Thunderbolts’ Cut Ending Would’ve Repeated 1 Controversial MCU Death 6 Years Later

The Thunderbolts‘ reported original ending was recently revealed, and it would have repeated another divisive MCU death that involved an original Avenger. Thunderbolts was confirmed to be in development in 2022, with Kevin Feige revealing the all-star cast that would form the team. The team is similar to DC’s Suicide Squad, where a group of Marvel anti-heroes go on a dangerous mission that requires unorthodox methods. Unlike the Suicide Squad, they aren’t under threat of death if they refuse, but there is a substantial risk to the mission – something made clear by the original ending.

The team includes many memorable characters, including Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, U.S. Agent, Ghost, Taskmaster, and Winter Soldier. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Thunderbolts originally was not going to have a happy ending for any of these characters, as the film would see all of them die on their mission. However, Marvel recently decided to change that ending. While it would have been a shocker, Marvel is making the right decision by changing this, as it would have repeated another controversial death decision.

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Thunderbolt’s Cut Ending Would’ve Repeated The MCU’s Controversial Original Black Widow Death

Yelena is set to be the next Black Widow in the Avengers, carrying the mantle from her sister, Natasha Romanoff. She debuted in Black Widow and made her second appearance in Hawkeye. Through her interactions with Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Kate Bishop, Yelena has become a fan-favorite character and one of the best additions to the MCU since Avengers: Endgame. She has a bright future in the MCU, and killing her off in Thunderbolts would have the same divisive effect as Black Widow’s death.

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While Natasha was in many more MCU projects than Yelena, her death felt unsatisfying to many despite her brave sacrifice. She was an original Avenger but always felt like a secondary character in those films and others, like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Civil War. She finally got her own movie in 2020, but she was already dead, so Marvel couldn’t capitalize on her full potential. Killing off Yelena this early in her MCU journey would have felt similar to what happened with Natasha, and Florence Pugh’s character deserves more time to grow and become more involved.

Why The MCU Needs Yelena Belova’s Black Widow

Marvel is currently searching for new heroes who can be centerpieces of the universe now that Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark and Chris Evans’ Captain America are gone. The MCU is looking to pass the torch down to a new generation, and Yelena is a perfect candidate to become a leading hero for this universe. Audiences already like her, and she has connections to previous heroes that allow the MCU to move forward naturally.

Additionally, Pugh is an actor whose star is only growing brighter. She has appeared in other hits, like Oppenheimer and Dune: Part 2, in addition to being an Academy Award-nominated actor. If Marvel is smart, they will try to hold on to her for as long as possible, and killing her off in Thunderbolts would be a mistake.