Thunderbolts has been in theaters for almost a week. Directed by Jake Schreier, this new installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has met with unexpected critical acclaim. Everyone agrees that this new Marvel is finally raising the bar. In less than a week, the feature film has also grossed over $162 million at the box office. Today, we wanted to take a look back at the Thunderbolts and rank the characters based on their development in the film. Here are the 10 characters from Thunderbolts, ranked from least to most successful. SPOILER ALERT!
10) Gary
Played by Wendell Pierce, Gary is a new character, introduced for the purposes of Thunderbolts. He plays a member of Congress who opposes the policies of Valentine Allegra de Fontaine. There isn't much more to say about this largely secondary character, who ultimately doesn't get much development. Maybe we'll see him again, maybe not... In reality, we don't really care, do we?
9) Taskmaster
Played by Olga Kurylenko since Black Widow, Taskmaster makes his big comeback in Thunderbolts. And it's one of the big disappointments of the film. Taskmaster only appears in the film's opening sequence, before being murdered by Ghost. It's a shame that Taskmaster was sacrificed by Marvel Studios from the start. The character wasn't up to par with his comic book counterpart in Black Widow, so we would have liked to see The Taskmaster regain his stripes in Thunderbolts. This isn't the case. Barely back, Taskmaster disappears from the MCU through the back door... Too bad...
8) Mel
Played by Geraldine Viswanathan, we don't yet know that much about this mysterious character. Initially, Mel is Valentine Allegra de Fontaine's secretary. But when she realizes that her boss is losing it, she decides to help Bucky and the Thunderbolts. This proves that her political ideas are closer to the heroes than to Valentina. Some fans even think that Mel could actually be Melissa Gold AKA Songbird, one of the original Thunderbolts in the comics. A hypothesis reinforced by Mel's bird-shaped necklace. To be continued...
7) Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
Julia Louis-Dreyfus returns as Countess Valentina Allegra de Fontaine for the fourth time (after Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Black Widow and Wakanda Forever). It's nice to see this character again, who is gaining a lot of importance in Thunderbolts. A sort of corrupt Nick Fury, she chases after glory and power. Developed further in Thunderbolts, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine comes into the open, revealing her true intentions. A strong and manipulative woman, she tries to make Sentry her guard dog. She also takes over Avengers Tower to make it her new HQ. The message is clear, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine wants to gain importance within the various superhero alliances of the Marvel Universe.
6) Ghost
We haven't seen her since 2018 in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Still played by Hannah John-Kamen, Ava also gains importance in Thunderbolts. While she was just a classic antagonist in Peyton Reed's film, here she is more ambiguous, more nuanced, and above all, more interesting. Even if she is the least represented Thunderbolt, it's nice to see this character return to the forefront, with other convolutions, other stakes, and a slightly different identity. Like the other Thunderbolts, Ghost is in the midst of an existential crisis, and is looking for her place in this world. And then, we love the design of his powers.
5) Red Guardian
After being introduced in Black Widow and appearing in season 3 of What If…?, Red Guardian makes his return in Thunderbolts. David Harbour always manages to bring the energy and humor necessary for his development. The star of Stranger Things is the fuel for this character who gains emotional strength here, particularly in the development of his relationship with Yelena. A father who is looking for his place, his identity and who is especially looking to reconnect with his daughter.
4) John Walker
Played by Wyatt Russell, this is the first time we see John Walker, aka U.S. Agent in the MCU since Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Here, Jake Schreier examines his development since his mistakes in the previous series. Indeed, John Walker must rebuild himself in the face of his own mistakes, his own regrets, and the bad reputation that has stuck to him since he murdered a poor innocent in the street. A little touching, definitely sad, and above all very ambiguous, John Walker takes on a whole new dimension in Thunderbolts.
3) Bucky Barnes
Bucky Barnes is starting to become an old hand in the MCU. Introduced in 2011 in Captain America: The First Avenger, Bucky is still played by the handsome and talented Sebastian Stan. What we love about Thunderbolts is that Bucky changes his image a bit. Often, during his appearances, Bucky was just a supporting character or a foil. Here, he completely changes his identity. Even if he is still a secondary character, here he takes on the role of guide, leader, mentor. A new role that suits him perfectly. At once a member of Congress and leader of the Thunderbolts, he even becomes the leader of the Avengers at the end of the film. We really like the trajectory of Bucky in Thunderbolts, who has finally managed to make peace with his past.
2) Yelena
Florence Pugh infuses the charisma and emotion necessary to bring Yelena to life. The main protagonist of Thunderbolts, Yelena is in the midst of an existential crisis. She must live in a world where she searches for her place, her purpose, her role, while juggling the death of her sister and her troubled relationship with her father. She also seeks to free herself from Valentina Allegra de Fontaine to move towards a more social and humane policy. In short, she is the nerve center of the film, and all her psychological questions lead her to constantly question herself.
1) Sentry
He's the film's antagonist. Played by Lewis Pullman, Robert Reynolds is very faithful to his portrayal in the comics. A tortured, extremely dangerous, ultra-powerful character, who suffers from several serious psychological problems such as bipolar disorder, depression, and schizophrenia. In addition, he has personality disorders because his consciousness is sometimes held hostage by The Void, a demonic entity, a terrifying version of himself, who exists to do evil and impose chaos around him. Sentry is a difficult character to faithfully adapt, and yet Jake Schreier succeeds perfectly. Sentry is a touching, threatening, disturbing, intriguing character, whose different facets allow the other characters, but also the audience, to ask their own questions about their own existential crisis. It's exciting and we can't wait to see Sentry back in the MCU.
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