Don’t Worry, Marvel Knows Your Biggest Complaint About Thunderbolts* & Has Just Teased How It’ll Be Fixed

By Lewis Glazebrook

Published Feb 13, 2025

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Custom Image by Lewis Glazebrook

The biggest complaint about 2025 Marvel movie, which just so happens to be the first MCU team-up story since Avengers: Endgame.

Regarding the team itself, the of the Thunderbolts MCU team have been common knowledge for a while. The team will predominantly be made up of former MCU super soldiers, including Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, John Walker/U.S. Agents, and Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian. Beyond that, the other include Yelena Belova, Ava Starr/Ghost, and Taskmaster, all led by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. Despite this roster including many intriguing Marvel characters, one criticism has been aimed at the team for Thunderbolts*, but Marvel is equally aware of what it is and how to fix it.

Yelena Has Just Confirmed Marvel Knows The Biggest Thunderbolts* Criticism

The Lack Of Superpowers Is Evident To Everyone, Not Just The Fans

The criticism in question is that the team assembled for Thunderbolts* is underpowered. Of the six , only Bucky, John, and Alexei have strength-based powers due to their exposure to the super soldier serum in past MCU stories. Ghost has powers of her own, but her strength and durability are not augmented beyond that of Yelena or Taskmaster. Upon Thunderbolts* initial announcement, many assumed more powerful characters like Abomination or Red Hulk would be part of the team, causing disappointment when it was revealed that they would not be.

Although this criticism has been raised since the Thunderbolts* were confirmed, Marvel has just made it clear that the studio knows of this drawback. In the Super Bowl trailer for Thunderbolts*, Yelena can be heard remarking that no one on the team can fly and that they "all just punch and shoot." This prompts Valentina to confirm that she "can't think of a worse group of people trying to work together."

The fact that these issues with the Thunderbolts* team have been addressed so openly by Marvel is somewhat of a relief. It proves that Marvel has its ear to the ground regarding fan discourse and that they persisted with the team regardless. Above all, this implies that Marvel not only has a strong script that justifies the team selection regardless of their superpowers - or lack thereof - but also that other elements of the film will provide the adequate superpowered punch necessary for a film of this scale.

Thunderbolts* Big Game Trailer Teased A Fix For This Complaint As Quickly As It Raised It

The Film's Divided Character Has The Fix Thunderbolts* Needs

One of these other elements was actually teased in the Super Bowl trailer for Thunderbolts* in the form of the film's villain. The villain of the film will be a super-villainous entity known as The Void, which is actually the dark side of a superhero named Sentry. Sentry will be played by Lewis Pullman in Thunderbolts*, who has thus far been marketed as a timid character named Bob. Thunderbolts* intends to subvert expectations with Bob, given that Sentry is one of the most powerful beings in the entire Marvel universe.

Blurred artwork of Sentry from Marvel Comics next to Lewis Pullman as Bob in the MCU's Thunderbolts* (2025)

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That said, Sentry's immeasurable power is kept in check via the dark personification of his personality known as The Void. The Void appeared at several points in the Thunderbolts* Super Bowl trailer, though Marvel made sure to keep Lewis Pullman's face hidden. Despite this, The Void was shown turning civilians into shadows, with his dark personification also shown spreading throughout New York City. Given that Sentry - and thus, The Void - is one of Marvel Comics' most powerful characters, he will provide the counterpoint to Thunderbolts* underpowered team.

Thunderbolts* Biggest Criticism Will Actually Make The Film Even Better

Yelena Belova and Valentina in the new Thunderbolts* trailer — Custom Image by Kai Young

One final thing that is worth noting about the Thunderbolts* power criticism is that it will actually make the film better in the long run. After all, having a somewhat weaker team of heroes going up against something as powerful as The Void will only serve as a way to improve the characterization of the latter by making Sentry's dark side more of a threat. The Void's powers will be shown to be too much for the Thunderbolts to handle, in turn potentially making him one of the strongest MCU villains in the franchise.

Another benefit the "weaker" Thunderbolts* team provides is the satisfaction of the overall story. The of the team have been confirmed to appear in Avengers: Doomsday, meaning they will live to fight another day. When they beat The Void and overcome any other villains in the film, it will be more satisfying as they did it as a less-powerful team but via working together. Finally, it will differentiate the Thunderbolts* line-up from that of the Avengers, marking a new type of story for Marvel Studios to tell.