The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been phenomenal at growing it’s characters and plots into a natural world of interconnected stories. There have been countless cameos and crossovers between titles, the highlight of which has been The Avengers franchise. This team of heroes combines all of the characters from solo films in order to utilize them as a group.
Fortunately, with such a vast array of films under its belt, Marvel can do this with its villains as well. In fact, they already have a team like this in the comics called The Thunderbolts, which has had a rotating roster of villains since it’s inception. Here are a couple characters from the MCU that would make great additions:
Vulture
Michael Keaton’s Vulture was a great challenge for Spider-Man. He brought a unique blue collar perspective to his character and was able to utilize alien tech in a surprising way. He didn’t have plans of world domination like some Marvel villains. He was just trying to make money and take care of his family.
And he was also left in prison, giving him a perfect opportunity to make a comeback. In the original Thunderbolts, the Beetle reinvented himself to become the heroic Mach-1. Perhaps the Vulture can make a similar transition.
Abomination
The Abomination has had a bit of a comeback recently. For years he was a forgotten villain from the early days of the MCU. Now he’s had a cameo in Shang-Chi and will appear in this summer’s She-Hulk.
It’s unclear what his future will be after the show ends, but the Abomination could be a great heavy hitter for a Thunderbolts lineup similar to how the Hulk is for the Avengers.
Whiplash
Here is another forgotten villain from the MCU’s Phase 1. Whiplash was a formidable foe with bad history with Tony Stark, like so many villains in the MCU. More than that, though, he’s also a technical genius, which the Thunderbolts will need.
And a main component of being a Thunderbolt’s member is the fact he was still alive at the end of his MCU debut. Unfortunately, there was some off-screen drama with Mickey Rourke that might prevent him from returning to the character, but if he did he would be a great addition to the lineup. It’s also possible they could find another actor to play the character.
Agatha Harkness
This might be a controversial inclusion to the team given that Agatha Harkness has been solo for so long and is pretty darn powerful, but the team could use a magic user. Also, Wanda did a great job locking her up at the end of WandaVision.
Agatha is essentially a prisoner with nowhere to go. She would have no choice but to join the team. Agatha will also be making an appearance in her own Disney+ show. Fans will have to wait and see what state she is in at the end of that, but if her character is left open, then the Thunderbolts would be happy to have her.
Bullseye
This might be the hardest character to include in the roster given that he is primarily a villain from the Netflix shows. But since other Daredevil characters have crossed over already and that Daredevil himself is set for a new season with Disney+, this is certainly a possibility.
In addition, Bullseye’s character was left off with a cliffhanger. He never had the opportunity to don his own Bullseye costume and inhabit the moniker, primarily being a fake daredevil for the majority of his appearance. But being on the Thunderbolts might give Bullseye a chance to shine on his own.
Helmut Zemo
And then there’s Zemo. The Thunderbolts have always been Zemo’s brainchild since the beginning. He was the one that turned the Masters of Evil into a fake superhero team to attack the Avengers. And given that Zemo has been known to manipulate heroes in the MCU, his inclusion in this team is vital.
Fans got a taste of what Zemo is capable of in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but it fell short of unleashing his full potential. Zemo might not have powers or abilities like the others on this team, but his mind for strategy and his will to triumph makes him the most dangerous of the bunch.
If they do have the Thunderbolts come together in the MCU, it would be a crime if Zemo wasn’t at the helm.
What would be your top picks for a Thunderbolts team?
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