I’m So Glad Thunderbolts* Figured Out How To Handle The MCU Problem Of Wondering Where The Avengers And Other Marvel Heroes Are

Ever since The Avengers showed the Marvel Universe’s greatest heroes working together as a team, there have been questions about how to tell stories without bringing in everyone, and it seems like Thunderbolts* has finally figured out the right way to do this. With the new film’s Marvel Easter Eggs and great script, Thunderbolts* tells a story where the characters are absolutely essential. Rather than powerful forces thrown together, the new film aligns its story around meaningful and relevant characterization.

The future of Thunderbolts* after the film’s ending is unclear. While there are certainly ways that the franchise could tell a Thunderbolts* 2 story, this does not seem like the right path forward. With even the post-credit scenes hinting at the new Avengers film, it seems that this team may truly have become the next iteration of the Avengers. Still, in exploring these characters, the new movie did a great job in setting up some important and complicated ideas about teams and their efficacy in this world.

MCU Releases Always Face The Problem Of Marvel’s Shared Universe

A Cinematic Universe Comes With A Great Deal To Explain

Following the events of The Avengers, Marvel found that it was difficult to return to making solo projects. When Iron Man 3 was released, the film went out of its way to explain the absence of characters like Thor and Captain America. It stands to reason that if a terrible villain was looking to hurt somebody, calling the Avengers team for help made a lot more sense than just bringing in just one member. This has led to a problem in the franchise that they’ve had to work hard to justify and explain.

With the Avengers after Avengers: Endgame essentially disbanding, this has been easier to understand in recent films. Without an established Avengers team currently operating, it is easier to see why various heroes would not join these additional fights. However, a team being at the center of the MCU has become an important feature. With the events of Thunderbolts* and Captain America: Brave New World, new teams are being set up, and this same concern will become relevant again soon.

Thunderbolts* Perfectly Evades This Problem With Its Story

The New Marvel Film Makes Its Characters Essential

Thunderbolts* does such an excellent job in explaining why the ᴀssembled team from the film are the necessary characters for those events, and it does that by building the story around them. The ending of Thunderbolts* saw Bob succumbing to the Void, and he would have been a force that other MCU heroes would not have been able to ᴀssist with. If Captain America or Captain Marvel were to appear, they would have only been sucked into the Void and would have become lost.

By giving him friendship, care, and support, the film sets up the heroes to be able to stop Void from destroying New York City in the end.

Instead, the story saw Bob build a relationship with Yelena and the other members of the team throughout its runtime. By giving him friendship, care, and support, the film sets up the heroes to be able to stop Void from destroying New York City in the end. This was done very carefully, making the entire film feel neat and cohesive as the various heroes were all brought together. It was only through their journey that they became the heroes that the world needed to save the day.

Thunderbolts* Establishes How Marvel Can Permanently Fix This MCU Problem

Building Intentional Stories Around Characters Is Important To Marvel’s Future

The ending of Thunderbolts* was a wonderfully refreshing take on the superhero genre, where the film’s issue was not solved by meaningless punches or big CGI effects. Instead, the relationships that were shared between the characters were what mattered in the end. Sentry’s succumbing to the Void was a terrifying and terrible event, but seeing the heroes rescue not only him but the entirety of New York City through friendship is such an excellent way for the film’s story to be satisfyingly tied up.

Creating more interesting conflicts may be a lesson Marvel is already learning. The ending of Captain America: Brave New World saw the relationship between Sam and President Ross examined throughout the film, allowing Sam to talk Red Hulk down at its end. The best Marvel movies, including Black Panther, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Thor: Ragnarok made the protagonist’s relationship with the antagonist an important part of the film’s story, building a richer and more compelling overall narrative.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the best film franchises of all time, and it’s so exciting to see such a great and original new installment with Thunderbolts*. The new film does a great job of setting up and delivering on a great story where the characters feel absolutely essential. Seeing how the story was structured around the strengths and weaknesses of the characters shows the great deal of care that was put behind the scenes, and the film was much better for it in the end.