Marvel's Thunderbolts Film
What do you think about a Thunderbolts movie? If you are anything like me (and presumably you are, since you are here reading this article), then it is more of a 'Thunder... who?' sort of thing. It is true that even as a casual DC fan, I struggle to remember that there is such a thing as the Marvel Thunderbolts. Sure, Marvel has a lot of antiheroes, but surely it can do something to differentiate its upcoming film from its very DC counterpart?
Marvel's Thunderbolts film, set to release in 2024 as the last of the MCU's 23 films, has every reason to stand on its own. With Suicide Squad already known to both DC and Marvel moviegoers, the onus is on the comic book movie powerhouse to show us all why this Netflix series needs to exist as its own, standalone thing.
Having said all that, Marvel has, so far, had the upper hand regarding its cinematic universe. This is not down to viewer preference so much as the DCEU effectively, though inadvertently, forcing its audience to acknowledge the fact that there are simply too many of them. Thankfully, with the Patty Jenkins-led Birds of Prey on the horizon, that is slowly turning around, though the DC films with Batman still manage to contend with the MCU films. Still, it remains that Marvel has a little bit of an advantage, especially when it comes to films like Thunderbolts.
Thunderbolts and Suicide Squad
Thunderbolts and Suicide Squad are very familiar with each other. There are characters in Suicide Squad who appear in other films and TV series, like Harley Quinn who was a part of Gotham City before joining Amanda Waller to perform dangerous missions. Likewise, there are many villains for whom the Thunderbolts antiheroes are almost the same, not just in DC but in the entire comic book world. While it is inevitable to have characters with similar traits and backgrounds in two relatively similar genres, there is a reason why Thunderbolts and Suicide Squad share an even closer relationship.
In case you are not familiar with it, Thunderbolts is a Marvel comic book series whose main concept involves a team of antiheroes led by Luke Cage. Luke started by cleaning the streets of New York as a vigilante. Once he discovered the existence of the sinister organization Blackout, he joined forces with fellow superheroes Elektra, Paladin, and Ghost to fight against it. Meanwhile, in a parallel universe where the joint efforts of Steve Rogers and Helmut Zemo yielded a general distrust of the Avengers, most former Avengers members — known as Thunderbolts — wanted to be seen as heroes.
In short, Thunderbolts are a team of antiheroes who often resort to violence to fight against evil. In Suicide Squad, this manifests as a group of villains who perform dangerous missions in exchange for exoneration (in principle, at least). In the popular view, while the Marvel rogues are mostly reformed, the DC rogues are willing to kill and harm – though only if there is something in it for them. The composition of these antiheroes continues; the Suicide Squad consists of well-known villains like Harley Quinn and Deadshot, while the Thunderbolts feature characters like Yelena Belova and Bucky Barnes seeking redemption.
Both teams are recruited by government agencies, though Thunderbolts have the advantage of introducing their characters to the general public through the MCU from the beginning. In Phase Two, we met John 'Walker as he was introduced to the Thunderbolts as Number 6,' and later embarked on a mission with Sam Wilson and Rogers himself. Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays the flamboyant, larger-than-life Italian citizen Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who has orchestrated the recruitment of the Thunderbolts, starting with John.
Compared to the outsiders in Suicide Squad, Thunderbolts are forced to use agents with government security clearance, so the circumstances surrounding their recruitment are questionable. It makes no sense, as the former Thunderbolts members have already established themselves as heroes. In the Marvel universe, they are either traitors or victims, which explains why the CIA is willing to train Thunderbolts agents to work on dangerous missions without first considering the ethics of the situation.
When it comes to Suicide Squad, on the other hand, it is much easier for the casual audience to understand how a collection of DC villains ended up in a film together. This begins in the DCEU films, when the likes of Harley, Deadshot, and Killer Croc make appearances in the movie.
