Marvel Studios’ newest superhero team in the upcoming Thunderbolts* will be wildly different from the Avengers in the MCU, but the two teams also have some important similarities. The line-up of the MCU’s first Thunderbolts team was confirmed by Marvel boss Kevin Feige back in 2022, revealing that Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, the Red Guardian, Ghost, US Agent and Taskmaster will be joining forces. These reformed villains and antiheroes from the MCU’s history will form a rag-tag team protecting New York City in Thunderbolts*, following in the footsteps of the MCU’s Avengers team.
The Avengers first formed in 2012 and were central to the MCU throughout the Infinity Saga, but haven’t been seen together since fighting Thanos during the Battle of Earth in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. The Thunderbolts and the Avengers will be coming together to take on Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, but, before then, May 2025’s Thunderbolts* will establish the former as the MCU’s newest superhero team. While they share some similarities with the Avengers, the Thunderbolts’ differences are very noticeable, which makes their upcoming MCU debut even more exciting.
You are watching: 10 Biggest Similarities And Differences Between The Avengers & Thunderbolts* In The MCU
10
Difference: The Thunderbolts Team Comprises Only Former Villains & Antiheroes
Six Former Antagonists Form The MCU’s First Thunderbolts Team
Close
What makes the Thunderbolts unique when compared to the Avengers is that each of the team’s members started their MCU careers as antiheroes or outright villains who have undergone redemption arcs. This was not the case for the Avengers at all, with all members of the original Avengers team being bona fide superheroes who always intended to do good. The Thunderbolts live in a much more morally-gray world and have all been through some incredible trauma that means they have the motivation to do better than they did in their previous MCU adventures.
|
MCU Thunderbolt |
Actor |
Debut Project |
Last Seen |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bucky Barnes’ Winter Soldier |
Sebastian Stan |
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) |
Captain America: Brave New World (2025) |
|
Ava Starr’s Ghost |
Hannah John-Kamen |
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) |
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) |
|
John Walker’s US Agent |
Wyatt Russell |
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) |
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) |
|
Yelena Belova’s Black Widow |
Florence Pugh |
Black Widow (2021) |
Hawkeye (2021) |
|
Alexei Shostakov’s Red Guardian |
David Harbour |
Black Widow (2021) |
Black Widow (2021) |
|
Antonia Dreykov’s Taskmaster |
Olga Kurylenko |
Black Widow (2021) |
Black Widow (2021) |
|
Robert Reynolds’ Sentry |
Lewis Pullman |
Thunderbolts* (2025) |
N/A |
Bucky Barnes was the villainous Winter Soldier for quite some time, working under HYDRA’s mind control, while Yelena Belova was also mind-controlled by General Dreykov to be an assassin for the Red Room. Alexei Shostakov was Dreykov’s close friend, while Antonia Dreykov acted as her father’s most elite Black Widow assassin. John Walker murdered a Flag Smasher in broad daylight with Captain America’s shield, while Ava Starr’s Ghost made an attempt to murder Janet van Dyne in hopes of stealing her Quantum Realm power, so all these characters need redemption in the MCU.
9
Similarity: Both The Avengers & The Thunderbolts Include Some Reformed Villains
Most Of The Avengers Are Heroes (But Not All)
Close
While the entire Thunderbolts team comprises reformed villains and antiheroes while the Avengers team is not, one similarity between the two is that the Avengers team has, over the years, included some reformed antagonists and morally-questionable members. Ignoring the fact that MODOK proclaimed himself to have died an Avenger, there have been several other characters seeking redemption who have joined the Avengers’ ranks officially. In the original line-up, SHIELD operatives Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton certainly fit this bill, with the latter even returning to his brutal ways during the Blip.
Related
The Thunderbolts* Release Date Breaks A 13-Year MCU Trend, And Now I’m Even More Convinced The Marvel Movie Will Be Great
Thunderbolts* release date may not seem like a significant detail, but it’s a good sign for the film based off of a past 13-year MCU trend.
