How Falcon And Winter Soldier Just Set Up MCU Thunderbolts

The Thunderbolts AREN'T Marvel's Suicide Squad

One important thing to bear in mind with the Thunderbolts is that they aren't 'just Marvel's Suicide Squad'. Whereas DC's team of supervillains are coerced into fighting the "good" fight under penalty of death, the Thunderbolts (created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley) are actually way more willing.

The team has had many incarnations over the years but the general gist is that they're supervillains who are willing to reform and do the right thing - some members slip into old habits, but there's more of a willingness to do good with them than there is with Task Force X.

There's plenty of scope to try all sorts with the team when it comes to live action, but Marvel would do well to retain a clear delineation between their own supervillain team from DC's own Dirty Dozen. La Contessa and Walker can't just be the Marvel equivalent of Amanda Waller and Rick Flagg - they weren't in the comics, and there's no reason to start doing that now. Granted it's not even confirmed the Thunderbolts will be coming to the MCU, but at the very least it feels like a given that La Contessa's plans don't just begin and end with Walker, especially given she was due to make her MCU debut in Black Widow before it was hit with multiple delays.

One other thing to consider here as well, of course, is the post-Endgame climate. The Avengers are still kicking by the looks of things, but we've already seen how governments have tried to take advantage of the fallout with the U.S. trying to install their own puppet Captain America. The Avengers lost two leaders in Steve and Tony Stark, and the more opportunistic figures out there are bound to want to take advantage. In La Contessa's case, Nick Fury heading into space might've created the vacuum she needed to exert some real authority.

There's also the matter of the MCU's returning villains. Although The Falcon and the Winter Soldier killed Erin Kellyman's Karli Morgenthau, it made sure to keep Zemo around in the Raft - within reach of La Contessa. The series went to great lengths to add further depth to Daniel Brühl's character, and given Zemo's connections to the Thunderbolts in the comics (he was its founding member before his teammates betrayed him), it makes sense he'd be considered for a leading role in a new ensemble. Factor in his heroic streak in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, as well as his general animosity towards super soldiers (don't forget his dance moves either), and you have some great potential there for him and Walker to play off each other in a given storyline.

As far as other potential recruits are concerned, the entire roster is at Marvel's disposal. It wouldn't be surprising to potentially see Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova in the mix, given she's already confirmed to appear in future Marvel stories, while Taskmaster would also be an interesting choice, pending the outcome of their fate in Black Widow. Other figures, like Abomination, are less likely to be in contention, but a Thunderbolts series would provide the perfect vehicle for their return.

This is obviously diving massively into speculative territory, and we still don't even know which MCU series or film these characters will appear in further down the line, but you can rest assured that they will. Marvel may have an emphasis on the supernatural and cosmic for their upcoming big screen plans, but with Falcon and Winter Soldier's conclusion and Armor Wars on the horizon too, it's clear there's still plenty of room for those Captain America-style, espionage stories to take place as well.

Whenever they do, expect La Contessa and John Walker to be right at the centre.