TheMarvel Cinematic Universeis preparing for the release ofThunderbolts*, which already looks like a better sequel to Phase 4 thanCaptain America: Brave New World. The Multiverse Saga continues its course and Phase 5 is about to end with the release ofThunderbolts*. Directed by Jake Schreier,Thunderbolts*will introduce a new team, but unlike previous MCU movies, it’s a team formed by characters who aren’t exactly the most heroic, as they all have troubled pasts and some of them haven’t really moved on from working on the darker side.
Thunderboltswill see antiheroes from past MCU movies teaming upto go on missions for the government. The team is formed by Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Red Guardian (David Harbor), brought together by none other than Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus).The first teaser forThunderboltshas now been released, and it’s already looking like a much better sequel to Phase 4 thanCaptain America: Brave New World.
Thunderbolts* Is A Direct Sequel To Two MCU Phase 4 Projects
Thunderbolts* Brings Together Characters From Different Phase 4 Movies
As mentioned above,Thunderbolts*will be closing the MCU’s chaotic Phase 5, but instead of continuing stories from that phase and thus bringing it to an end, it’s a direct sequel to two projects from Phase 4. The Multiverse Saga kicked off in 2021 withBlack Widow, the first MCU movie released simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+.Black Widowwas set between the events ofCaptain America: Civil WarandAvengers: Infinity War, following Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) as she reunited with her Russian family.
Another project thatThunderbolts*will be a sequel to is the TV seriesThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Black Widowintroduced Natasha’s sister, Yelena, a fellow Black Widow trained in the Red Room, and Taskmaster, who can mimic her opponent’s fighting style. Another project thatThunderbolts*will be a sequel to is the TV seriesThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier. After Steve Rogers passed on the shield and Captain America mantle to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie),The Falcon and the Winter Soldierfollowed Sam’s struggles to continue Steve’s legacy whilethe government appointed John Walker as the new Captain America. In addition to that, they had to take down an anti-patriotism group known asthe Flag Smashers.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldierwas the MCU’s second Disney+ TV show, right afterWandaVision.
Thunderboltscan also be seen as a continuation of the TV seriesHawkeyethough to a lesser extent, as Yelena also appeared in it. In addition to them,Thunderboltsis a sequel toAnt-Man and the Wasp, which introduced Ghost, but the second Ant-Man movie was part of Phase 3 and has been mostly forgotten, even by Ant-Man’s third “solo” movie,Quantumania.
Captain America 4 Is More Of A Wider Sequel To The MCU
Captain America 4 Isn’t Just A Phase 4 Continuation
BeforeThunderbolts*arrives,Captain America: Brave New Worldwill be released.Brave New Worldwill be the firstCaptain Americamovie without Steve Rogersand the first with Sam Wilson as Captain America.Brave New Worldis a sequel toThe Falcon and the Winder Soldier(as, sadly, it won’t get a second season), but it actually goes further than that and serves as a wider sequel to the MCU.Brave New Worldwill also be addressing (or, at least, showing) one of the biggest mysteries left byEternals: Tiamut’s remains coming out of the ocean.
Marvel Finally Answers The Big Question About The Giant Celestial In The Ocean 3 Years Later
Captain America: Brave New World’s first teaser trailer has confirmed that Marvel Studios will finally be addressing a huge three-year-old mystery.
Brave New Worldalso has connections toThe Incredible Hulk, the MCU’s second movie (and one that’s often forgotten).Brave New Worldis bringing back Thaddeus Ross (now played by Harrison Ford), his daughter Betty (Liv Tyler), and Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson), withRoss finally becoming Red Hulk. In addition to these,Brave New Worldwill have links to other movies likeCaptain America: Civil WarandAvengers: Endgame, so it isn’t exactly a Phase 4 continuation as it goes beyond that.
Why I Think Thunderbolts* Looks Better Than Captain America 4
Thunderbolts* Looks A Lot More Consistent
Despite bringing together different characters from different movies and TV shows,Thunderboltslooks a lot better thanCaptain America: Brave New World.Thunderboltslooks more grounded and darker thanBrave New World, and it reminds me of the style ofBlack WidowandThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, with spy thriller aspects that take me back toCaptain America: The Winter Soldier(so far thebestCaptain Americamovie in the MCU). AlthoughBrave New Worldalso looks interesting, it feels like it focuses a lot more on politics within the MCU than superhero action, whichThunderbolts*seems to have a lot of.
In addition to that,Thunderboltsseems to have some hints of comedy here and therethanks to Red Guardian, and there will surely be other organic comedic moments given how different all of their personalities are.Thunderboltsmight end up feeling like the Phase 4 conclusion we never got, while also (hopefully) being one of the most consistent Multiverse Saga movies so far.
