Forget the Dark Avengers, Is ‘Thunderbolts*’ Really Setting up the Secret Avengers?

‘Thunderbolts*’ is easily one of the most exciting upcoming projects in the MCU. So far the movie is expected to introduce a team similar to DC’s ‘Suicide Squad’ comprising of former villains and anti-heroes who are presumably, now on a better path in the MCU.

The movie will also introduce Sentry, one of the most powerful Marvel characters, played by Lewis Pullman.

We seemingly know all the members of the team. David Harbor will return to reprise his role as Red Guardian, Hannah John-Kamen is returning as Ghost, Sebastian Stan is returning as Bucky Barnes, and Wyatt Russell is returning as John Walker aka U.S. Agent.

Olga Kurylenko will reprise her role of Taskmaster and Florence Pugh naturally will return as Yelena Belova aka MCU’s new Black Widow.

The team is expected to be led by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. She was also revealed to be the new owner of the Avengers tower, which will presumably be repurposed into Sentry’s Watchtower.

There’s long been a running theory in the community that ‘Thunderbolts*’ will introduce the Dark Avengers.

The Dark Avengers are a team of anti-heroes and villains in the comics universe who take on the identities of established Avengers, often in a twisted or morally ambiguous manner. Unlike the Secret Avengers, who operate covertly for the greater good, the Dark Avengers were formed with more sinister motives in mind.

But, what if the movie is actually working toward setting the Secret Avengers? We’ve already covered the differences between the two teams, and I have to admit if we take a look at the team’s roster, things start to make a lot more sense.

Originally led by Captain America, the team includes experts like Black Widow, War Machine, and Valkyrie, who bring combat skills and supernatural strength. Other members, such as Ant-Man and Moon Knight, add unique abilities for stealth and psychological tactics, while Beast and Hawkeye contribute scientific expertise and precision.

If you take a look at a list of upcoming and rumored projects, you will see that pretty much all members of the Secret Avengers are bound to be in the spotlight.

Yelena Belova assumed the mantle of Black Widow, just like Sam Wilson assumed the mantle of Captain America. War Machine is expected to get his own movie, ‘Armor Wars.’ Although I have to admit that the recent updates related to the movie are troubling, to say the least.

Valkyrie appeared in that short cameo in ‘The Marvels’ but her future in the MCU has been teased via various rumors, she is still very much King of Asgard and that’s not expected to change in the future.

Moon Knight and Hawkeye are both expected to get second seasons of their respective shows, with Moon Knight also rumored to be a big part of the rumored ‘Midnight Sons’ project. Beast was also teased in ‘The Marvels,’ and there’s no reason to assume that the character won’t return for future projects, especially since it’s likely that his reality will eventually collide with Earth-616.

Agent Venom is also one notable member of the team, and I’m sure you’re aware of all the rumors that Venom will eventually crossover to the MCU, potentially setting up this storyline.

There’s also that introduction of X-Men to the MCU. With the release of ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ the era of mutants has begun in the MCU, at least according to Kevin Feige himself.  Secret Avengers are notable for handling sensitive affairs related to mutants, acting as an intermediary team to avoid public escalation.

As you can see, they would be a perfect team to add to the current MCU, especially since pretty much all members are already present and active, with a few characters switched that is.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!

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