Thunderbolts* Did Sam Wilson And His Real Avengers Dirty But I Know Exactly How Avengers: Doomsday Can Fix It

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Thunderbolts*.After Thunderbolts* completely changed the game for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I was partly disappointed by what it meant for Sam Wilson, but I know how Avengers: Doomsday can turn things around for the new Captain America in a major way. Thunderbolts* was the breath of fresh air for the MCU that I was hoping it would be. The MCU’s Phase 5, just like the Multiverse Saga’s Phase 4, suffers from mostly having characters scattered around, not interacting with one another.

Captain America: Brave New World was the first step in a better direction for the MCU. While the movie itself was the least exciting of the Captain America franchise, it had a solid setup for the MCU’s upcoming Avengers movies. At the end of the film, Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson decided to restart the Avengers, which I felt was fitting, since Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers was the team’s previous leader. While I love the cast of Thunderbolts* and want to see them thrive, I think it’s clear that the film’s big reveal hurts Sam Wilson’s story.

Thunderbolts* Made The Team The MCU’s New Avengers And Started A Fight

Marvel Studios Now Has Two Avengers Teams Co-Existing

Thunderbolts*‘s ending had Valentina Allegra de Fontaine introduce the team to the world as the New Avengers. Given how the team was mostly made of characters who had been villains or anti-heroes up to that point, I was shocked to see the MCU take such a huge swing. Sure, Thunderbolts* was a movie about those characters becoming heroes and not letting the darkness take over them. Even with that approach, I was surprised that Marvel would take that particular set of characters and make them the New Avengers.

The choice was even more surprising because of the MCU’s first movie of 2025, as Captain America: Brave New World‘s ending had set up Sam Wilson’s Avengers team only a few months before Thunderbolts*. Besides giving the MCU two Avengers teams in a short span of time, Thunderbolts*‘s post-credits scene took a step further, starting a fight between them, with Sam Wilson going the legal route to get the Avengers trademark. I think the Thunderbolts deserved an upgrade, but I felt the way the movie did it made Sam Wilson’s Avengers look unnecessary and used him for a joke.

Sam Wilson Defeating Chris Evans’ Evil Captain America Would Be The Best Avengers Movie Outcome For Him

Chris Evans Returned To Marvel In ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine As Johnny Storm/The Human Torch

Since Captain America: Brave New World was not a box office hit, ending its global run with $415 million on a $180 million budget with marketing not included (via Box Office Mojo), Sam Wilson still has a lot to live up to. Chris Evans’ Captain America was the leader of the Avengers and one of the faces of the MCU alongside Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man. That is the legacy Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson is a part of, and after Thunderbolts*, I know the perfect way to help Sam’s popularity increase.

Every MCU Avengers Movie
Movie	Release Date
The Avengers	2012
Avengers: Age of Ultron	2015
Avengers: Infinity War	2018
Avengers: Endgame	2019
Avengers: Doomsday	2026
Avengers: Secret Wars	2027

Chris Evans is reportedly in Avengers: Doomsday, with rumors suggesting he could take a page from Downey’s playbook and become a villain, with Hydra’s Captain America being at the top of the Avengers movie rumors. Sam Wilson’s status as the leader of the MCU’s real Avengers might have been disputed by Thunderbolts* and the creation of the New Avengers, but I believe that if he were to fight Evans’ Hydra Captain America in Avengers: Doomsday and defeat him, the character’s popularity with fans and respect from the MCU’s heroes and general population would increase by a lot.

I Think Sam Wilson’s Avengers Need To Be The Main Team Of Avengers: Doomsday

The Next Avengers Movie Will Feature Many Superhero Teams

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has confirmed that there will be many teams in the next Avengers movie, such as the New Avengers (former Thunderbolts), Fox’s original X-Men, the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and more. That was to be expected when the Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement was live-streamed by Marvel, including characters from all over the MCU and the many X-Men franchise stars. While the MCU’s Avengers movies have become synonymous with franchise crossover events, I feel like their тιтle should still count for something.

Despite the many teams that will factor into Avengers: Doomsday‘s plot, the Avengers should still firmly be the film’s main team. Now, there are going to be two versions of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in the movie — Sam Wilson’s Avengers and Thunderbolts*‘s New Avengers. The way Marvel can avoid doing Captain America dirty again is by making Sam’s Avengers the main team of Doomsday, allowing him to have the important franchise role he deserves. If anything other than that happens, I think Sam’s storyline would not get the payoff it should, so Avengers: Doomsday will hopefully avoid comparison with Thunderbolts*‘s team.