Thunderbolts*: 7 biggest changes from comics to the MCU movie

Thunderbolts* crashed into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a roster of antiheroes and more emotional baggage than the vibranium can lift. The 2025 film premiered in U.S. theaters on May 2, 2025, as the official conclusion to MCU Phase Five.

Director Jake Schreier assembles Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, David Harbour’s Red Guardian, Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost, Wyatt Russell’s U.S. Agent, Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.

Thunderbolts* links directly to the broader Avengers mythology, yet it rejects glossy heroism for a murkier black-ops ethic. The plot follows Valentina’s CIA gambit: weaponize broken operatives, erase their records, and market the team as “New Avengers”—a cheeky nod hidden in the film’s asterisk-laden title.

Below are seven of the most significant changes Thunderbolts* makes when adapting Marvel comics to the MCU.

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Some of the changes in the Thunderbolts movie compared to the Marvel comics

1) Valentina replaces Baron Zemo as the founder and puppet master

Valentina (Image via Marvel)

In the comics, Baron Helmut Zemo gathers ex-villains, disguises them as costumed do-gooders, and brands the squad the Thunderbolts. He even spearheads the mission undercover as Citizen V, aiming to seize global trust as the Avengers are presumed dead.

Thunderbolts* erases that twist. Daniel Brühl’s Zemo never boards the plane; the reins belong to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. She recruits each member through CIA channels, offering pardons in exchange for fieldwork and secretly planning to detonate the entire team once objectives wrap.

Val’s scheme mirrors Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers playbook more than Zemo’s long con.

The founder swap shifts the moral center from theatrical deception to ruthless statecraft, reframing Thunderbolts as Washington’s disposable scalpel rather than villains in hero cosplay.

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2) Red Guardian transforms from a vengeful ex-husband to an affectionate father figure

Red Guardian (Image via Marvel)

Comic readers know Alexei Shostakov as Natasha Romanoff’s ex-husband, a Soviet patriot who grows furious when she defects to S.H.I.E.L.D. Red Guardian spends years trying to kill his former wife, declaring undying spite each time they cross paths.

Thunderbolts* honors none of that marital melodrama. Instead, the MCU introduced David Harbour’s Alexei in Black Widow as a father figure in a fake family unit with young Natasha and Yelena.

The film intensifies the surrogate-dad dynamic. Alexei jokes about glory days, dotes on his “daughters,” and seeks redemption alongside them. His comic-book venom disappears, replaced by clumsy affection.

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3) Taskmaster becomes Antonia Dreykov, not Tony Masters

Antonia Dreykov (Image via Marvel)

In comics, Taskmaster is Tony Masters, a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who copies any opponent’s moves after one glance. He enhances that photographic reflex with an experimental Super-Soldier serum, but the process fries his long-term memory.

He drifts between mercenary gigs, spouts sardonic quips, and wonders if young hero Finesse is actually his daughter.

Thunderbolts* inherits none of that backstory. The MCU Taskmaster is Antonia Dreykov, the scarred daughter of Black Widow’s old target, introduced in Black Widow as a mind-controlled weapon. She retains mimicry skills thanks to Red Room tech, yet she lacks Masters’ mercenary charm.

In the movie, Antonia fights for liberation and then redemption—not a paycheck. The result: a quieter, trauma-driven character whose comic DNA barely survives the adaptation scalpel.

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4) Ghost shifts from anti-corporate hacker to quantum-phased survivor

The cast (Image via Marvel)

Ghost’s printed origin features an unnamed male genius who despises megacorporations. Corporate espionage destroys his life, so he hacks his body, welds a phasing suit to his flesh, and vows to topple capitalists like Tony Stark.

The comics depict a hygiene-averse loner who oscillates between hero and villain depending on which side pays.

Thunderbolts* continues the MCU’s version: Ava Starr, a woman destabilized at the molecular level by a quantum accident. S.H.I.E.L.D. builds her phasing suit to keep her alive. She never crusades against industry; she wants a cure. Her inclusion on Valentina’s roster turns that search for stability into a field mission.

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5) Yelena Belova evolves from ice-cold villain to sarcastic sister

Yelena (Image via Marvel)

Earth-616 introduces Yelena Belova as the newest Black Widow in the Red Room, a ruthless reflection of Natasha. She obsesses over surpassing Natasha's legacy, even volunteering to merge with the Super-Adaptoid and gain monstrous powers.

It was only recently that the character began to bring humor and compassion to the comic version of Yelena’s voice.

Thunderbolts* cements that pivot. Florence Pugh's Yelena cracks deadpan jokes, weaponizes sarcasm, and openly grieves Natasha, featuring their MCU sisterhood. Her emotional transparency stands in stark contrast to the comics' initial depiction of a ruthless assassin.

The film uses that warmth to ground the team’s moral compass, positioning Yelena as both comedic relief and reluctant heart.

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6) Sentry’s origin

Thunderbolts (Image via Marvel)

In comics canon, Robert Reynolds is a frail addict who breaks into a lab seeking a new high. He gulps an experimental serum, transforms into the godlike Sentry, and accidentally unleashes his dark alter ego, the Void.

His powers arrive through recklessness, underscoring themes of unearned might and constant guilt.

Thunderbolts* reworks in that moment. In the movie, a meth-dependent Bob travels overseas hoping to get clean. A corporation named O.X.E. offers controlled trials under “Project Sentry.” Bob volunteers, chasing redemption rather than a fix.

The change recasts his empowerment as a conscious, if desperate, choice. It paints him as someone attempting self-improvement, not stumbling into omnipotence while high. That nuance shifts audience empathy and simplifies complex dual-persona lore for a two-hour runtime.

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7) U.S. Agent becomes a genuine super-soldier, not a power broker client

Bucky Barnes (Image via Marvel)

John Walker’s comic road to super strength runs through the Power Broker, a criminal surgeon selling enhancements for cash. Walker buys his powers, earns the Captain America mantle through propaganda, and spends years proving he never deserved it.

Thunderbolts* continues the MCU trajectory from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Walker injects a stolen Super-Soldier serum designed for Isaiah Bradley’s lineage. The film reaffirms him as a legitimate serum-powered warrior, not a chemically leashed imposter.

By granting Walker "real" Captain America biology, Thunderbolts* underscores his moral failings rather than physical shortcomings. His insecurity stems from character, not counterfeit muscles, steering the drama toward leadership clashes with Bucky and Yelena rather than questions about performance-enhancing fraud.

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Thunderbolts* proves that adaptation is less about frame-by-frame loyalty and more about thematic resonance. The filmmakers swap Baron Zemo for Valentina, recast marital vendettas as father-daughter hijinks, and reconfigure hacker-terrorists into quantum survivors.

They soften Yelena’s murderous obsession, streamline Sentry’s fractured psyche, and validate U.S. Agent’s brawn.

Meanwhile, Thunderbolts* premiered on April 22, 2025, in London and was released in the U.S. on May 2 as the final film of Phase Five of the MCU.

Edited by Somava