The Major Thunderbolts* Storyline That Went Nowhere

This post contains spoilers for "Thunderbolts*"

"Thunderbolts*" has brought an end to Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (at least on the movie side of things, as the "Ironheart" series is still set for a June release), and Marvel Studios finds itself in a strange position. It's no secret that the biggest blockbuster franchise of all time has floundered in recent years, struggling to overcome a noxious mixture of superhero fatigue, a general decline in moviegoing, and a market oversaturated with streaming series and middling movies. But the box office dominance of "Deadpool & Wolverine" seemed to suggest there was life in the saga yet. While "Captain America: Brave New World" might have taken Marvel Studios back a few steps, "Thunderbolts*" looks to have righted the ship, even if it won't make nearly as much money as the Ryan Reynolds team-up movie. 

"Thunderbolts*" is an emotional gut punch of a film that has finally matured the Marvel Cinematic Universe, proving that these franchise films can actually be about something and not just act as mindless entertainment or mere commercials for other entries in the saga. "Thunderbolts*" actually seems to have something to say, showcasing a surprisingly touching narrative that acts as a heartening reminder of the fact that human connection is the most powerful tool we have in battling loneliness and depression.

We'll have to wait to see just how commercially successful such a story turns out to be, but Marvel can at least be proud to have made an actual movie. That said, "Thunderbolts*" is by no means perfect. For one thing, it disappointed some fans, /Film's Ryan Scott included, due to the fact that it isn't really a Thunderbolts movie, instead acting as a covert way of smuggling in a new Avengers team. But there's also the fact that one significant storyline just sort of gets abandoned halfway through the movie.

Prior to the release of "Thunderbolts*," it looked as though the titular group would include Olga Kurylenko's Taskmaster. Indeed, "Thunderbolts*" had bigger plans for Taskmaster, but the character was killed by Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) fairly early in the film, and the entire storyline had to be scrapped — and that wasn't the only subplot that was abandoned, either.

Early in "Thunderbolts*" we see Julia Louis-Dreyfus' CIA Director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine defending herself during a congressional impeachment hearing led by Wendell Pierce's Congressman Gary. The first act is in part driven by de Fontaine's subsequent scrambling to hide her Sentry Project from investigators, with Congressman Gary confronting the CIA Director at a social event to warn her that he's not going to let up until he finds evidence of her wrongdoing. Gary is even seen conversing with fellow congressman Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), in an attempt to gain his help in bringing down de Fontaine. It all seems to be leading somewhere, providing an intriguing subplot to complement the central depression allegory. As the movie goes on, however, Gary just sort of ... disappears.

Once the central team of Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Ghost, John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Red Guardian (David Harbour), and Bucky Barnes are all assembled, "Thunderbolts*" forgets about the conflict between Valentina Allegra de Fontaine — who's very much the anti-Nick Fury of the MCU — and Congressman Gary. Instead, Julia Louis-Dreyfus' character is shown ordering her shadowy black ops teams to kill her enemies, kidnapping Lewis Pullman's Bob Reynolds (aka Sentry) and keeping him captive in the former Avengers tower, and generally doing whatever she wants despite the first act establishing that she's under close scrutiny by Congressman Gary and Congress in general. As for Congressman Gary, he just fades from the film's plot as it goes on, leaving audiences waiting for some sort of resolution as to whether he succeeds in proving that de Fontaine has been involved in her nefarious operations.

At the end of "Thunderbolts*," the titular team is caught off-guard when Valentina Allegra de Fontaine introduces them as the new Avengers during a makeshift press conference on the streets of New York. The ragtag group of heroes is seemingly disoriented by the whole experience, much like those of us wondering what on Earth happened to Congressman Gary. As one X (formerly Twitter) user put it:

My brother vanished😭🙏🏾 https://t.co/fgG917P2KA

— Shinigami•Silver* (@Nacht_Silver) May 4, 2025

So, what happened? There's been no official confirmation of why Congressman Gary's subplot goes nowhere, but if you wanted to be very charitable, you might view it as a metaphor for government inaction. Much more likely is that the film was just too packed to really accommodate a resolution to the storyline, and since the MCU is one big interconnected story anyway, perhaps the studio intends to resolve everything in a separate film or series. Clearly, you don't hire the great Wendell Pierce just to give him a plotline that goes nowhere, and the actor managed to infuse his brief appearances with enough charisma that Marvel would be remiss to overlook his continued involvement.

It's also worth noting that Pierce is set to play Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White in James Gunn's upcoming "Superman" — a crucial film with the power to save or destroy an iconic movie studio. Both "Superman" and "Thunderbolts*" were filmed between February and June/July 2024, so perhaps Pierce's "Superman" schedule dictated a last-minute change to the screenplay? Whatever the case, there's no doubt de Fontaine has a lot to answer for, and if anyone deserves to make her do so, it's Congressman Gary.