Could the MCU Thunderbolts Beat the X-Men in A Fight?

Warning: This article contains Thunderbolts* spoilers

Marvel’s Thunderbolts have arrived in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, giving fans another team to root for as the march toward Avengers: Doomsday continues. But their big arrival doesn’t mean they’re the only group on the block on the big screen. The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy are still kicking around, and the company is on the verge of bringing mutants into the MCU. That means the X-Men are coming, with Fox’s big-screen version of the team debuting in Avengers: Doomsday. With a new crop of actors set to take over as the MCU’s X-Men in the rumored Mutant Saga post-Secret Wars, our neurons start to fire off in our heads like kids in a candy store.

Considering Thunderbolts*‘ new title that the team receives by the end of the movie, and Kevin Feige’s insistence that the X-Men will be an “important part” of the MCU’s future, it’s only reasonable to think they’re on a collision course. Many are also speculating that Doomsday could be a low-key Avengers vs. X-Men movie, with some of the announced actors seemingly confirming as much. So will these future X-Men be at odds with teams like the Avengers and Thunderbolts? And who would win the showdown?

Who Are the Teams?

The big-screen Thunderbolts are different than the iterations we’ve seen in comics. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine has been recruiting the team since Black Widow, though her motivations are far from heroic. Despite her attempt to have them killed to start the film, Val’s Thunderbolts survive and become an unlikely team. Included are super-soldier trio Bucky, U.S. Agent, and Red Guardian, Black Widow Yelena Belova, and Ghost. The Sentry joins later, though the team has to defeat his alter ego before the membership is official. Despite overwhelming odds, the Thunderbolts are victorious. The team defeats The Void, adding the equivalent of the Hulk to their ranks. But would that be enough to take down the X-Men?

Pulling from the mutant team’s history, the X-Men team likely to take center stage in the MCU is the classic Blue and Gold versions. These teams influenced the X-Men animated series and experienced many of the team’s biggest storylines. We’re talking Cyclops, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Gambit, Storm, Rogue, Beast, and Bishop, all fixtures of the X-Men comics, and hopefully perfect fixtures in the MCU as well.

Strength/Powers

Seeing as the Thunderbolts have the Sentry in their ranks, he would take the lead against the mutant team while also becoming the biggest target. Jean Grey, Rogue, and Storm would be enough to handle Bob on their own, using his mental illness against him while battering him with extreme weather and sapping his powers to use against him. Removing the Sentry from the board puts the Thunderbolts at a severe disadvantage, but they’re not out.

Wolverine and Beast could give the likes of Bucky, Red Guardian, and U.S. Agent a lot of trouble, while Cyclops and Bishop team to take out Ghost, the only super-powered “hero” remaining on the Thunderbolts. Scott Summers and Yelena could match each other due to their training, but Cyclops would prevail thanks to his veteran experience and the use of his optic blasts.

Teamwork / Leadership

A big reason why the X-Men can handle the Thunderbolts easily in the MCU lies in their teamwork and leadership. The team’s always training in the Danger Room and maintain an established hierarchy between the Blue and Gold teams, creating advantages the Thunderbolts sorely lack. Yelena and Bucky are solid leaders for the team, but she’s thrust into the role and the former Winter Soldier has always been more about taking orders. Yelena does prove herself with her strategy against the Sentry, but its hard to compare to the mutants’ leadership.

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Fans of the X-Men won’t deny that Scott Summers and Ororo Munroe are two of Marvel’s most confident and effective leaders. Both have been front row to see mutantkind’s status as an enemy to mankind grow, but they never give in. If they aren’t strong leaders for the X-Men and other mutants, they could doom them all to death. The Thunderbolts would likely just replace members if they’re killed, especially if Val is doing the choosing.

Heroics and Public Perception

Still, you can’t deny the heroics on display with both teams. The Thunderbolts take the edge here by having the public on their side. That’s a big motivation for Val changing the team’s name by the end of the movie, setting them up as the New Avengers in a press event following the defeat of The Void. She is saving her own hide, but also establishing new heroes.

The X-Men are equally as heroic, but their deeds typically get buried under piles of hate and mud being slung in their direction. Being hated and feared by humanity is kind of the X-Men’s trademark throughout their existence. While the team has defeated countless villains and joined forces with the Avengers over the years, the perception that they’re “muties” is hard to shake. It’ll be doubly hard in the MCU, where the Avengers are beloved and the mutants will just be interlopers from another dimension. Interlopers who are beating up the MCU’s latest superteam and being painted as invading threats by onlookers.

Who Wins?

Having the public on their side is the greatest power on display for the Thunderbolts. While the original Avengers are still kicking around in the MCU, their ranks haven’t been revealed just yet. So if the Thunderbolts are truly the New Avengers, you’d have to assume they are somewhat beloved by the time the X-Men roll around.

While the mighty mutants have the Thunderbolts beaten on paper, the war for public opinion could be their downfall. A group of superpowered beings thrashing Earth’s newest replacement for the Avengers can’t sit well. It’s an extra layer of strategy that Cyclops would be able to recognize but not execute.

While the X-Men would overpower the Thunderbolts, their use of powers against the MCU’s heroes and the reaction to it make the X-Men the eventual losers of the fight. At the very least, the mutants are unable to win due to public opinion and it becomes a stalemate. It’s your classic case of asymmetrical warfare and stubbornness, melded together in one superhero showdown.

Thunderbolts* is currently making a splash in theaters, while Avengers: Doomsday will be released on May 1, 2026. If you need more to fill the time, all previous MCU projects and original X-Men films are available to stream on Disney+.

Do you agree with our take on the showdown between the MCU Thunderbolts* and the X-Men? Did we miss the mark entirely? Let us know in the comments.