Marvel fans are expecting character deaths in Thunderbolts – and they're already predicting which ones

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

The Thunderbolts are coming to the MCU next year, but Marvel fans are already wondering how long the supergroup will last before one – or more – bites the dust.

They're a group of supervillains (or characters that have been antagonists at one point or another within the MCU) who go on government missions – and we've already seen John Walker (Wyatt Russell) and Yelena (Florence Pugh) get recruited by Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) at the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and the Black Widow post-credits scene.

One Reddit user points out that, like DC's Suicide Squad, this is a team of "expendable" agents. "Surely we can't expect them all to survive their first movie." The Redditor thinks Bucky and Yelena should be safe as the most popular characters among MCU fans, but others aren't so sure about the Winter Soldier's fate.

"Well, according to the recent rumors, Bucky isn't safe, and I wouldn't count on the character surviving the movie. They want emotional impact, and he's reasonably popular so he's a goner," commented another user.

"If they kill off Bucky in this movie then I might be done with the MCU," wrote another fan. "Honestly, same. Bucky's my favorite character and I love Sebastian Stan playing him. I've stuck with the MCU so far, but that would be my straw," added another.

As for the other 'Bolts, the OP thinks Ghost and Taskmaster might be on thin ice as they're not major players and Red Guardian might get a "semi-glorious" death, but suggests that Walker has "more stories to tell".

"I wouldn't write off Ghost so quickly," counters one reply. "Why would they bring her back after 6 years just to kill her off? It wouldn't mean much, since the character wasn't huge. They probably have plans for her that go beyond this movie.

"I agree that Taskmaster might bite it, and Red Guardian is 50:50 (David Harbour knows his character's story and is happy with it. To me, that doesn't sound like a man whose character dies). Yelena is definitely going to survive. I think Walker is probably going to survive, too."

We have a while to wait until we find who lives and dies – Thunderbolts is set to hit the big screen on December 20, 2024. In the meantime, make sure you're up to date with the MCU with our guides to Marvel Phase 5 and Marvel Phase 6.

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.