The Thunderbolts Aren’t The Suicide Squad (And Shouldn’t Be Compared to Them)

With Marvel Studios’ upcoming Thunderbolts* movie generating buzz, inevitable comparisons to DC’s Suicide Squad have emerged across social media. At first glance, both teams feature characters with villainous backgrounds working together on missions, creating a seemingly obvious parallel. However, this surface-level comparison fundamentally misunderstands the distinct origins, motivations, and narrative purposes that make each team unique within their respective universes. The Thunderbolts and Suicide Squad emerged from drastically different creative impulses, with the former exploring themes of redemption and identity while the latter examining prisoners’ exploitation and expendability. As Marvel’s antihero team prepares for its cinematic debut, it’s worth examining why comparisons with DC’s Suicide Squad miss the mark and diminish the unique storytelling potential each team brings to their respective comic universes.

The Thunderbolts debuted in Marvel Comics in 1997. When the Avengers were presumed dead after the “Onslaught” storyline, a new superhero team called the Thunderbolts emerged to fill the void. The groundbreaking twist came when writer Kurt Busiek revealed these weren’t heroes at all — they were the Masters of Evil, led by Baron Helmut Zemo, disguising themselves as heroes to gain public trust before executing a larger scheme. This deception, with villains pretending to be heroes, formed the foundation of what made the Thunderbolts unique: questioning whether people who’ve done terrible things could find redemption when given a taste of heroism and public adoration. Over time, many members like Songbird (formerly Screaming Mimi) legitimately reformed, creating complex character arcs about second chances.

[RELATED: Who Are the Thunderbolts* in the MCU? Explaining the Marvel Team]

The Suicide Squad, however, began with a fundamentally different premise. Created by John Ostrander in the 1980s, Task Force X (their official designation) consisted of imprisoned supervillains forced into high-risk, deniable black ops missions by the government in exchange for reduced sentences. Led by the ruthless Amanda Waller and controlled through explosive devices implanted in their bodies, these villains weren’t seeking redemption. Instead, they were coerced assets, facing death if they disobeyed. The concept centers on exploitation, with the government weaponizing “expendable” criminals for missions where high casualties are expected. Unlike the Thunderbolts’ journey toward potential heroism, the Suicide Squad explicitly embraces its darkly cynical premise where team members are considered disposable by their handlers.

The Fundamental Difference Between Thunderbolts and Suicide Squad: Choice vs. Coercion

The Thunderbolts’ most compelling storylines emerge from the internal conflict of villains who initially pretended to be heroes but gradually found themselves drawn to actually becoming heroes. Characters like Songbird, Mach-I (formerly the Beetle), and Atlas discovered they enjoyed the satisfaction of helping others. Later iterations of the Thunderbolts led by Hawkeye, Luke Cage, and Winter Soldier continued this theme of rehabilitation, with former villains choosing to work toward redemption. Even in government-sanctioned versions, members typically volunteered for service rather than being forced into it.

In stark contrast, the Suicide Squad operates under explicit coercion. Team members participate because the alternative is death. While individual Squad members might experience growth or heroic moments, the institution itself is portrayed as morally compromised. Amanda Waller isn’t a mentor figure but a ruthless handler willing to sacrifice prisoners to accomplish objectives. Furthermore, the Suicide Squad is equally a study of forced cooperation among characters who otherwise have no reason to work together, creating unpredictable team dynamics.

The thematic differences extend to how each team functions in their universe’s moral landscape. The Thunderbolts operate in the gray area between heroism and villainy, often as a commentary on the somewhat arbitrary line between heroes and villains. Their stories frequently explore how societal expectations, public perception, and personal choice can push someone toward villainy.

In the cinematic landscape, these differences should be even more pronounced. Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* is assembling characters like Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Red Guardian (David Harbour), U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) — characters who, while morally complex, have already shown heroic inclinations. As such, the film presents an opportunity to explore how individuals with complicated pasts can move forward and redefine themselves, consistent with the original comic’s themes, rather than mimicking the Suicide Squad’s oddball-gang, forced-cooperation dynamic.

Thunderbolts* lands in theaters on May 2nd. DC’s Suicide Squad movies are streaming on Max.

Do you prefer Marvel’s Thunderbolts or DC’s Suicide Squad? What are the best things about each team? Join the discussion in the comments!