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The Thunderbolts* movie is shaping up to be one of Marvel’s most intriguing projects, and while many fans have focused on the possibility of it setting up the Dark Avengers, there’s another theory worth considering—it might actually be laying the groundwork for the Secret Avengers.
The Thunderbolts* lineup includes morally gray characters like Yelena Belova, U.S. Agent, and Bucky Barnes, who have all had their share of covert operations. This opens up the possibility that the Thunderbolts could transition into a black-ops team like the Secret Avengers, operating in the shadows to handle dangerous threats without drawing too much attention.
In the comics, the Thunderbolts have often been depicted as a team of villains posing as heroes, but their narrative has shifted over time. They’ve gone from a group trying to exploit a hero-sized void to more complex stories where redemption is on the table. This kind of duality fits well with the MCU’s Thunderbolts, especially with the presence of characters who have walked the line between good and bad.
Looking deeper into the comics, we see significant overlap between the Thunderbolts and the Secret Avengers. For example, in the “Dark Reign” storyline, Norman Osborn used the Thunderbolts to pursue his own twisted version of the Avengers, ultimately leading to the formation of the Dark Avengers.
However, after Osborn’s downfall, Steve Rogers stepped in to form the Secret Avengers, a covert team designed to handle sensitive missions under the radar. This concept of a shadowy team could be exactly where the MCU’s Thunderbolts* are headed, with the asterisk in the title possibly hinting at this dual role.
The Thunderbolts* movie could follow a similar arc by starting as a group of outcasts trying to fill the hero void left by the Avengers, only to transition into something more covert as they take on missions that can’t be handled in the public eye.
This would make them the perfect candidates for a Secret Avengers team—a group tasked with handling threats quietly, with no glory and no headlines, just like in the comics.
With the MCU shifting into darker and more complex storytelling, a team like the Secret Avengers would fit right into this next phase.
The Thunderbolts might be the public face, but the Secret Avengers could be operating behind the scenes, setting up future stories in the MCU.
Forget the Dark Avengers; Thunderbolts*could very well be paving the way for a team of heroes that we don’t see coming.
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