Marvel’s Thunderbolts Should Look To Old Hollywood For Inspiration

Marvel and DC’s rivalry often reveals itself in the brands’ dueling versions of similar ideas. In 1987, DC relaunched a minor team of soldiers called the Suicide Squad and recast their ranks with supervillains. A decade later, Marvel formed The Thunderbolts. Their first appearance involved antagonists disguising themselves as heroes, but following iterations saw reformed evildoers attempting to use their gifts for good. Like Suicide Squad tried and failed to do, Thunderbolts can borrow from Hollywood’s history of violent “men on a mission” movies.