10 Biggest Unanswered MCU Questions After Thunderbolts*

This article contains spoilers for Thunderbolts*.
The latest MCU blockbuster, Thunderbolts*

, leaves a lot of intriguing questions about the future of the MCU. Half the fun of a shared universe lies in the idea of bringing together heroes (and villains) who wouldn’t naturally work together; who can forget the dynamic between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, which ultimately led to a superhero civil war? But as chaotic as the Avengers could be, they were nothing compared to the Thunderbolts – or, rather, to their replacements as the New Avengers.

I’ve often seen complaints that the latest MCU movie feels like setup for the next one, but – aside from Thunderbolts*‘ game-changing post-credit scene – this was an exception. Thunderbolts* may feature characters drawn from across the MCU, but it feels remarkably complete and self-contained, largely a result of skillful writing. For all that’s the case, though, the movie’s place in the MCU means I was left with a lot of questions about the future…

10

So, Who’s The President In The MCU Right Now?

We Know Thunderbolt Ross Is Gone

Continuity is baked into any shared universe, and Thunderbolts* calls out the end of Captain America: Brave New World when it refers to the previous president turning into a Hulk. We already knew this had brought about a dramatic end to Ross’ political career, and it’s possible this led to more intensive scrutiny of decisions made by Ross’ officials – including Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. Still, we didn’t get any new details in Thunderbolts*, and we didn’t even learn who the new president is.

9

How Is Ghost Still Alive In Thunderbolts*?

This One’s A Bit Of A Mystery

I’ve always found myself drawn to Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost, because I found the idea interesting; introduced in Ant-Man & the Wasp, the character was supposed to be dealing with a chronic pain condition due to her powers. The idea was never particularly well-developed in the Ant-Man sequel, and I’d hoped to see it picked up in Thunderbolts*. Unfortunately, as much as I enjoyed the movie, this idea was largely dropped.

Ant-Man & the Wasp technically set up a potentially fatal story for Ghost. Her condition was helped by Janet Van Dyne’s mysterious Quantum Realm powers, and Scott Lang happened into the Quantum Realm to pick up particles that would help her. But the snap happened; Janet was blipped out of existence, while Scott was stranded for five years. Did Ghost survive because she too was blipped, and what’s happened to her powers since?

8

Why Did Bob Survive When All The Other Sentry Test Subjects Died?

Project Sentry Is Still A Mystery

Lewis Pullman delivers a stand-out performance as Bob in Thunderbolts*, the MCU’s latest super-soldier. We don’t know much about the process Valentina’s people used on Bob, but she believed it had transformed him into someone packing more of a punch than the OG Avengers put together. Just one question remained, though; why was the experiment a success with Bob in the first place?

According to Thunderbolts*, all other test subjects died. Oddly, though, Valentina believed Bob had died too; she had no idea why his body was in storage. This raises the disturbing possibility Bob wasn’t actually the sole survivor, but rather that there are an unknown number of Sentry subjects running (or flying) around the MCU. The New Avengers will have their work cut out for them.

7

What Did The Other Thunderbolts* See In Their Shame Rooms?

We REALLY Want To Know This One

There’s a sense that Thunderbolts* was really Black Widow 2, because Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova was the real star (and two other team members were ᴀssociated with her, too). Given that’s the case, it’s no surprise that Thunderbolts* focused on Yelena’s experience in her Shame Room, using it as an opportunity to explore the trauma of the Red Room. Thematically, this paralleled Scarlet Witch’s psychic attack on the original Black Widow in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

The other Thunderbolts dared to enter the Void to save Yelena, which meant confronting their own individual Shame Rooms. We get a few comments about them – Bucky’s was likely very traumatic – but we never get any details. So what did the other Thunderbolts experience? What did Red Guardian and Ghost see? I really hope we get some answers.

6

What Other New York Superheroes Got Caught In The Void’s Attack?