Posts
12
Wanda Maximoff’s Scarlet Witch started her MCU career as a villain before joining the Avengers (and later became a villain again), while the Hulk, to some, could also be viewed as a sometimes-villain in the MCU, having wrecked Harlem and Johannesburg. Nebula was introduced to the MCU as a steadfast antagonist, but joined the Avengers during the Blip and became a bona fide hero, and even Bucky Barnes had a similar trajectory prior to his evolution into a Thunderbolt. This means the Avengers and Thunderbolts’ members might actually be more similar than first thought.
8
Difference: The Thunderbolts Are Willing & Capable To Be Very Violent
The Avengers Tend To Be More Morally Righteous
Close
The fact that the entire Thunderbolts team comprises reformed villains and antiheroes from the MCU’s history is important, as this means that the team will be much more likely to exhibit their violent, aggressive and unpredictable tendencies in their Phase 5 debut. The Thunderbolts might be coming together to try and do some good, but they surely won’t be able to completely escape their questionable pasts, so they’ll be far more unadulterated than the Avengers. Heroes such as Iron Man and Captain America have delivered some brutal moments, but these will pale in comparison to the Thunderbolts’ “heroic” acts.
The Avengers have typically pulled their punches, and not only in their battle against each other at the Leipzig/Halle Airport in Captain America: Civil War. The pre-established superhero team’s members usually try to talk down their adversaries, opting for a diplomatic solution rather than a violent one – T’Challa spared Zemo, Hulk spared Abomination, Thor didn’t aim for the head, etc. While the Thunderbolts will likely try this method in the battle against Lewis Pullman’s Void – not being strong enough to take him down otherwise – they’ll surely pull off some brutal feats along the way.
7
Similarity: The Avengers & The Thunderbolts Are Both Led By A Super-Soldier
Steve Rogers & Bucky Barnes Share Similar Abilities But Have Different Leadership Styles
Close
Although it hasn’t yet been officially confirmed, trailers for Thunderbolts* seem to suggest that Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes will not only have a hand in forming the new MCU team, but will also act as the group’s leader. Interestingly, Thunderbolts* will catch up with Bucky after his election as a Congressman, as teased in Captain America: Brave New World, which is an unexpected development for the former HYDRA assassin and super-soldier. This evolution wouldn’t have been too surprising for his Avengers counterpart, however, as we could easily see Steve Rogers’ Captain America as a member of Congress.
Sebastian Stan is the longest-running MCU actor expected to appear in Thunderbolts*, having debuted as James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes alongside Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger.
See more : Heidi Gardner Height How Tall is Heidi Gardner?
While Bucky Barnes will be the super-soldier leader of the Thunderbolts, Steve Rogers’ Captain America led the original Avengers and every incarnation of the team until their disbanding in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame following his retirement. Steve Rogers became the world’s first successful super-soldier in the 1940s after being given Abraham Erskine’s serum, while Bucky Barnes was the product of a successful attempt by HYDRA to recreate this formula. Despite being childhood friends, Bucky and Steve will likely have wildly different leadership styles in the MCU.
6
Difference: The Thunderbolts Team Has More Female Members Than The Original Avengers Team
The Avengers Team Used To Be Very Male-Dominated
Close
Looking back, the early days of the MCU were very male-dominated, and this was a concern among audiences for many years before Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers became the MCU’s first leading female hero in 2019’s Captain Marvel. This problem was most evident in the original Avengers team’s line-up, which featured only Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff as its female representation, joining five male, and arguably more powerful, heroes. The Thunderbolts team, thankfully, has not repeated this issue, as the team is much more evenly split.
Related
Shocking MCU Statistic Shows The Still Massive Disparity Between Male- & Female-Led Marvel Movies
The MCU has still only had four female-led feature films, reflecting an astounding difference between male-led and female-led Marvel movies.
