Black Widow: Every Main Character Ranked From Worst To Best
6. Thunderbolt Ross
Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross went eight years without appearing in the MCU between The Incredible Hulk and Captain America: Civil War, but since his return he has become an important character in the franchise. He initiated the Sokovia Accords that ultimately drove the Avengers apart, and hunted Cap and co. into hiding for two years.
When he was seen in the Black Widow trailer fans got excited at what that could mean. In one scene he looked de-aged, so had Natasha worked with him in the past? Other scenes showed him looking older and more frail than before, suggesting a potential future scene, possibly even setting up the Thunderbolts.
However, his role in the movie was inconsequential and pointless. He had a very brief interaction with Natasha once the movie moved out of 1995 and into 2016, that served more to set the scene of the titular character being on the run, and he showed up at the end to confirm that she was still on the run once Dreykov was defeated.
His appearance in the movie offered nothing other than telling audiences what they already knew. His exposition was redundant, and there was really no need to bring him back just for that. However, he still ranks above Dreykov and Taskmaster, because while he didn't add anything to the movie, at least he didn't actively detract from it.