Other New York Superheroes Were Surely Caught Up In This

New York City has always been the center of superhero action in Marvel Comics, and the same is increasingly true in the MCU as well. So which other MCU superheroes got caught up in Bob’s Void attack, and what did they see in their Shame Rooms? This question seems particularly pressing after Daredevil: Born Again, which finally confirmed all the Defenders are part of the main MCU timeline as well.

Daredevil has always been defined by shame, so I have no doubt his experience would have been traumatic. Meanwhile, I’d guess Peter Parker experienced the death of Aunt May from Spider-Man: No Way Home again, leaving him something of a mess. And Frank Castle surely found himself seeing the death of his family again. But it would be fascinating to get some real answers to these questions.

5

What Do The New Avengers Mean For Wilson Fisk’s Time As Mayor?

Fisk’s Time As Mayor Is A Big Problem

The end of Daredevil: Born Again saw Wilson Fisk – mayor of New York City – launch a major campaign against vigilantes in New York. We’ve all been wondering how the various New York superheroes would be affected by this, but Thunderbolts* made that question all the more troubling. The New Avengers based themselves at the former Avengers Tower in New York, now renamed the Watchtower.

Thunderbolts*‘ post-credit scene revealed the New Avengers are struggling with a PR problem. I can’t help wondering if this is partly because they’re in conflict with the mayor of New York, who wants them out of his city. If that’s the case, then Daredevil: Born Again may actually give us some New Avengers clues.

4

Why Is Sam Wilson Fighting With Bucky Over The Avengers Name?

This Doesn’t Really Feel Like Its In-Character

According to Thunderbolts*‘ post-credit scene, Sam Wilson has decided to form his own team of Avengers at last. He appears to be in a public feud with Bucky’s team, even registering the “Avengers” trademark to cause them legal problems. There’s something wonderfully meta about this (Marvel and DC once tried to trademark the word “superhero”), but it seems rather out of character for Sam.

What have the New Avengers done that made Sam feel this was necessary? Is there now bad blood between Sam and Bucky? And could this actually be setting up a new superhero civil war? The possibilities are literally limitless.

3

Who’s In Sam Wilson’s Rival Avengers Team?

Sam Wilson’s rival Avengers team naturally raises another question; just who has Sam gotten on board for his incarnation of the team? There can be no doubt he’s better connected than Bucky, and thus has recruited some pretty big names. It’s possible he’s working with Wong, Captain Marvel, and Hulk – which would likely mean Shang-Chi is in as well. Chris Hemsworth and Leтιтia Wright were announced for Avengers: Doomsday in close proximity to Anthony Mackie, which may mean Thor and Shuri are part of Sam’s team.

2

What Exactly Is The “Space Crisis” Yelena Mentioned?

Are The Guardians Of The Galaxy In Avengers: Doomsday After All?

The post-credits scene is clearly set during the events of Avengers: Doomsday, and it features an intriguing moment in which Yelena refers to some sort of crisis in space. She doesn’t give any details – in truth, she’s talking to people who are unlikely to understand what she’s talking about anyway – so we’re left with a mystery. Which was, of course, the whole reason Marvel slipped that line of dialogue into the scene.

Does this set up a cosmic aspect to Avengers: Doomsday, as well as a multiversal one? No Guardians of the Galaxy have been announced for Doomsday, but we know the recently-announced cast list is far from complete. It’s possible this cosmic plot will be how some of the Guardians get caught up in whatever evil Doom unleashes on the MCU.

1

Who’s In The Fantastic Four Ship?

Is It The Obvious… Or Is It Something Else?

Thunderbolts*‘ post-credit scene ends with setup for the Fantastic Four in the main MCU timeline, seeming to hint their ship travels between dimensions with them aboard. On the face of it, this seems to confirm how Fantastic Four: First Steps will conclude – with Reed, Sue, Ben, and Jonny hopping between the dimensions. But has Marvel lied to us?

Many are theorizing Thunderbolts* actually shows how Doctor Doom himself makes his way into the MCU. That would be a smart misdirection from Marvel, and it certainly can’t be ruled out. We only see the outside of the Excelsior spaceship, so it’s possible someone else is inside.