It’s time to stop saying the Thunderbolts are exactly like DC’s Suicide Squad after the latest trailer for Thunderbolts* revealed one significant difference between the two teams. Marvel is introducing its newest on-screen team in the story of Thunderbolts*, with the group set to be a big departure from the MCU’s usual superhero-focused ensemble films. The MCU Thunderbolts* cast features many of Marvel’s best misfits and antiheroes, including Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, John Walker, Taskmaster, and Ghost. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine and Bucky Barnes ᴀssemble this crew to fight a powerful enтιтy that requires unorthodox methods.

On paper, this team sounds a lot like the Suicide Squad, which also consists of a group of villains recruited for an impossible mission that is kept off the books. Thunderbolts* has been labeled by many as Marvel’s version of a Suicide Squad film, but it’s a rather simple comparison. The latest trailer for Thunderbolts* reveals one key difference that separates the two teams enough, despite the many similarities they share.

Thunderbolts* Vs Suicide Squad: The Biggest Similarities

Marvel and DC’s band of misfits share many traits.

The most obvious similarity between these two teams is that they are both groups of outcasts who join forces to defeat a common enemy. While the Suicide Squad members are more villainous than the Thunderbolts, both of the DC films about the group explore each character’s backstory and motivations, transforming them from villains into complex antiheroes. The teams are also severely outmatched by the villains they face. A few of the Suicide Squad members have powers, but aren’t at the level of the antagonists they face.

While the Thunderbolts* villain isn’t confirmed, the trailer hints that they’re fighting The Void, the darker half of the Sentry. It’s almost impossible for any of them to fight The Void and survive, and Yelena jokes in the trailer that all they can do is “punch and shoot.” The teams are also controlled by powerful women who hold influential positions in government. In DC, Amanda Waller is a high-ranking government official who will do anything to defend U.S. interests. For Marvel, it’s instead Valentina who works within the shadows of the CIA, and it’ll be interesting to see Thunderbolts* dive deeper into her motivations.

The Thunderbolts* Aren’t Being Forced To Join This Mission

Marvel’s antiheroes have more autonomy over their lives.

The main difference between the Thunderbolts and the Suicide Squad is their consent to these missions. In Suicide Squad, Waller recruits each member directly from prison and gives them an ultimatum: join her mission and get time taken off their sentence or serve out the rest of their time. Most prisoners choose the former option, but there’s still another twist. Waller puts explosive chips inside their heads, so if they try to escape or fight back, Waller can blow their heads off. Waller coerces them into accepting the mission, and then uses threatening methods to keep them in line.

The Thunderbolts* trailer illustrates that each member can decide to accept this mission without the threat of prison or death. While Bucky does tie them up, he gives them a chance for redemption, saying “So you can do something about it now or live with it forever?” This question indicates they can decide whether to make up for their mistakes or live with regret. It’s a different approach than the Suicide Squad, and for the better, since many of these characters were brainwashed into committing their past crimes.

The Thunderbolts Will Benefit From Having More Autonomy

Autonomy allows each character to have a better arc.

Most of these characters deserve a chance at redemption, but it’s more interesting if they make the decisions themselves. Winter Soldier, Yelena, and Taskmaster were previously brainwashed into committing heinous crimes for The Red Room and HYDRA. John Walker, Ghost, and Red Guardian worked for different regimes that essentially abandoned them once they used up their worth. These figures are flawed individuals, but they’re not true villains, and they could have futures as heroes, depending on what happens in this film.

Indeed, the teasers for Thunderbolts* suggest that these characters ultimately just want a chance to make up for their mistakes. Trailer scenes like John Walker reading headlines about his failures as Captain America or Red Guardian pretending to have important work lined up to Yelena indicate that these characters want to find redemption and will voluntarily join this mission for a chance to become heroes, arguably setting up a clearer way for the film to show their growth. As such, the Thunderbolts* plot may have similarities to the Suicide Squad, but they aren’t nearly as villainous as their DC counterparts.

Upcoming MCU Movies

• 
  
  

  
  

  Captain America: Brave New World

  Release Date

  
  February 14, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse
  

• 
  
  

  
  

  Thunderbolts*

  Release Date

  
  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse
  

• 
  
  

  
  

  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Release Date

  
  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse
  

• 
  
  

  
  

  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  
  Powered by

  
  

  
  
  Expand
  Collapse
  

• 
  
  

  
  

  Spider-Man Homecoming 4

  Release Date

  
  July 24, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse
  

• 
  
  

  
  

  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date

  
  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse