Who Is In The MCU’s Thunderbolts?

The MCU is set to get even bigger with the release of Thunderbolts in 2025. This upcoming film looks to bring a unique take to Marvel storytelling featuring a team made of former villains that have appeared inside the MCU.

Who Are The Thunderbolts in the MCU?

While there have been several iterations of the Thunderbolts in Marvel Comics it appears that the MCU will be crafting its own unique roster using characters from previous projects. If you’ve been watching everything the MCU has offered over the years then these names should be familiar, but if not don’t fret! Here’s exactly who the MCU’s Thunderbolts are.

Yelena Belova

Yelena Belova seems to be the de facto leader of the Thunderbolts inside the MCU. We first met Yelena during Black Widow and learned that she was the sister of Natasha Romanoff. We also saw her be recruited by Val for the Thunderbolts during the film’s post-credits scene. Following Black Widow Yelena appears again during Hawkeye before finally talking on the big screen again with Thunderbolts.

We see her incredible combat skills on display in the trailer for Thunderbolts, so expect a ton of action when Yelena takes the screen in 2025.

Winter Soldier

One of the core Thunderbolts team members in the MCU appears to be Bucky Barnes, the Winter Solider. First appearing in Captain America: The Winter Solider, Bucky has become a major player in the MCU appearing in several projects including the Avengers movies and more recently The Falcon and Winter Solider TV series.

The Winter Solider’s motives are unclear, and from the first trailer for the film it seems he won’t always be an ally for the group, but thanks to promotional material, we know for certain that Bucky Barnes will be a member of the Thunderbolts at some point.

U.S. Agent

Thunderbolts will be the film debut of U.S. Agent. MCU fans will recognize this Super Soldier as Jonathan F. Walker from the series The Falcon and the Winter Solider where he came to odds with the titular duo on several occasions. As a violent, more morally grey take on the Captain America persona, U.S. Agent has found himself aligned with Val and is now a part of the MCU’s Thunderbolts team.

Red Guardian

The Red Guardian is another character who debuted in the MCU during Black Widow and has only appeared in that film since. Thunderbolts looks to bring back this Soviet Super Solider who lived with Yelena Belova and Natasha Romanoff as his children for cover when on a mission. This time together forged a bond between the characters which is a key reason that Yelena has called for his help during Thunderbolts.

Ghost

You’d be forgiven for forgetting who Ghost is as she’s a character that only appeared in Ant-Man and the Wasp before being drafted to the Thunderbolts lineup. After an accident left Ava Starr exposed to a major amount of molecular energy, her body was caught switching between phases of tangibility, but with the help of her suit, she can now control this power.

It isn’t yet clear how she wound up part of the Thunderbolts after the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp, but we’ll find out when the film finally arrives.

Taskmaster

The final member of the MCU’s Thunderbolts is Taskmaster, another character from Black Widow. The Taskmaster protocol gives Antonia Dreykov a way to survive after she was caught in a major explosion, but it also lets her mimic the attacks of any enemy that she faces.

Despite being the villain during the film, at the conclusion of Black Widow Dreykov and Natasha Romanoff made amends, but it wasn’t revealed how exactly she was recruited to the Thunderbolts.

That’s all of the MCU’s Thunderbolts we know of so far, but if there are any new additions made before or after the movie’s release, expect this article to be updated.