What year does Thunderbolts take place in the MCU? It's a fair question, especially given a lot has happened since a fair few of these misfits – including Florence Pugh's Yelena – last showed up on our screens. Black Widow's position as an interquel makes it even more confusing, too.
Some of you may have given up on trying to place new MCU projects on the Marvel timeline. Not us. Over the years, we've driven ourselves mad trying to map the in-universe years, months, and even days to help fans watch the Marvel movies in order and to pinpoint where the latest releases fall on the fictional calendar in relation to other Marvel Studios movies.
Below, we'll do just that for Thunderbolts by confirming its (rough) place on the Marvel timeline. Now, there will be some spoilers here, but we'll avoid plot details of the Thunderbolts ending and Thunderbolts post-credits scenes. Basically, we'll keep things vague and only give you answers on whether Thunderbolts is the most recent MCU chronological release and how it fits into the rest of Marvel Phase 5 and the ever-expanding Multiverse Saga.
When does Thunderbolts take place in the MCU?
Thunderbolts, give or take, takes place in 2027. At the very least, we know it arrives after the events of Captain America: Brave New World – which took place first in 2026 and then in 2027.
Why? First of all, the climax of Brave New World – President Ross' Red Hulk rampage – is mentioned during an impeachment hearing at the beginning of Thunderbolts.
In that very same sequence, we see freshman Congressman Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) listening in. During his surprise cameo in Brave New World, it was shown that he was still fundraising for a run at Congress. Here, we know he's taken his place in office.
There are other clues that point us towards Thunderbolts even taking place later in 2027. Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Val, for example, threatens Bucky with being removed after serving less than "half a term." That indicates that the former Winter Soldier has been in the post for less than a year (a term typically lasts two years).
Intriguingly, Thunderbolts also may have tipped off Marvel's hand for when exactly Avengers: Doomsday takes place. No spoilers here, but the events of the post-credits (which very much set up the next Avengers movie) takes place specifically 14 months after the events of Thunderbolts. That would place Avengers: Doomsday as happening in around 2028.
The only question that remains is whether Thunderbolts is currently the latest release chronologically in the MCU. According to Marvel on its own Disney Plus landing page, that spot is currently occupied by Daredevil: Born Again. But given that New York is deeply affected by the third act of Thunderbolts and no one mentioned it in Daredevil's standalone series, we'd wager that Thunderbolts takes place after Daredevil: Born Again. Just don't expect those narratives to intersect at any point.
For more, check out the upcoming Marvel movies and movie release dates just over the horizon.
