It Will Take Over 37 Hours to Catch Up with the MCU for Thunderbolts*

Marvel’s upcoming film Thunderbolts* incorporates a solid of acquainted faces… acquainted, that’s, if you happen to’ve been paying plenty of consideration to the MCU timeline post-Avengers: Endgame and the conclusion of Section 3. The ensemble journey brings collectively an eclectic array of anti-hero characters from an assortment of beforehand launched motion pictures and TV exhibits, characters performed by Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, and extra.

What sorts of evil will the assembled Thunderbolts struggle when the film premieres on Could 2nd? No spoilers right here. However with the film’s premiere on the horizon, it’s value cataloging simply how a lot of Marvel’s previous the brand new film is constructed upon.

It’s probably that, as with the primary large MCU team-up, 2012’s The Avengers, Thunderbolts* will make a degree of offering at the least temporary introductions/explanations as to who among the lesser-known characters are. Nonetheless, maybe you’re a Lewis Pullman superfan who’s by no means seen something Marvel earlier than, and also you wish to compensate for every thing you’ve missed. Or possibly you stopped taking note of after Endgame, however you’re very inquisitive about the truth that Julia Louis-Dreyfus is on this new film.

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So, character by character, let’s determine what number of hours of previous Marvel leisure you’ll wish to watch, if you wish to really feel totally caught up in time for the brand new film. The excellent news is that the entire isn’t as unhealthy because it might be, since many of those characters appeared collectively in previous tasks; there’s plenty of doubling-up right here. Additionally, we’re not together with alternate universe adventures just like the animated sequence What If…?, which did function a number of appearances from Thunderbolts* solid members, however by design exists exterior the established MCU continuity.

With all that mentioned… Whoof. There’s nonetheless a lot to look at.

Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh)

Thunderbolts* (Marvel)

First look: Black Widow (2021)
Additionally exhibits up in: Hawkeye (2021)

Florence Pugh wasn’t fairly the extent of star she is now when she was initially solid as Natasha Romanoff’s adopted sister, however right here she is on the prime of the solid checklist for Thunderbolts*, and well-deserved. (Sure, she’s not the one Oscar nominee within the solid, however she obtained hers first.) Yelena was immediately among the best issues about Black Widow when it premiered, and her shock look within the again half of Hawkeye was additionally among the best issues about that present.

Notice: On this tally, we’ve included all six episodes of Hawkeye, not simply the three episodes Pugh seems in, as a result of the second half of the season received’t make a lot sense with out watching the primary. However certain, if you happen to simply wish to see Pugh in motion, begin with Episode 4.

Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan)

Thunderbolts* (Disney)

First look: Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Additionally exhibits up in: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Ant-Man (2015 — post-credits scene solely), Captain America: Civil Struggle (2016), Black Panther (2018 — post-credits scene solely), Avengers: Infinity Struggle (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021), Captain America: Courageous New World (2025)

With out query, Bucky’s presence has the largest impact on our tally, since he’s the film’s oldest solid member (each when it comes to his introduction into the MCU and the character’s precise age). Most of his appearances befell previous to Section 4, however due to him in addition to different characters on this checklist, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier might be probably the most important pre-Thunderbolts* viewing. His cameo on this yr’s Courageous New World can also be a bit needed, because it establishes Bucky’s new establishment going into Thunderbolts*, although it’s not laborious to spoil your self for what occurs.

Notice: That Ant-Man post-credits stinger is technically only a preview clip of Civil Struggle, however we’re preserving the 2015 movie within the tally since you actually should see Ant-Man in full to grasp how that scene comes about.

John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell)

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney+)

First look: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)
Additionally exhibits up in: N/A

Wyatt Russell shaved off his well-established beard to play the difficult villain dubbed U.S. Agent in Falcon and the Winter Soldier. As hinted at by the finale of that Disney+ sequence, John Walker apparently hasn’t stopped serving America underneath the radar, as the plain juice of Thunderbolts* goes to come back from what occurs when Walker has to confront previous foe Bucky Barnes — or work alongside him. Once more, Falcon seems like a very powerful homework a newcomer ought to watch earlier than the brand new film’s premiere.