MCU Phase 4: 10 Movies Marvel Should Include

10. Thunderbolts

Thunderbolts Civil War
Marvel Comics

The Thunderbolts are basically Marvel's version of the Suicide Squad, and though it could be argued the company already have their bases covered when it comes to 'loveable rogue ensemble defies the odds' in Guardians of the Galaxy, none of that group are out and out villains. There's an important distinction to make in this case, and while the MCU is currently a few villains short of assembling an evil team of its own, the logistics of actually doing so need not be so difficult.

To be clear, there is a reason why DC made Suicide Squad, and that's because it has a genius premise. The idea of a Dirty Dozen-style team up with superheroes has worked for years on the page, and though Marvel themselves were late to the game with the Thunderbolts, there's no reason to say they couldn't make it work on the big screen.

Bring together villains like Taskmaster, Venom, Punisher and Vulture with a hero to keep them on the straight and narrow (potentially Bucky Barnes), and you have the potential for a truly interesting story. Factor in the crossover potential as well, with the Avengers having to call upon the team in a time of crisis, and you have the basis for some truly brilliant interactions between Earth's Mightiest Heroes and their evil counterparts.

The only question left, it seems, would be who gets on the roster?

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Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.