Among all the character teams put in place, Marvel could launch very soon the Thunderbolts (or Dark Avengers), an iconic team of anti-heroes operating as a dissident organization, even a private organization to protect the world. Through the character of Valentina Allegria de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) who went to see theUS Agent (Wyatt Russell) in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier then Yelena Bolova (Florence Pugh) in Black widow, the team could quickly be put together, led or not by Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt). It would be plausible that it is the latter at the helm of the team, he who seems intimately concerned about the agreements of Sokovia and global security.
Not impossible therefore that Ross and Allegria de Fontaine be allies, with the pure and simple aim of building Thunderbolts. Here are the potential team members if you factor in the comics and what happened in the MCU (Because we know that the Marvel Cinematic Universe likes to detach itself from the source material of the comics).
US Agent (Wyatt Russell)
Even though the character seems to have helped Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes against the Flag-Smashers during Falcon & The Winter Soldier, the’US Agent demonstrated a hyper bipolar character, able to behave like a hero, but also to literally go wild (when he coldly executes a Flag-Smashers member with his shield, in a public square). He is approached by Valentina Allegria de Fontaine who leaves him his business card. Being the first character officially approached in this sense within the MCU, it seems inevitable that we will see return on our screens Wyatt Russell as US Agent one way or another and that, if that were to happen, he would be a major figure in the Thunderbolts.
Thaddeus Ross / Red-Hulk (William Hurt)
Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt) almost part of the MCU since its creation. He first appeared as an army general in The Incredible Hulk (2008), but was not seen again for eight years before the events of Captain America: Civil War where he became secretary of state. The latter played an essential role in the formation of the chords of Sokovia to oversee the Avengers. Since the non-signature of Captain america and his allies, he took it into his head to hunt down Avengers, which makes him an antagonist (Steve Rogers even threatens him personally in Avengers: Infinity War). Ross founded a version of Thunderbolts in the comics under the name of Red hulk. This team featured Punisher, Deadpool, Elektra or Agent Venom. It remains to be seen whether he will be the founder of the MCU, but he could oversee them and, if necessary, join them as the Red Hulk.
Yelena Bolova (Florence Pugh)
The younger sister of Natasha Romanoff will be the news Black widow in the subsequent events of the film of the same name since a passing of the baton naturally takes place in the film of Cate shortland. In the post-credits scene, she meets Valentina Allegria de Fontaine who explains to him that Hawkeye (Clint Barton) is responsible for the death of his sister. No doubt that Yelena Bolova will therefore be the antagonist of the series Hawkeye before eventually joining the Thunderbolts. Her past as a spy for the Red Room could prevent it from being liked by people.
Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen)
Ava starr, introduced in Ant-Man and The Wasp, was part of several teams Thunderbolts in the comics. She could join the team after being seen as an antagonist and then as an anti-hero in the feature film of Peyton reed. The actress Hannah john-kamen seems all the more interested in the idea of being part of such a project.
Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl)
This is the iconic Zemo who founded the Thunderbolts in the comics. He’s been in the MCU since Captain America: Civil War and showed his full power in handling the Avengers, in particular Captain America and Iron Man, to divide them (which will have directly resulted in the events of Avengers: Infinity War). In The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Zemo is ultimately imprisoned by the Dora milaje to be tried for the murder of T’Chaka but could be released to join eventual Thunderbolts.
Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko)
Present in the comics as a trainer of new recruits for the Thunderbolts, Taskmaster is, in the MCU, the daughter of Colonel Dreykov, the manager of the Red Room. We could quickly see the character again in the MCU.
Abomination (Tim Roth)
Although he was never an official member of the Thunderbolts, the abomination could join a splinter team of superheroes since that was originally Ross’s wish in theIncredible Hulk. Back in Shang-Chi, we could learn more about the fate of the MCU to the character.
First elements of response on possible Thunderbolts from September 1st!