Summary
One character due to appear inThunderboltshas made theMCU’s most powerful character even more pointless.Thunderboltswill feature a host ofMCU antiheroes and former villainsteaming up, most likely under some duress. The team comprises some of the MCU’s more understated characters, whose powers aren’t typically on the same level as the likes of Thor or Doctor Strange, making their teamwork even more compelling as they will likely be underdogs in whatever mission Valentina Allegra de Fontaine assigns to them.
This is especially true if casting rumors are to be believed. Not only willThunderboltssee the likes of Ghost and Taskmaster swap villainous roles for heroic ones, but all signs point towards the possibility that they will be going toe-to-toe with a character so powerful they would even give Hulk a run for his money. The anticipation forMarvel’s answer to Superman, namely Sentry, is reaching fever pitch astheThunderboltsrelease datenears, mostly because it’s a character like nothing the MCU has seen thus far. That would be true, at least, were it not forSecret Invasion.
Thunderbolts* Cast & Marvel Character Guide
Several MCU characters return for Phase 5’s Thunderbolts, a team of antiheroes and reformed villains attempting to follow in the Avengers' footsteps.
Sentry’s MCU Introduction Makes G’iah’s Story Even More Confusing
Secret Invasionwas a maligned attempt to adapt the comic run of the same name, introducing the concept that Skrulls have infiltrated and imitated the denizens of Earth for several years, which ultimately amounted to very little. It also revealed that Fury had orchestrated an operation to collect DNA samples from the MCU’s super-powered characters after the Battle of Earth, dubbed “The Harvest,” which was condensed into a formula taken by two Skrulls, Gravik and G’iah.
Though Gravik died at G’iah’s hands, the series left the latter as a surviving Super-Skrull capable of deployingthe powers of several MCU characters. She was then apparently recruited by Olivia Colman’s Sonya Falsworth to work on an unnamed clandestine project, widely presumed to be a British superhero team.
Mantis
Groot
G’iah is now one ofthe MCU’s most powerful charactersfor this reason alone, but her ascension to that status is about to be sidelined by Sentry. AlthoughSecret Invasiondid not stick the landing,Marvel could have at least awarded it some relevance by making G’iah the overpowered enemythe Thunderbolts are tasked with subduing. Instead, that role will apparently go to Sentry.
Instead, due to the poor reception, G’iah may well be swept under the rug as the MCU forges ahead with new characters who could ostensibly wipe the floor with a litany of underdog characters like most of the Thunderbolts. There’s a chance she could return inAvengers 5orSecret Wars, but the audience awareness ofSecret Invasionbeing so low may make that too difficult. It feels like the only good opportunity to bring back G’iah is now gone.
Why The MCU’s Many Overpowered Characters Are Becoming A Problem
G’iah and Sentry will now be the latest characters to contribute to a power-scaling problem in the MCU. Even in its earliest days, reconciling the fact that Hawkeye and Black Widow stand shoulder to shoulder with Thor with their obvious gulf in power has been a difficult task for the MCU. The franchise has had to significantly nerf the Hulk to ensure his compatriots look just as, if not more, powerful by comparison for instance.
Since then, more and more characters like Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, and Scarlet Witch make including someone like Kate Bishop in the Avengers lineup feel almost ludicrous. Although the gulf in power between the titular team inThunderbolts*and Sentry is bound to make for some compelling viewing, Sentry’s arrival adds yet another reason to question what role understated characters can play in a franchise so crammed with so many godlike beings. At least they will provide plenty of underdogs for audiences to root for in the coming years.
Thunderbolts*
Cast
Thunderbolts follows seven disillusioned individuals who find themselves trapped in a perilous situation. Tasked with a daunting mission, they must face the most shadowy aspects of their histories in order to survive and achieve their goals.
