Thunderbolts* is about to release in theaters, featuring a team of previously established MCU characters coming together for the first time. Notably, each member of the new team has been seen in earlier Marvel projects, and a few of them have been featured together in the same movie or MCU show.

Featuring MCU characters who might not be considered all that heroic on the surface, Thunderbolts* will feature Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, U.S. Agent, Red Guardian, Ghost, and Taskmaster joining forces, becoming heroes despite their dark pasts and mistakes. The movie also includes the CIA’s Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, as well as some newcomers like Bob aka Sentry, who becomes the movie’s main threat, and Mel, Val’s ᴀssistant. Keeping that in mind, here’s a breakdown of each of the MCU projects these characters have previously been in, as well as the most important movies and shows you should watch before Thunderbolts*.

Which MCU Movies & Shows Had The Most Thunderbolts* Characters

Black Widow and Falcon & The Winter Soldier

The two MCU projects with the most Thunderbolts* characters featured are 2020’s Black Widow and 2021’s Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Black Widow features four members of the Thunderbolts* cast with Yelena, Red Guardian, Taskmaster, and Val. Likewise, Val also appears in Falcon and the Winter Soldier alongside Bucky Barnes and John Walker’s U.S. Agent.

That being said, the upcoming Thunderbolt with the most MCU appearances by far is Bucky Barnes, having been around since 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger. In total, Sebastian Stan’s Bucky has been in 8 different MCU live-action projects, with Thunderbolts* being his 9th. Conversely, one of the characters who’s been seen the least and gone the longest without an MCU appearance is Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost, whose most recent (and only) appearance before Thunderbolts* was in 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Which MCU Movies & Shows You Should Watch Before Thunderbolts*

At Most, Four Movies and One Show

Naturally, a correlation exists between the MCU projects that feature the most future Thunderbolts and how important they are to watch ahead of the upcoming movie. As such, Black Widow and Falcon and the Winter Soldier are definitely at the top of the list. Both offer character debuts for several of the Thunderbolts while establishing many of the existing relationships that will be present in the upcoming movie.

Black Widow establishes the family relationship between Yelena and Alexei Shoktakov’s Red Guardian. The movie also connects to the loss of Natasha Romanov (Yelena’s sister and Alexei’s other daughter), setting up a shared grief they’ll both come to address in the new MCU movie. Black Widow includes Taskmaster as well, a fellow ᴀssᴀssin of the Red Room whose mind was also set free by the movie’s end.

Likewise, Falcon and the Winter Soldier shows Bucky’s attempts to make up for his past as the Winter Soldier. It also shows the rise and fall of John Walker, having been chosen to wield the shield as the new Captain America before he lost the right after publicly executing an unarmed eco-terrorist (with the shield). This then leads to Walker becoming the U.S. Agent at the end of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, having agreed to work for Val (who makes her first appearance in the series).

Beyond those two projects, Ant-Man and the Wasp is probably worth watching for the sake of Ghost and her single MCU appearance. It would also be good to watch Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as it offers the clearest picture of the kind of character Valentina is, her motivations, and what she’s willing to do if she believes it’s in the best interests of the American people. Likewise, Captain America: Brave New World not only offers insights into the state of the MCU’s current status quo, but also Bucky Barnes’ new job as a congressman, which will be addressed in Thunderbolts*.

Thunderbolts* releases in theaters on May 2nd from Marvel Studios.