MCU's Dark Avengers Can Still Work Despite Its Thunderbolts Issue

Marvel’s Thunderbolts (2025) suggest that the MCU will not use the Dark Avengers, but Norman Osborn’s private Avengers team can still work. With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 concluding the Guardians’ story, at least for the current lineup, plus the Avengers only returning to the big screen during Phase 6, the MCU is placing its bets on the Thunderbolts as the franchise’s next major team. Unlike the comics, however, the MCU’s Thunderbolts team features more anti-heroes than villains.