Marvel"s Thunderbolts* Looks Like A Better Sequel To MCU Phase 4 Than Captain America 4

:0:1

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is preparing for the release of Thunderbolts*, which already looks like a better sequel to Phase 4 than Captain America: Brave New World. The Multiverse Saga continues its course and Phase 5 is about to end with the release of Thunderbolts*. Directed by Jake Schreier, Thunderbolts* will introduce a new team, but unlike previous MCU movies, it"s a team formed by characters who aren’t exactly the most heroic, as they all have troubled pasts and some of them haven’t really moved on from working on the darker side.
Thunderbolts* will see antiheroes from past MCU movies teaming up to go on missions for the government. The team is formed by Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Red Guardian (David Harbor), brought together by none other than Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). The first teaser for Thunderbolts* has now been released, and it’s already looking like a much better sequel to Phase 4 than Captain America: Brave New World.
Thunderbolts* Is A Direct Sequel To Two MCU Phase 4 Projects Thunderbolts* Brings Together Characters From Different Phase 4 Movies

As mentioned above, Thunderbolts* will be closing the MCU’s chaotic Phase 5, but instead of continuing stories from that phase and thus bringing it to an end, it’s a direct sequel to two projects from Phase 4. The Multiverse Saga kicked off in 2021 with Black Widow, the first MCU movie released simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+. Black Widow was set between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, following Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) as she reunited with her Russian family.
Another project that Thunderbolts* will be a sequel to is the TV series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Black Widow introduced Natasha’s sister, Yelena, a fellow Black Widow trained in the Red Room, and Taskmaster, who can mimic her opponent’s fighting style. Another project that Thunderbolts* will be a sequel to is the TV series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. After Steve Rogers passed on the shield and Captain America mantle to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), The Falcon and the Winter Soldier followed Sam’s struggles to continue Steve’s legacy while the government appointed John Walker as the new Captain America. In addition to that, they had to take down an anti-patriotism group known as the Flag Smashers.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was the MCU’s second Disney+ TV show, right after WandaVision.
Thunderbolts* can also be seen as a continuation of the TV series Hawkeye though to a lesser extent, as Yelena also appeared in it. In addition to them, Thunderbolts* is a sequel to Ant-Man and the Wasp, which introduced Ghost, but the second Ant-Man movie was part of Phase 3 and has been mostly forgotten, even by Ant-Man’s third “solo” movie, Quantumania.
Captain America 4 Is More Of A Wider Sequel To The MCU Captain America 4 Isn’t Just A Phase 4 Continuation > Custom Image by Severina Chu Before Thunderbolts* arrives, Captain America: Brave New World will be released. Brave New World will be the first Captain America movie without Steve Rogers and the first with Sam Wilson as Captain America. Brave New World is a sequel to The Falcon and the Winder Soldier (as, sadly, it won’t get a second season), but it actually goes further than that and serves as a wider sequel to the MCU. Brave New World will also be addressing (or, at least, showing) one of the biggest mysteries left by Eternals: Tiamut’s remains coming out of the ocean.

Related Marvel Finally Answers The Big Question About The Giant Celestial In The Ocean 3 Years Later Captain America: Brave New World"s first teaser trailer has confirmed that Marvel Studios will finally be addressing a huge three-year-old mystery.
3 Brave New World also has connections to The Incredible Hulk, the MCU’s second movie (and one that’s often forgotten). Brave New World is bringing back Thaddeus Ross (now played by Harrison Ford), his daughter Betty (Liv Tyler), and Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson), with Ross finally becoming Red Hulk. In addition to these, Brave New World will have links to other movies like Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame, so it isn’t exactly a Phase 4 continuation as it goes beyond that.
Why I Think Thunderbolts* Looks Better Than Captain America 4 Thunderbolts* Looks A Lot More Consistent Close Despite bringing together different characters from different movies and TV shows, Thunderbolts* looks a lot better than Captain America: Brave New World. Thunderbolts* looks more grounded and darker than Brave New World, and it reminds me of the style of Black Widow and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, with spy thriller aspects that take me back to Captain America: The Winter Soldier (so far the best Captain America movie in the MCU). Although Brave New World also looks interesting, it feels like it focuses a lot more on politics within the MCU than superhero action, which Thunderbolts* seems to have a lot of.
In addition to that, Thunderbolts* seems to have some hints of comedy here and there thanks to Red Guardian, and there will surely be other organic comedic moments given how different all of their personalities are. Thunderbolts* might end up feeling like the Phase 4 conclusion we never got, while also (hopefully) being one of the most consistent Multiverse Saga movies so far.
Upcoming MCU Movies