TV - Movies
Why The
Thunderbolts
Lineup Has MCU
Fans Scratching
Their Heads
By MARK D. MCKEE
MCU viewers were surprised by the “Thunderbolts” lineup announced at D23 Expo, consisting of Yelena Belova, Ava Starr, Bucky Barnes, Alexei Shostakov, Antonia Dreykov, and John Walker. Some of these characters are quite popular individually, but fans are skeptical about them working together as a team.
Bucky’s involvement with a group of anti-heroes and villains seems out of place since he already had such a massive redemption arc. Ava Starr, best known as Ghost, also appeared to have wrapped up her arc during “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” making her MCU revival sudden and strange.
“Thunderbolts” front runners like Baron Zemo and Emil Blonsky have been excluded from the lineup entirely, baffling comic readers. Replacing them with characters like Antonia Dreykov, a version of Taskmaster fans weren’t happy with in “Black Widow,” feels like a missed opportunity.