8 MCU Characters Who Could Be In The Thunderbolts Movie

8. Baron Helmut Zemo

In the first iteration of Thunderbolts back in 1997, the group was led by the evil Baron Helmut Zemo as they ditched their villainous pasts and became crime-fighting heroes. However, the rest of the team (Beetle, Fixer, Moonstone and Screaming Mimi) were being misled by Zemo the whole time.

Zemo had sinister ulterior motives and had never truly ditched his villainy, but eventually the rest of the Thunderbolts confronted him and, after defeating the tyrant, they started again as genuine heroes.

Within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Zemo was the catalyst for the Avengers’ Civil War after he framed Bucky Barnes for the death of T’Chaka, leader of Wakanda. Years later, he was broken out of jail by Bucky and Sam Wilson in events seen in Disney+ series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Teaming up with the heroes, Zemo’s actions in the show gave him an element of redemption as made amends with Barnes but was ultimately taken by the Dora Milaje to continue serving his sentence in high-security prison, The Raft. Having been featured as the main villain of Captain America: Civil War, Zemo is more recognisable than most other Thunderbolts candidates and would be a convincing example of someone looking to redeem themselves for past crimes.