Marvel Studios Confirms Which Original Avenger Each New Avenger Replaces

Marvel Studios shared new promotional material confirming who each Thunderbolt is most comparable to from the original Avengers. With Thunderbolts* now making its run in theaters as Phase 5's final movie, the ties to Earth's Mightiest Heroes quickly became clear as the story evolved on screen.

A new poster for Thunderbolts* compares each leading character to the MCU's original Avengers. Under the phrase "Careful who you assemble," the main cast of the MCU's Thunderbolts* appears in shadow form, walking above the original six heroes from 2012's The Avengers.

This poster is also reminiscent of one Marvel Studios released in 2019 for Avengers: Endgame (one of the two highest-grossing movies in history). This poster showed the original six Avengers walking alongside one another in the shadows under text reading, "Whatever it takes," one of the loglines for the movie.

Thunderbolts* brings together a team of misfit antiheroes from across the MCU to pursue a common goal - saving the world from a new all-powerful being: Sentry. Led by Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan, this team reluctantly joins forces to stop Valentina Allegra de Fontaine's quest for power while keeping Sentry from obliterating the world. Thunderbolts* is now playing in theaters worldwide. 

Ahead are the comparisons between each Thunderbolt and their Avengers counterparts:

Winter Soldier - Iron Man

The first characters tied together from the poster are two MCU veterans in Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier and Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark/Iron Man. While the two have shared plenty of screentime together (mostly in Captain America: Civil War), a few similarities can be pointed out.

Most notably, both are enhanced by metal-based technology - Bucky's vibranium arm and Tony's swath of Iron Man suits. Additionally, they are seen as somewhat stoic leaders with a sense of humor that comes through in certain situations, but they buckle down for business when the time comes.

Yelena - Black Widow

The least surprising comparison in this new Thunderbolts* poster is Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova and Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff (who was used in other Thunderbolts* marketing). The two were the headlining actors in 2021's Black Widow, Johansson's last MCU movie (thus far) and Pugh's first.

In short, while the two have contrasting personalities, they are products of the Red Room program, boasting the same physical skillset as top-notch fighters. Combined with their innate connection as found family, the two will be inextricably linked throughout the rest of MCU history.

Walker - Captain America

Another easy duo from this new Thunderbolts* poster is the matchup between John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell) and Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans). While the two have not shared screentime (which will likely change with their casting in Avengers: Doomsday), this duo's similarities are not difficult to see.

Simply put, John Walker was initially picked to be Steve Rogers' successor as Captain America, boasting similar abilities, leadership, and proficiency with a shield. Of course, their personalities and demeanors are vastly different, but the physical ties cannot be ignored.

Red Guardian - Hulk

Moving further along the list, fans see David Harbour's Alexei Shostakov (Red Guardian) boasting the shadow of Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner (Hulk). Outside of being arguably the loudest members of their respective groups, it is only natural that they are paired up in this advertising.

The Hulk and the Red Guardian are the biggest members of their groups, respectively, and they also pack the hardest punch as the strongest of their teammates. While they have mellowed out over the years (particularly with Banner becoming Smart Hulk), their roles for their teams are not dissimilar.

Ghost - Hawkeye

Two of the more low-key/easy-to-miss members of the Thunderbolts and Avengers come in the form of Hannah John-Kamen's Ava Starr/Ghost and Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton/Hawkeye. Not to say they are not more than capable of inflicting damage on anyone in their path, but they often go overlooked on their respective rosters.

While boasting vastly different abilities, Hawkeye's sneaky nature and Ghost's ability to turn invisible and phase allow them to fly under the radar and take out enemies without being noticed. Additionally, while neither is the flashiest of their teams, they can hold their own next to boisterous personalities and still make their impact felt.

Sentry - Thor

Even considering their wildly different personalities, Thor and Sentry are unquestionably the closest match to each other in the Thunderbolts and Avengers. Simply put, these two characters boast extraordinary physical abilities that go far beyond what the normal human or super soldier can do.

Many of Thor and Sentry's abilities are similar, including flight and super strength, making them easily the most physically intimidating characters in their movies. However, they are vastly different regarding mental stability, putting them on slightly different character arcs moving forward.