Thunderbolts* Keeps a Long-Standing MCU Tradition Alive

Ever since Avengers: Endgame brought an end to the Infinity Saga, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has felt a bit disjointed. Projects don’t connect in fulfilling ways, making it hard to see the bigger picture. It’s not a deal-breaker most of the time since there hasn’t been a major team-up movie in over half a decade, but the clock is ticking, with Avengers: Doomsday set to release in May 2026. That leaves the last few remaining movies, such as Captain America: New World Order and the upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps, to do most of the heavy lifting. However, seemingly out of nowhere, Thunderbolts* steps up to the plate and brings that old-school MCU feel.

WARNING: Spoilers below for Thunderbolts*

The movie, about a group of bad guys trying to do good things, features several familiar faces, which opens the door for fun interactions and callbacks. In fact, Thunderbolts* includes a line of dialogue that’s been used in a few MCU movies.

John Walker Gets His Captain America Moment in Thunderbolts*

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier introduces the world to John Walker, a decorated war hero who the government believes can fill the void left by Steve Rogers after Sam Wilson gives up the shield. Despite his best efforts, Walker struggles to adjust to life as Captain America, failing to get a hold of the super-soldier situation and killing a man in cold blood. Sam and Bucky take the shield from Walker, who comes around by the end of the show. However, life doesn’t get any better for Walker, and he starts doing shadow ops for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine to feel useful again.

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Walker remains pretty full of himself, to the point that when he turns up at O.X.E. Group’s facility alongside Ghost and Yelena Belova, he thinks he’s there to bring them in. It doesn’t take long for him to come to his senses and realize that Valentina means to kill him, and he kicks into gear, helping the rest of the group come up with a solution. Their big idea is to destroy the device that’s keeping Ghost from phasing through the walls, which sounds easy enough. Yelena locates it in the nick of time, but before she can finish dismantling it, Walker yells, “On your left!” and destroys it with his shield. Of course, the MCU’s two other Captain Americas used that line on a couple of occasions, including during the epic battle at the end of Avengers: Endgame, proving that Thunderbolts* has its heart in the right place.

Steve Rogers’s Legacy Still Looms Large in the MCU

While the MCU has tried for years to leave the Infinity Saga behind, the mixed results prove that the franchise needs to focus on building the future while still honoring the past. Thunderbolts* works so well because all of the characters have to wrestle with their mistakes from previous movies and own up to them. Walker is a great example because he allows his failures during his tenure as Captain America to define him, and it costs him his family. And shouting one of Cap’s iconic lines at the start of the movie further proves that Walker’s stuck in the past. However, by connecting with his new teammates, he starts to come out of his shell and embrace himself, faults and all.

But Walker’s journey isn’t the movie’s only connection to Steve Rogers. Of course, Bucky Barnes is present, and while Thunderbolts* doesn’t focus on his past much since the MCU has done that already, it does touch on his relationship with Sam. The current Captain America wants to restart the Avengers, but Valentina’s New Avengers go public first, causing a rift between him and Bucky. The post-credits scene reveals that they try to talk it out off-screen, but it doesn’t go well, and Bucky is ready to throw in the towel because Sam has the shield. It shows the power the post still holds and how any hero who ever crossed paths with Steve can’t help but strive to be as good as him.

Thunderbolts* is in theaters now.

Did you catch John Walker saying one of Captain America’s iconic MCU lines in Thunderbolts*? Do you feel like the movie honored Steve Rogers properly? Let us know in the comments below!