One word that could describe the future of the MCU is mysterious. The future slate of films on Marvel’s radar have few details available regarding their plot. One such film, The Thunderbolts, is a prime example of this. Only a handful of characters are lined up to give fans a glimpse of what the team of anti-heroes will be up to. However, characters like Bucky Barnes and the U.S. Agent version of Captain America may hint at what storyline the film could be adapting: Captain America: Cold War.
A reasonably new story set in the world of Marvel Comics, Cold War added a new layer of mystery and intrigue to the lives of Steve Rogers, Sam Wison, and Bucky Barnes. Bringing in a whole new shadow organization to the lives of spies and heroes, the story tests the heroes in ways they couldn’t have imagined and ends with Bucky taking on a new role and mission that elevates his status in the Marvel universe. This includes building a new Thunderbolts team, which could play directly into the MCU. Could the MCU’s Thunderbolts film be adapting Captain America: Cold War?
The Thunderbolts, Explained
Audiences need some background knowledge of the team to understand how this storyline could tie into the film. The Thunderbolts were founded by Baron Zemo, who first brought the team together under the guise of reforming the Masters of Evil. However, before this new iteration of the criminal team could strike, the powerful mutant villain Onslaught seemingly took out both the Avengers and The Fantastic Four. Seeing a void in the world for superpowered protectors, Zemo and his teammates rebranded their image and became heroes, gaining the public’s trust to gain access to information only available to the Avengers and SHIELD network.
However, before their plan could come to fruition, the Avengers and FF returned. At this point, Zemo revealed the Thunderbolt’s true nature to the world, to prevent his allies from becoming full-fledged heroes. This led to a battle with Zemo, who escaped. Since this initial team-up, new iterations of the Thunderbolts have come and gone. Norman Osborn’s Thunderbolts came about in the wake of the superhero Civil War, while Wilson Fisk’s Thunderbolts were built to arrest heroes in NYC who violated the vigilante laws he enacted. However, the latest iteration of the team came when Bucky Barnes became The Revolution.
Cold War & The Revolution
In the dual series Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty and Captain America: Symbol of Truth, Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson were drawn into a major conflict, the Cold War. This event revolved around Steve Rogers discovering a secret organization known as The Outer Circle. Established after the First World War, the organization was formed to manipulate world events to complete a perfect utopia. To do this, they established the Century Game, with each member of the Cabal taking turns to warp world events to their favor. Five members, called the Revolution, made up the organization’s leadership — including a rogue agent who fought against the other four member’s machinations.
Part of their game included assassins created to serve their purposes, called Starpoints. They were found to have manipulated Bucky Barnes into becoming the Winter Soldier to use as their Starpoint. They also adapted Captain America’s famous shield as their symbol, to lure him into conflict with the group in the future. This plan worked, but after several conflicts, Steve and Bucky confronted the group, only for Bucky to throw Cap off of the group’s ship after taking out the Revolution himself, joining the group as The New Revolution.
While he worked with Steve behind the scenes in his new role to stop AIM and MODOK from destroying New York City, Sam and Falcon fought Black Panther villain White Wolf. They fought alongside Captain America’s ally Nomad, aka Captain America’s adopted son Ian Rogers. This led to the Cold War when Steve and Sam had to infiltrate Dimension Z to save Nomad and stop the Outer Circle.
The New Revolution Brings Back The Thunderbolts
After the events of the Cold War, Bucky’s role as The New Revolution allows him to dissolve the Outer Circle as a whole. He also gains access to their years and years of resources and information. He uses this to work with La Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, working together to form a team to stop the Red Skull once and for all. They recruit Sharon Carter’s The Destroyer and Red Guardian to their cause, as well as both Black Widow and White Widow, Shang-Chi and U.S. Agent, taking them up against Red Skull, Wilson Fisk, and even Doctor Doom throughout the story of the new Thunderbolts team.
This makes for an interesting new story for the Thunderbolts, as many team members are part of the upcoming MCU film. From Contessa Valentina to White Widow, Red Guardian, and U.S. Agent, the team will also include Ghost from Ant-Man and the Wasp and Taskmaster from Black Widow’s solo film. While initial reports of The Sentry being involved in the movie are not yet definitive, a loose adaption of Cold War may prove fruitful with this lineup of heroes and anti-heroes. A new shadow organization like The Outer Circle being uncovered after the fall of Shield and Hydra together in the MCU may be just what the franchise needs. It may also allow for characters like Kingpin and Doctor Doom to interact with the larger MCU as a whole going forward.
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