It has never been the MCU’s formula to do anything unintentionally, and that includes which characters they focus on and how their stories are released. The connectivity of the MCU has been its unique trait as far back as the first post-credits scene in Iron Man in which Nick Fury appears to foreshadow The Avengers. This aspect of long-form cinematic storytelling gave audiences the first big-screen televisual narrative. Movies had become like TV with the MCU soap opera, which captivated audiences for over a decade. It was done so well in the early days of Marvel Studios that every other studio was trying to replicate the formula. While the MCU formula remains embedded in the DNA of their various properties, the quality has diminished significantly over the last five years.
However, their consistency in upholding their connectivity has allowed the cinematic universe to remain interesting enough for a lot of die-hard comic book fans. Everything is still connected and only a handful of things seem to exist on their own. The big movie release slate of Marvel Studios upholds the most connectivity as movies seem to always connect to one another. In 2025, two of Marvel’s biggest releases will be Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts*. While the two films will have little in common with one another in terms of tone and character arcs, there is a huge connection between the two films that hints at one of the next epic MCU team-ups.
A Brave New World Character Is Much More Important Than Fans Realize
He Originally Debuted Fighting Another Avenger
When Sam Wilson took the mantle of Captain America, there were immediately a lot of storytelling possibilities for the character going forward. Obviously, the shield brings with it a lot of responsibility and puts a lot of expectations on the one wielding it to be a warrior and a leader. Sam has proven to be worthy of the shield and will begin to face more challenges before potentially leading his own team of Avengers one day. There are a myriad of formidable and fierce Captain America villains who would supply a ton of conflict for Sam as he continues to assimilate to his role as the star-spangled man. The Captain America movies are known for being some of the better films in the MCU with their thrilling political angles and espionage action. Captain America: Brave New World immediately has a lot more pressure because of the titular hero at the center of it. Fans will hope that it lives up to what came before.
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What’s most interesting about Captain America: Brave New World is that it takes an unexpected approach to Sam’s first solo adventure as Captain America. Instead of building upon a lot of the brilliant political thriller aspects of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the studio looks to be prioritizing the usual fantastical elements of their larger connective multiverse. This is controversial when considering the state of the MCU at the moment. Captain America movies should be more grounded and focus on the problems Captain America is best equipped to handle. Instead, Marvel Studios looks to be rushing Sam’s arc into a more Avenger-heavy role as well as focusing on larger connectivity aspects of the film. Therefore, the villain of Brave New World is Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross and his new Red Hulk persona. It’s questionable why Captain America and Red Hulk are facing off, especially considering that Red Hulk was originally a Hulk villain in the comics. However, Red Hulk might be getting his introduction for reasons that pertain to Marvel’s summer release instead.
Thunderbolts* Is Debuting With an Anti-Hero Team of Misfits
There Is a More Entertaining Thunderbolts Team Than the One Being Portrayed
There are obvious connections to the greater MCU in Thunderbolts* and to Captain America: Brave New World just based on the characters the movie follows. In Thunderbolts*, an Avengers-like team is formed with a group of skilled characters that border the line between hero and villain. Every major character is either a sidekick or a former villain who has faced off against Earth’s Mightiest Heroes at some point in the MCU. While this unlikely team of outsiders learns to work together and become a group of heroes themselves, other characters in the MCU will also have an opportunity to be a part of the team going forward. Furthermore, the Thunderbolts team has had various different lineups of characters over the course of their run in the comics. One of the Thunderbolts teams featured none other than the one actually called “Thunderbolt” as the leader of a deadly and badass band of anti-heroes. While it remains to be seen how Thunderbolts* will perform, there’s no denying that there have been more entertaining Thunderbolts teams in the comics.
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Currently, the team will consist of Yelena Belova’s Black Widow, Bucky Barnes’ Winter Soldier, John Walker’s U.S. Agent, Alexei Shostakov’s Red Guardian, Antonia Dreykov’s Taskmaster, Ava Starr’s Ghost and, of course, Bob. The trailer is a blast and full of humor, but the question remains whether this team will live up to the hype. Each of these characters complemented the iconic Avengers well in their respective films, but they will have a lot to overcome in order to be the next big team in the MCU. Yelena Belova works well bantering with her sister Natasha Romanoff, Bucky Barnes will always be the greatest sidekick to Captain America and Ghost was a formidable villain for Ant-Man and the Wasp. Now audiences will get to see them exist together in a new kind of team. In the comics, the original Thunderbolts team became iconic in their own right and there is a lot of potential for a street-level squad handling more grounded conflicts in the MCU. However, the most entertaining Thunderbolts team is the one Red Hulk throws together. Ultimately, it’s no accident that Red Hulk is making his MCU debut just months before his titular team debuts as well.
“Thunderbolts Red” Is the Best Iteration of the Team
Marvel Studios Is Setting up Their Debut in 2025
Not only does Red Hulk finally appear in the MCU, but his epic Thunderbolts team has been slowly coming together on the big screen as well. One of the criticisms of the MCU over the last five years is that they have been much less faithful to the source material in their recent adaptations. Early MCU films adapted material better than the “Multiverse Saga” and it has changed the outcome of a lot of MCU films and TV shows. However, sometimes it works, and in the case of the Thunderbolts, there is room to tweak the “Thunderbolts Red” squad from the comics. Some of the most prominent members of the red-themed Thunderbolts team include Red Hulk, Deadpool, The Punisher and Elektra. This might seem like a group not likely to come together, but many of the seeds of their team-up have already been planted. Furthermore, some of the current Thunderbolts members could work well in Red Hulk’s version of the team.
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Deadpool finally made his MCU debut in 2024 with Deadpool & Wolverine, while Elektra returned to superhero cinema in the film as well. Meanwhile, The Punisher was a consistent MCU character on television throughout the 2010s and is finally returning in 2025’s Daredevil: Born Again. Other key members of Red Hulk’s team are Agent Venom, Red Leader and Mercy. While there have been no hints of Mercy, Red Leader becomes more possible with the debut of The Leader in Captain America: Brave New World. The toughest one to bring into the fold is Agent Venom, who spawns from Spider-Man comics and the rights to those characters still reside with Sony Pictures. Nonetheless, Red Hulk’s Thunderbolts team is on its way and there have even been rumors that Red Hulk will appear in Thunderbolts* in some way. It’s definitely no accident that Red Hulk and the Thunderbolts are the two most prominent focal points of Marvel Studios in 2025. With the coolest lineup and most of the characters already established, “Thunderbolts Red” seems likely to appear together soon.
