The MCU Just Paid Off Two Different 2021 Cliffhangers 4 Years Later And It Was Worth The Wait

There are a lot of moving parts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)

that take years to resolve, but Thunderbolts*

just answered some big questions set up four years earlier, and it was so worth the wait. In 2008, no one could have predicted how big the MCU would become, but somehow, visionary storytellers like Kevin Feige had big dreams, and they included details that wouldn’t be paid off for more than a decade. Since then, the MCU has continued to grow, and the world has expanded to include even more exciting reveals for the future.

However, one of the biggest gripes people have had with the Multiverse Saga was the fact that it feels disconnected, and fails to capture the same magic that the Infinity Saga inherently possessed. Saying that, Thunderbolts* knocked it out of the park and absolutely accomplished these things, with a story that tied in to so many other parts of the MCU, paid off major setups, and set the stage for what is coming at the end of the Multiverse Saga.

The Falcon & The Winter Soldier And Black Widow Valentina Cliffhangers Were Finally Paid Off In Thunderbolts*

Valentina’s Recruits Were Being Used For Secret Missions

Among the many elements that Thunderbolts* brings back and pays off, one of the most satisfying resolutions was how it handled the character of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Initially, Valentina was introduced all the way back in 2021, not once but twice. The character first showed up in the post-credits scene of Black Widow, where she was seen speaking with Yelena Belova. Then again, she appears at the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier where she appears to recruit John Walker for a very special mission.

Evidently, Valentina recruited both characters, along with others like Ava Starr and Taskmaster, to help handle less savory aspects of her business at the CIA. Yelena and John have both been working for Valentina since that initial contact. This required them to kill, and handle their work in secret, where they operated as mercenaries, until she would eventually try to dispose of them in Thunderbolts*.

Thunderbolts* Was Totally Worth The Wait

The Thunderbolts* Exceeded All Expectations

Thunderbolts* was kind of a wild card in terms of the release schedule for Marvel Studios. The team was made up of less popular background characters, and it seemed like the film would kind of be a filler story. However, with the huge reveal that this was actually The New Avengers origin story, and a chance for the MCU to set up events coming in The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Avengers: Doomsday, it became a pivotal entry.

Not only that, but the chemistry between these characters, the introduction of Sentry and the Void, and the major tragedy that strikes New York all add up to make this an unmissable MCU movie. It’s similar to Guardians of the Galaxy, in the fact that people expected very little from a lesser-known superhero team, only to have them prove to be one of the most exciting and engaging parts of the MCU.

I’m So Interested To See Where The MCU Takes Valentina & The New Avengers

The New Avengers Have A Future Beyond The Multiverse Saga

And of course, their story is only just beginning. The previous Avengers team were central to the Infinity Saga, and, of course, with the expansion of the MCU, there are plenty of other heroes and teams to follow by this point, but The New Avengers are wildcards who have nearly limitless potential. Despite sharing a name with a team in the comics, this team is almost entirely different. And considering Valentina’s role as a kind of manager to the team, it creates a unique dynamic.

The end of the Multiverse Saga is expected to deliver a kind of soft reboot to the MCU, but with this new team, there is hope for some core characters to remain an important part of the stories going forward. And of course, with Bob forced to sit on the bench, the MCU has so much potential to see this team advance beyond their progress in Thunderbolts*, and become even stronger when he gets a better handle on his powers.