Greetings Masters of Evil! We are proud to welcome you into the new Dark Reign of the Marvel universe with the Thunderbolts comics reading guide!
The Thunderbolts have gone through a number of iterations in the comics. But the consistent thread is that they are a team of misfits, featuring a wild mix of heroes and villains alike. The lineups have included everyone from Hawkeye to Kingpin, and numerous random characters movie fans have probably never heard of before!
Nevertheless, these comics still represent some of Marvel’s finest work. So take a look at our Thunderbolts reading recommendations below!
Thunderbolts Comics Recommendations:
- Thunderbolts (1997) #1-33 by Kurt Busiek
- Thunderbolts (1997) #34-75 by Fabian Nicieza
- Avengers/Thunderbolts #1-6; New Thunderbolts #1-18
- Thunderbolts (2006) #110-121 by Warren Ellis
- Thunderbolts (2006) #138-174 by Jeff Parker
- Dark Avengers (2009) #175-190 by Jeff Parker
- Thunderbolts (2023) #1-4 by Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing
With the Avengers disassembled, Wilson Fisk running for Mayor of New York City, and Thaddeus Ross as the President of the United States of America, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to take a dark turn. Enter the Thunderbolts, a team of selfless heroes brought together to become something more. To work together when the world needed them, to fight the battles that the Avengers never could.
These brave soldiers (Winter Soldier, White Widow, U.S. Agent, Red Guardian, Ghost, and Taskmaster) are going to be the new face of heroism in the Marvel Studios universe. With the leadership of Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, where do their allegiances lie? Who can they even trust?
To answer these tantalizing questions and more, we must turn to the comics! Gathered below is the full reading history of Marvel’s Thunderbolts, from Kurt Busiek’s original run to the newest synergy comics being published today. The older comic teams are pretty different from the movie version, but they’re still fantastic stories, so dive in and enjoy the ride!
Thunderbolts (1997)
The original Thunderbolts comics run is still the best. Launched by legends Kurt Busiek & Mark Bagley, the series starts at a time when the Avengers are out of action (similar to the MCU right now). The Thunderbolts team in these early comics featured characters like Citizen V, Baron Zemo, Atlas, Songbird, Goliath, and Hawkeye.
Busiek continued on the series for #1-33, then passed the baton to Fabian Nicieza, who helped close Busiek’s storylines while setting up his own. Nicieza’s run changed between a number of titles, going through Thunderbolts, Avengers/Thunderbolts, New Thunderbolts, and then back to Thunderbolts with #100-109. The later comics started to feature more well-known villains, especially during the Civil War era.
While both Busiek and Nicieza led the team with a strong hand, Busiek’s run is the main one you need to read. So start with Thunderbolts (1997) #1 today!
- Thunderbolts (1997) #0-75; ’97; Annual 2000; Life Sentences #1
- After #4: Thunderbolts ’97
- After #22: Thunderbolts #0
- After #37: Thunderbolts Annual 2000
- After #52: Thunderbolts: Life Sentences #1
- Note: Thunderbolts #75-81 do not include the Thunderbolts
- New Thunderbolts (2005) #1-18
- Prologue: Avengers/Thunderbolts (2004) #1-6
- Thunderbolts (2006) #100-109
- After #109: Thunderbolts Presents: Zemo – Born Better (2007) #1-4
Extra reading:
- Incredible Hulk (1962) #449
- Tales of the Marvel Universe (1997) #1 [B Story]
- Spider-Man Team-Up (1995) #7
- Heroes for Hire (1997) #7
- Heroes Reborn: The Return (1997) #2
- Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #430
- Star Trek/X-Men: Second Contact (1998) #1
- Iron Man ’99 (1999) #1
- Avengers (1998) #12, 33-34; Annual 2000
- Maximum Security (2000) #2
- Civil War (2006) #3-7
- Amazing Spider-Man (1999) #533, 538
- Civil War: Choosing Sides (2006) #1
- Iron Man (2005) #14
- Civil War: Front Line (2006) #10
- Civil War: The Initiative (2007) #1
Dark Avengers (2009)
Following the classic Busiek and Nicieza runs, Warren Ellis totally revamped the Thunderbolts’ comics. With the Dark Reign era after Secret Invasion, the Thunderbolts became a military taskforce working under Norman Osborn’s version of S.H.I.E.L.D. Ellis’ run is only Thunderbolts #110-121, but of course, you can continue reading as long as you like.
The next great run was by Jeff Parker. Parker’s run technically started with Thunderbolts #138, but that leads right into the Siege event. So for a clean place to start, it might be better to jump in at Thunderbolts #144. Also keep in mind that after #174, his series retitled to Dark Avengers. So the recommended reading for Jeff Parker’s Thunderbolts comics is Thunderbolts #144-174 and Dark Avengers #175-190. This version of the team was led by Luke Cage, and included Songbird, Ghost, and Man-Thing, as well as the lower-tier “Underbolts”!
