All 8 Thunderbolts, Ranked

Not super. Not heroes.

Thunderbolts* is taking the world by storm. If they can nail Fantastic Four, Marvel may be able to build back some of the excitement that it feels like has been lacking in the Multiverse Saga for so long. That said, I wanted to rank the members of the Thunderbolts (or, as they are truly known, the New Avengers). Now, this list is a bit loose with who actually counts as a member, but it's my list, so give me a break. Here are all eight members of the Thunderbolts / New Avengers, ranked.

8. Taskmaster

This was one of the weirdest and worst adaptations of a character that the MCU has given us. This universe has always struggled with villains, and, for some reason, Taskmaster, one of the coolest comic book characters in the Marvel Universe, was given this terrible adaptation in Black Widow. Instead of being this powerful enemy that can copy his opponent's fighting style, this version is the brainwashed daughter of General Dreykov. She's essentially a glorified henchman...and she gets shot and killed right away in Thunderbolts*. I debated even putting her on this list, because she's got thirty seconds of screen time and says five words the entire movie. For being such a bad version of Taskmaster, I enjoyed her death, but it was strange to include her as a part of the marketing and just kill her off immediately.

7. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine

Again, I'm not sure if Val really counts as a member of the Thunderbolts / New Avengers, but I'm putting her on the list anyways. I think this was an interesting way to assemble the New Avengers. Val acts like the evil Nick Fury. She's a shady person who assembled this team accidentally and tried to kill them, but saw that the public loved them after they saved New York from the Void. Using this to frame them as the New Avengers is really interesting, and I'm curious to see where we go with her character in the future. That said, I think some of her evil antics and her motivations were a bit muddled, and I would've liked to understand a bit more about what her actual plan was. I felt like the backstory behind the Sentry project was a little underdeveloped, and if we got a bit more of that, she would probably be higher on the list.

6. Ghost

I think Ghost serves her purpose really well. She's not a naturally flashy character, but she's a fun addition to the team. It makes sense that she'd be here, because, although she is the main villain of Ant-Man and the Wasp, she's not really a bad person. Her sarcasm plays well with Walker and Yelena, and she definitely gets some points for being the only person in the main group that has powers (the main group does not include Sentry). Her power set makes it fun to watch her during action sequences, so I give her props for that. She's not super memorable and she's obviously not the best new character in the MCU, but she's a solid, entertaining addition to our New Avengers.

5. Winter Soldier

I wrote a whole section on Bucky in my review, but I am pretty mixed on his inclusion as a member of the Thunderbolts / New Avengers. I do think you need a veteran presence in the mix, and he adds that. Bucky is a celebrity and a Congressman, and he's been an Avenger before. However, his character doesn't fit in as well with the group. He joins the team relatively late in the story, and, because of that, it always felt like he was the black sheep of the group. Of course, Sebastian Stan is great and the character is always tons of fun, but I think they could've done a better job integrating him more naturally into this team.

4. Red Guardian

I would say there's a pretty big leap in quality from Bucky to Red Guardian. David Harbour automatically has a special place in my heart because of Stranger Things, and I kind of love that he brings an entirely different energy to this character than he does with Hopper. He's so over-the-top but in the best way possible. The naive, goofy energy that he has is just so much fun. His awkward dad humor creates some of the biggest laughs in the movie, but he also works as an emotional anchor for Yelena's journey. I think he serves his purpose really well, and I look forward to seeing him in Doomsday and future installments.

3. U.S. Agent

Walker was one of the best characters on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, so it makes sense that he is one of the best members of the New Avengers. Part of what makes him so great is how relatable he is. Now, he's a complete douchebag, but you understand why he is the way that he is. He's this decorated war hero who received the highest honor in becoming Captain America, but because of one mistake, his entire life crumbled. He lost his wife. He lost his daughter. And, because of that, he's an angry, bitter loser. But you still see that at his core, he's a good person. Despite how much of a jerk he is, he can be really endearing. Like Red Guardian, he gets some of the biggest laughs in the film, but he also ties into the emotional side of things really well. Very underrated, very good character, and a solid addition to the New Avengers.

2. Sentry

Sentry, the Void, Bob...whatever you want to call him, Lewis Pullman's super superhero was one of the standouts of Thunderbolts*. Not only is Pullman great at nailing the awkward humor that comes with Bob's character, but he can be really good at giving us a look into depression and mental illness. You see that he has shoved down all of the trouble from his past and locked it up to a point where he doesn't have to think about it. And, because of this, he eventually unleashes the Void. I think having him connect with Yelena was a powerful way to tie both of their characters up in a nice little bow. I don't know how they are going to use him in Doomsday, but I am all here for it.

1. Yelena Belova

This seems to be the consensus, but I think Yelena has solidified herself as the best new MCU character post-Endgame. She is so funny and so charismatic, but she also carries the weight that you felt Natasha carry in the Infinity Saga. Florence Pugh does such a great job of making her relatable and showing how this emptiness and depression that she feels is eating her up inside. It makes it all the more powerful when she finally realizes that the way to defeat these mental struggles is by finding the family that she lost when Natasha died. She's got an incredibly powerful arc to pair with her already super fun personality, so putting those two together makes for the MCU's newest star.