The Thunderbolts* big twist means Marvel wants them to save the MCU. Are they serious?

Casting A-listers such as Florence Pugh strongly suggests these misfit superhero also-rans will not be limited to just one adventure

Warning: contains spoilers

This article contains major spoilers, so do not read if you have not watched Thunderbolts*. There was always something deeply suspicious about that asterisk, and now the word is out. If you’ve been to see it during the past week, you’ll know that the motley crew of antiheroes and sometime superheroes led by Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova and David Harbour’s Red Guardian may well be the New Avengers.

The problem is that even with the cat out of the proverbial bag, there’s something off here. First of all, the Avengers are supposed to be Earth’s mightiest heroes, a crew of idealists and icons who are never happier than when punching the likes of Thanos in the face and delivering heartfelt monologues about sacrifice and teamwork. The Thunderbolts*? They’re the last people you’d call if you were being invaded by Chitauri, Ultron, or even a moderately aggressive Roomba. This bunch of emotionally unstable grudge-holders are less “Earth’s mightiest” than “Earth’s most accessible”.

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