Winter Soldier Leads The Thunderbolts In Marvel's New Series

Contains spoilers for "Thunderbolts" #1

Ahead of their debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Thunderbolts will appear in a brand-new comic series, "Thunderbolts," led by the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes.

The Thunderbolts are one of Marvel's most iconic teams. The first iteration appeared in "The Incredible Hulk" #449. In one of the biggest twists in comic book history, the first issue of the original Thunderbolts series revealed the group was the Masters of Evil — led by Baron Zemo as Citizen — villains posing as superheroes. Since, The Thunderbolt name has consistently appeared in the comics — eventually transforming into a group that included antiheroes, villains, and heroes put on the roster while the status of their solo series' were in flux. The MCU's "Thunderbolts" film will arrive in theaters in December 2024, with Winter Soldier leading the team and including several familiar faces like Yelena Belova and the Red Guardian. Now, Marvel Comics is turning their Thunderbolts into a similar team with a few surprise members joining the ranks.

The new "Thunderbolts" series will come from writers Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing, who recently wrapped their run of "Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty," with artist Geraldo Borges ("Avengers") drawing the upcoming comic. The book will spin out of the events of Kelly and Lanzing's run on Captain America, with Bucky Barnes (currently known as the Revolution) forming a new Thunderbolts team to take down some of the Marvel Universe's greatest threats. 

Bucky will be joined by Black Widow, Sharon Carter (Destroyer), White Widow (Yelena Belova), Red Guardian, U.S. Agent, and Shang-Chi. The team will be working under the guidance of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. Lanzing said in a press release that the Thunderbolts' biggest target will be the Red Skull. The co-writer added the series will be "a whole new era for the Thunderbolts, and it starts with a four-part espionage epic, an ever-shifting cast, and a single overarching goal: to tear down a century of Nazi evil with justice like lightning."

While the team is similar to the roster appearing in the MCU's "Thunderbolts" film, the comic book version of the team has a heavy-hitter who hasn't been on the Thunderbolts before — Shang-Chi. While it's not revealed how the powerful martial artist will join the team, his presence might be responsible for ensuring the team doesn't get in too much trouble. Black Widow will likely have a leadership role and be one of the calming voices on a Thunderbolts squad full of highly skilled fighters and assassins. 

Bucky Barnes and the "Thunderbolts" will face some seriously nefarious villains in the new series, with the text solicit for the first issue hinting future targets will include not just the Red Skull but Kingpin and Doctor Doom. Check out the accompanying text with Mahmud Asrar's full cover art for "Thunderbolts" #1 below.

"Bucky Barnes, the Revolution, just inherited a mountain of covert intel and he has one objective: justice... like lightning! He's going after the establishment, the people no one else is willing or able to take down, and he'll do whatever it takes to win. Teaming with the mysterious Contessa Valentina Allegra De Fontaine, Bucky assembles a team of black-ops heavy hitters to pursue high-profile targets like the Red Skull, Kingpin and even Doctor Doom himself. No one is safe from the Thunderbolts!"

Marvel Comics

The team features some characters with villainous backgrounds, such as Yelena Belova, U.S. Agent, and the Red Guardian. But the roster seems like they are more focused on doing good while taking out the greatest threats to the Marvel Universe. However, considering the "Thunderbolts" team has never had a fully loyal team, expect plenty of twists along the way in the series.

"Thunderbolts" #1 by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, and Geraldo Borges from Marvel Comics arrives at comic book stores and online retailers in December.