something other than pain.
Thunderbolts* opens with her contemplating the void she feels, and this is the central conflict for Yelena throughout the film. While Valentina and the Void present external conflicts Yelena must face, she solves these threats by conquering her personal void. Early on, she tells Bob to shove his feelings down because that’s what she does. A standout moment sees her finally admit to her father that she is struggling and needs him, with Pugh’s acting selling Yelena’s deep-seated mental health issues.
Shortly after, the climax of the film sees Yelena walk straight into danger, confronting her past trauma because she cares first and foremost about helping Bob. Her leadership inspires the rest of the Thunderbolts to do the same. Beyond that, it is Yelena who realizes Bob can’t win by brutalizing the Void, providing him with the love and support he needs to overcome his pain. Better yet, she acknowledges that it’s unhealthy to shove your darkest feelings down.
Yelena’s arc is powerful because it relies on inner strength, something that the rest of the team compliments. Thunderbolts* is built on characters who find a better way, and none of them exemplify this more than Yelena. Hopefully, the MCU will continue this thread with subsequent appearances of Yelena and the New Avengers.
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Thunderbolts*
PG-13
Adventure
Action
Sci-Fi
8/10
70
9.2/10
Release Date
May 2, 2025
Runtime
126 Minutes
Cast
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Florence Pugh
Yelena Belova
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Sebastian Stan
James Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier
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