Posts
While the Thunderbolts team does include some brilliant male characters, such as the Red Guardian, the Winter Soldier, US Agent and the Sentry, its female characters also take center-stage. Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova is expected to be one of Thunderbolts*’ most central figures, while Hannah John-Kamen’s Ava Starr will also get some much-needed development seven years after her MCU debut. Theories have suggested that Olga Kurylenko’s Antonia Dreykov could actually die quite early on in Thunderbolts*, but the inclusion of female actors such as Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Geraldine Viswanathan and possibly even Rachel Weisz would make up for this loss.
5
Similarity: The Avengers & The Thunderbolts Both Have Captain Americas & Black Widows
The Thunderbolts Includes Many Captain America Knock-Offs
Close
While the Avengers and the Thunderbolts have quite a different selection of members, they share several typical abilities in common. Most notably, both teams have versions of Captain America and Black Widow. For the original Avengers team, Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff, respectively, filled these roles, while Sam Wilson will take over from Rogers in Avengers: Doomsday. Yelena Belova assumes the role of Black Widow for the Thunderbolts, taking over from her surrogate sister, while there are a number of different Captain Americas.
Marvel Studios’ choice for the first Thunderbolts team line-up has been controversial because several members of the team have the same abilities as super-soldiers and allegories for Captain America.
HYDRA transformed Bucky Barnes into the Winter Soldier by giving him similar abilities to Captain America via a super-soldier serum, while Alexei Shostakov was also turned into a super-soldier as the Soviet Union’s version of Captain America. It was Wyatt Russell’s John Walker that takes the top spot, however, as John Walker was hired by the United States government to become the new Captain America after Steve Rogers’ retirement and Sam Wilson’s donation of the Captain America shield. This title was eventually stripped from Walker, who became US Agent instead.
4
Difference: The Thunderbolts May Work For Valentina & The CIA In The MCU
The Avengers Had Nothing To Do With The United States Government
Close
Perhaps one of the biggest differences between the Avengers and the Thunderbolts is that the latter seems to be forming under the watchful eye of Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who was revealed to be the Director of the CIA in the MCU in 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The idea of the CIA and the United States government bringing together the Thunderbolts team, perhaps to clean up their own mess, could be game-changing for the MCU. This means the Thunderbolts may be seriously limited, which some of the Avengers fought against in Captain America: Civil War.
|
Valentina’s MCU Project |
Year |
Role |
|---|---|---|
|
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier |
2021 |
Valentina helped John Walker rebrand himself as US Agent |
|
Black Widow |
2021 |
Valentina sent Yelena Belova to kill Clint Barton |
|
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever |
2022 |
Valentina revealed herself to be the CIA’s Director and Everett Ross’ ex-wife |
|
Thunderbolts* |
2025 |
TBD |
The Avengers team was originally formed by SHIELD Director Nick Fury, but the team went on to become a private enterprise led by its heroes. This meant a huge rift was caused when the government wanted to put the Avengers in the control of a United Nations panel in Civil War via the Sokovia Accords. The fallout from this meant pretty much every Avenger considered government oversight to be a bad thing, but the Thunderbolts may not share this opinion, as the CIA and Congressman Bucky Barnes will be bringing them together to protect New York City.
3
Similarity: An Enigmatic & Morally Questionable Figure Forms The Avengers & The Thunderbolts
Valentina Is The Perfect Replacement For Nick Fury
Close
Even though Nick Fury wasn’t the Director of the CIA, he was indeed the head of a government agency, so Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is the perfect replacement for Nick Fury in Thunderbolts*. Samuel L. Jackson’s former Director of SHIELD brought together the Avengers to battle Loki after he stole the Tesseract, while it seems that Valentina will employ Bucky Barnes to bring together the Thunderbolts to battle the Sentry, a powerful figure of Valentina’s own creation, perhaps. The similarities between Nick Fury and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine are too hard to ignore.
Related
Thunderbolts’ Val May Already Be Better Than Nick Fury In 1 Big Way
Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina has a similar presence in the MCU to Nick Fury, but there’s one major difference that sets these two masterminds apart.
