7 Great Thunderbolts Members Still Not in the MCU

After the superhero team’s debut in Thunderbolts*, there are many more incredible team members from Marvel Comics we’d love to see appear in live-action in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 2025’s Thunderbolts* featured Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes’ Winter Soldier, John Walker’s US Agent, Ava Starr’s Ghost, and Alexei Shostakov’s Red Guardian as the team’s first line-up in the MCU. This group was then rebranded as the New Avengers, opening the door for an honest-to-goodness Thunderbolts team to appear in the MCU, which could include some brilliant team members from the comics.

The Thunderbolts first appeared in Marvel Comics back in 1997’s The Incredible Hulk #449. They were introduced as a group of flamboyant new heroes who replaced the Avengers following their presumed deaths, however, they were later outed as Baron Zemo’s Masters of Evil. While they began as villains, masquerading as heroes actually convinced the Thunderbolts to carry out good deeds and seek redemption, which is exactly what occurred in the MCU’s Thunderbolts*. Marvel Studios’ line-up was brilliant, but it would be great to see some of these iconic Thunderbolts members from Marvel Comics also join the MCU.

7) Flash Thompson’s Agent Venom

Eugene “Flash” Thompson has been a part of the MCU since 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, played by Tony Revolori, but he is yet to assume his Agent Venom moniker. Flash became Agent Venom after bonding with the Venom Symbiote in 2011’s The Amazing Spider-Man #654. Soon after, he became a member of the Red Hulk’s strike team-like Thunderbolts alongside Deadpool, Elektra, and the Punisher, all of whom had conditions that are incurable. It would be great to see Flash Thompson finally become Agent Venom, giving Revolori a more dramatic role, and bringing the Symbiote officially into the MCU.

6) Donnie Gill’s Blizzard

Since Agents of SHIELD is not considered canon to the MCU’s official timeline, it’s possible that Donnie Gill’s Blizzard, who was played by Dylan Minnette in the Marvel Television series, could be reintroduced. Blizzard became a member of Abner Jenkins’ Thunderbolts team, the second iteration, in 2004. Jenkins had been a member of the original group, and decided to form a new team to follow in the first’s footsteps, redeeming villains such as Speed Demon, Radioactive Man, and Nighthawk, alongside Blizzard, into heroes, though Donnie Gill soon turned back to a life of crime.

5) Satana Hellstrom

Human and demon hybrid Satana Hellstrom joined Luke Cage’s Thunderbolts team during the Heroic Age in 2010. She was recruited by Cage and Doctor Strange and joined the team on a time traveling adventure. Since Sydney Lemmon’s debut as Ana in Marvel Television’s Helstrom series wasn’t positively-received, it would be great to see the daughter of Marduk Kurios, the demon who repeatedly poses as Satan, and her brother, Daimon, reinvented for the MCU. Both these magic-wielding antiheroes would be incredible additions to Thunderbolts teams, especially with the MCU focusing more on supernatural characters and stories.

4) Abner Jenkins’ Beetle

Before he formed his own Thunderbolts team, Abner Jenkins was recruited into Baron Zemo’s Masters of Evil and became a founding member of the Thunderbolts. Originally known as the supervillain Beetle, who wore an armor-plated suit that made him strong enough to fight the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man. Jenkins rebranded himself as MACH-1 when he joined the Thunderbolts, and took on different monikers – MACH-2 through X – with each upgrade of his suit. Jenkins is one of the longest-running and most prominent Thunderbolts members, so he deserves a place in the live-action MCU.

3) Karla Sofen’s Meteorite

Alongside Abner Jenkins, Karla Sofen was also a founding member of the Thunderbolts in Marvel Comics. She started her villainous career as Moonstone, who gained her powers by fusing with a Kree-designed “gravity stone.” She became Meteorite in the Thunderbolts team, and then later took on the moniker of Ms. Marvel when she joined the Dark Avengers, so it would be fantastic to see Sofen debut in a possible Captain Marvel 3, teaming up with Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan. Meteorite was regularly the Thunderbolts’ field leader, so she could have a bright future in the MCU.

2) Melissa Gold’s Songbird

Prior to the release of Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts*, rumors began circulating that Geraldine Viswanathan’s “Mel” could, in fact, be the MCU’s iteration of Melissa Gold, aka Songbird, an original member of Marvel Comics’ Thunderbolts team. She wears a bird pendant on a necklace in the 2025 movie, perhaps hinting at her superhero identity. Songbird is one of the most well-known and popular Thunderbolts members, so it would be brilliant to see Viswanathan fully embody this identity in the MCU’s future, showing off her supersonic abilities and becoming a prominent member of the Thunderbolts for years to come.

1) Johnny Blaze’s Ghost Rider

We’re all waiting for Johnny Blaze’s Ghost Rider to make his debut in the MCU, and Thunderbolts* opened the door. Although better known as part of teams such as the Midnight Sons, the Legion of Monsters, and the Defenders, Blaze teamed up with the Thunderbolts from 2014’s Thunderbolts (Vol. 2) #20 onwards, joining forces with the likes of Red Hulk, Deadpool, Elektra, and the Punisher, all of whom have already appeared in the MCU. With Mephisto’s MCU debut speculated to be imminent, it may not be long before Johnny Blaze cuts his deal with the demon and becomes Ghost Rider.

Which characters do you want to see join the MCU’s next Thunderbolts team? Let us know in the comments!

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