Who’s Who in Marvel Cinematic Universe

Today Marvel dropped our first extended look Thunderbolts*its a new anti-hero film that brings together a motley crew of villains from dozens of past Marvel projects. It’s been a while since we’ve seen many of these characters—and one of them is completely new to the MCU. So if you need a refresher on who and where they’ve been, we’re here to help.

Yelena Belova

She is a former Black Widow and the adopted sister of Natasha Romanoff. After we were introduced to him e Black Widow In the movie, we last saw Yelena acting on the information Valentina gave her (more about her, finally) after Natasha’s death Avengers: Endgame. Told by de Fontaine that her sister was actually killed by Clint Barton, Yelena hunted Clint in the area. Hawkeye series, crossing paths with fellow vigilante activist Kate Bishop before going head-to-head with Clint. The two managed to convince Yelena about the true circumstances surrounding Natasha’s death—and how her sacrifice helped bring Yelena back from the dead, as she was the victim of Thanos’ snap—and the former assassin broke away from the two archers and left. unknown parts, leaving him to take them for granted Thunder.

Ava Starr, aka Ghost

Last seen on Ant-Man and the WaspAva was the victim of an accident involving an attempt to enter the Quantum Zone by her father, Elihas. Deprived of much energy in the explosion that killed her parents, Ava suffered from “molecular disequilibrium,” a severe affliction that caused her body to deteriorate and become unstable. Discovered by one of her father’s colleagues, Bill Foster, Ava was eventually recruited into SHIELD and given a “ghost suit” that helped control her powers and pain, training her as a secret agent until the organization was disbanded. When we last saw him, he had turned to crime in an attempt to find a cure for his worsening condition, crossing paths with Hank Pym—who had fired his father from SHIELD years ago—and his quantum tunneling technology. After a confrontation with Ant-Man and the Wasp, Ava’s condition was temporarily stabilized by the return of the first Wasp, Janet Van Dyne, from the Quantum Realm, and she went into hiding with Foster to continue her search for a complete cure. Looks like he didn’t get that Thunderbut it does have a new ghost suit.

John Walker, also known as US Agent

Presented to The Falcon and the Winter SoldierJohn was a US government attorney replacing Steve Rogers as Captain America after the events of Avengers: Endgame. A former US Army Ranger, Walker’s first duties as Captain America involved working with Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes to investigate an anti-nationalist group known as the Flag Smashers, but the pressures of the job—including a feud with Barnes and Wilson for his sake. inheriting Rogers’ coat and struggling to arrest the leader of the Flag Smashers, Karli Morgenthau—leads Walker to consume a stolen bottle of the recreated Super Soldier Serum, which gives him enhanced physical abilities. When Walker’s partner, Lemar Hoskins, was killed in a battle with Morgenthau, the serum drove Walker to release the Flag Smasher in a fit of rage, and he was stripped of his job and the mantle of Captain America. That did not stop de Fontaine, however, from personally asking him to continue working in the US as a US Agent, a black ops specialist.

Antonia Dreykov, also known as Taskmaster

The opponent of Black WidowAntonia Dreykov was the daughter of General Dreykov, overseer of the Soviet government’s Red Room Academy, a training center that recruited young women to become elite stealth operatives and assassins for the Black Widow Program. While General Dreykov was being guided by the ex-Widow Natasha Romanoff during a bombing in Budapest, Antonia was caught in the blast and seriously injured. Dreykov saved his daughter’s life by implanting a control device around her neck, dulling the pain and emotional responses and giving Dreykov control over his daughter—control that he used to exercise in the Red Room training, using his powers of imagery to train her as. his last agent. Now working as a Taskmaster, Antonia once again crossed paths with Romanoff when her father was given the assignment to kidnap the rogue Yelena, who had stolen a compound capable of disrupting his control of the Widows being trained. During their hunt, Romanoff exposed Antonia to the compound, freed her from her father’s brainwashing, and left her with the surviving widows to recover.

Alexei Shostakov, also known as the Red Guardian

If Thunder it’s starting to feel slow Black Widow sequence, well, it slowly is something. Alexei is another product of Soviet military research, Russia’s first official officer, and father to Natasha and Yelena after a secret operation where he served as their foster father and Red Room agent with scientist Melina Vostokoff. After being imprisoned by Dreykov after the operation was successful, Shostakov was freed years later by Natasha and Yelena to help them take down the Red Room and their adoptive mother. After helping them rescue the freed widows, we see that in time Thunder starts Alexei is once again sitting alone, spending his time with drinks and DoorDash deliveries, waiting for a chance to accompany the Red Guardian again.

Bucky Barnes, aka The Winter Soldier

Perhaps the best team member, Bucky also has the longest history in the MCU. Steve Rogers’ best friend and former partner during World War II until he was apparently killed during a campaign and taken by Hydra to be brainwashed as their dark agent, the Winter Soldier, Bucky has had many costumes since being released from their grasp. to plan and finally cure him completely with the help of the Wakandans. After being killed by Thanos’snap and resurrected years ago, Bucky was last seen properly Falcon and the Winter Soldierhelping Sam stop the threat of the Flag Smashers (and, eventually, John Walker). How he got into De Fontaine’s orbit remains to be seen Thunderbut perhaps he will mention the theft of his arm by Nebula at that time.

Valentina Allegra de Fontaine

The architect of this innovation Thunder team, de Fontaine is the head of the CIA, and has been seen from time to time after his first entry The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to start recruiting workers to his side to work in the shadows, like Walker and Yelena. We’ll no doubt see how well that works out for him in the new movie. While the MCU version of the character hasn’t made much of an impact yet, in de Fontaine’s comics he has a long, complicated history as a triple agent who worked within SHIELD and eventually Hydra as a Russian operative working for the nation’s spy agency, Leviathan. , and even briefly served as the second Madame Hydra. Given the MCU’s history with Hydra, time will tell if there are any more tricks up Valentina’s sleeves.

“Bob,” a.ka the Sentry?

The last big figure we see Thunder the trailer is one we know a little about—because it first appears in this movie. But the mysterious “Bob”, as he calls himself in the trailer, played by Lewis Pullman (replacing Steven Yeun, who previously starred in the film), is widely rumored to be playing an important character from the comics, given his name. shortened name and bullet-stopping abilities of the character we see briefly in the trailer: Robert Reynolds, aka Sentry.

Introduced as a quasi-riff on DC’s Superman (one of many over the years), the Sentry was created after Reynolds, a meth addict, broke into a researcher’s lab and inadvertently administered the Golden Sentry Serum to himself, transforming him. with superhuman strength, speed, and durability. Relaunched in 2000 as one of the oldest active superheroes in the Marvel universe before the public appearances of the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, the X-Men, and more, Robert had a long history in the comics, including battling the threat of his darkness. the other half, the Void, and the traditional act of being killed at least a few times. His recent death occurred during the events of The Dark Lord event in 2020, when Sentry is brutally torn apart by the god of the symbiotes, Knull (who is about to get his own movie for the first time. Venom: The Last Dance). Robert’s soul was taken to Valhalla to honor his heroic deeds in life, while… his body was used by a group of evil magical terrorists who wanted to kill Doctor Strange with a corpse bomb? Jokes!

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