Posts
This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Nick Fury and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine are actually long-time friends and even former lovers in Marvel Comics. She was eventually outed as a villain, Madame Hydra, though it seems Marvel Studios might have skipped over her heroic past as a member of SHIELD and jumped right to her being an antagonist. She is just as morally questionable and irksome as Nick Fury has been at various points in his MCU history, though it remains to be seen just how similar these MCU figureheads are.
2
Difference: The Avengers Have More Varied Superpowers Than The Thunderbolts
The Thunderbolts Team Comprises Mostly Super-Soldiers
Close
While the Thunderbolts team is more diverse and varied in some ways – such as having more female representation – the Avengers have always had a far more varied power-set. Three members of the Thunderbolts are super-soldiers, and two are Black Widow assassins, with only Ghost’s phasing abilities being anything actually original and exciting. Conversely, each member of the Avengers has always brought something new and different to the team, even from the very beginning, with no two heroes having the same powers in the original line-up.
The line-up of the first Thunderbolts team came under fire for not being varied enough, with possible members such as the Abomination, the Leader, Baron Zemo, Hellcat, Bullseye, the Red Hulk and many more already having been introduced to the MCU, but being ignored.
The original Avengers team comprised super-soldier Captain America, armored hero Iron Man, Asgardian God Thor, gamma-empowered Hulk, sharp-shooter Hawkeye and skilled fighter Black Widow. Over the years, heroes with some of the MCU’s most exciting and unimaginable powers have joined the Avengers, including the Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange and more, so the fact that the Thunderbolts’ powers are very similar is slightly disappointing. There has been speculation future Thunderbolts teams could be more varied, perhaps including iconic Marvel Comics members such as Zemo, Red Hulk, Deadpool and more.
1
Similarity: The Thunderbolts & The Avengers Both Form To Save New York City
New York City Is Important To Both The Avengers & The Thunderbolts
Close
While their plethora of differences may divide them, the Avengers and the Thunderbolts teams of the MCU share one major aspect in common. Both teams come together to save New York City and, by extension, the world. It’s their desire to do good and save innocent lives that means both the Avengers and the Thunderbolts can be considered to be superhero teams, rather than just teams of superpowered individuals, even though the Thunderbolts team’s members haven’t exactly been considered heroes before. This will surely come as an entertaining revelation to them in Thunderbolts*.
Back in 2012, the Avengers’ original six heroes came together to thwart Loki’s attempt to take over New York City with his Chitauri army, and the Thunderbolts will be coming together to deal with Lewis Pullman’s Sentry. The Sentry will seemingly be following in the footsteps of his Marvel Comics counterpart by also releasing his dark alter ego, the Void, who has some incredibly terrifying shadow-based powers. It’s unclear exactly how the team will stop the Sentry in Thunderbolts*, but there’s no doubt that they’ll copy the Avengers from the MCU’s history to fight for the protection of New York.
Like
Follow
Followed
Thunderbolts*
PG-13
Adventure
Action
Sci-Fi
Release Date
May 2, 2025
Runtime
126 Minutes
Director
Jake Schreier
Writers
Eric Pearson, Joanna Calo
Franchise(s)
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Cast
See All
-
Florence Pugh
Yelena Belova
-
Sebastian Stan
James Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier
-
Wyatt Russell
John Walker / U.S. Agent
-
Olga Kurylenko
Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster
Powered by
Expand
Collapse
Upcoming MCU Movies
-
Thunderbolts*
Release Date
May 2, 2025
Powered by
Expand
Collapse -
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Release Date
July 25, 2025
Powered by
Expand
Collapse -
Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
Powered by
Expand
Collapse -
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Release Date
July 31, 2026
Powered by
Expand
Collapse -
Avengers: Secret Wars
Release Date
May 7, 2027
Powered by
Expand
Collapse
Source: https://truongnguyenbinhkhiem.edu.vn
Category: Entertainment