- Thunderbolts (2006) #110-143
- Prologue: Civil War: The Initiative (2007) #1
- After #112: Thunderbolts: Desperate Measures #1
- After #115: Thunderbolts: Breaking Point #1
- After #121: Thunderbolts: Reason in Madness #1; International Incident #1
- After #127: Dark Avengers #1-4
- After #132: Dark Avengers #5-6
- With #141-143: Dark Avengers #13-16; Siege (2010)
- Dark Avengers (2009) #1-16; Annual #1
- Prologue: Thunderbolts #126-127; New Avengers (2005) #48-50
- After #6: Dark Avengers/X-Men: Utopia (2009)
- After #12: Dark Avengers Annual #1
- With #13-16: Thunderbolts #141-143; Siege (2010)
- Thunderbolts (2006) #144-174
- After #174: New Avengers (2010) #18-23
- Dark Avengers (2009) #175-190
Extra reading:
- Nova (2007) #2-3
- Penance: Relentless (2007) #1, 3
- World War Hulk: Aftersmash – Damage Control (2008) #1-3
- Avengers/Invaders (2008) #1
- Amazing Spider-Man (1999) #568-573
- Moon Knight (2006) #22-25
- Secret Invasion (2008) #1-8; Front Line #5
- Avengers: The Initiative (2007) #19-20, 25
- Wolverine: Origins (2006) #34
- Dark Reign: Young Avengers (2009) #4-5
- Mighty Avengers (2007) #21, 30-33
- Dark Reign: Fantastic Four (2009) #3-5
- Thor (2007) #600, 607
- Dark Reign: Elektra (2009) #1-5
- Captain America (2005) #48
- Deadpool (2008) #7-10
- Agents of Atlas (2009) #1, 3
- Incredible Hercules (2008) #127-128
- Dark Reign: Hawkeye (2009) #1
- All-New Savage She-Hulk #1-4
- Amazing Spider-Man (1999) #596-597
- Dark Wolverine (2009) #75-77, 81
- Free Comic Book Day 2009 (Avengers) #1
- Ms. Marvel (2006) #37-46
- War Machine (2009) #11-12
- Timestorm 2009/2099 (2009) #4
- Dark Reign: Lethal Legion (2009) #1-3
- Dark Reign: Sinister Spider-Man (2009) #4
- Dark Reign: Zodiac (2009) #3
- Spider-Woman (2009) #5-6
- Hulk (2008) #13, 25
- X-Men: Legacy (2008) #226
- Dark Avengers/X-Men: Utopia (2009)
- Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia (2009) #1
- Uncanny X-Men (1981) #513-514
- X-Men: Legacy (2008) #226
- Dark Avengers (2009) #7-8
- Dark X-Men: The Beginning (2009) #2 [C Story]
- Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Exodus (2009) #1
- Dark X-Men: The Confession (2009) #1
- Secret Warriors (2009) #7-9
- New Avengers (2005) #56-60; Annual #3
- Captain America (2005) #600
- Captain America Reborn (2009) #1-3
- Dark Reign: The List – Avengers #1, X-Men #1, Secret Warriors #1, Hulk #1
- S.W.O.R.D. (2010) #4
- Dark X-Men (2010) #3
- Siege (2010) #1-4; The Cabal #1; Embedded #1
- Siege: The Cabal (2010) #1
- Siege: Embedded (2010) #1, 3
- Thor (2007) #607
- Avengers: The Initiative (2007) #32-35
- Dark Wolverine (2009) #82, 84
- Thunderbolts (2006) #141-143
- Dark Avengers (2009) #13-16
- New Avengers (2005) #63-64
- Siege: Captain America (2010) #1
- Mighty Avengers (2007) #36
- Amazing Spider-Man (1999) #647 [F Story]
- Avengers Academy (2010) #3-4
- Fear Itself (2011) The Worthy #2; The Fearless #5, 10-11
Thunderbolts (2010s-2020s)
The 2000s were truly the peak of the Thunderbolts in the comics. While they’ve had a number of miniseries in the 2010s and 2020s, none of them have really captured the energy or the appeal of their older predecessors.
If you’re interested in seeing Red Hulk’s role on the team and how that might influence the MCU, you can check out the Thunderbolts (2013) comics series, as well as our Red Hulk reading order. The crazy lineup also included Deadpool, Elektra, Punisher, Venom, Ghost Rider, and the Leader!
The 2020s Thunderbolts comics featured a more traditional mix of old and new characters, like Winter Soldier, U.S. Agent, Taskmaster, Abomination, Hawkeye, and America Chavez. During King in Black, the team was even led by Kingpin! The 2023 series by Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing is the closest to the MCU team, with an almost identical roster to the movie.
At the end of this section are further reading recommendations for the MCU Thunderbolts* characters together.
- Thunderbolts (2013) #1-32; Annual #1
- After #13: Annual #1
- Deadpool: The Gauntlet Infinite (2014) #11-13
- Thunderbolts (2016) #1-12
- Captain America: Steve Rogers (2016) #4, 13
- The Punisher (2018) #13-16
- King In Black: Thunderbolts (2021) #1-3
- King In Black: Namor (2020) #5
- Devil’s Reign (2021) #1-6
- Devil’s Reign: X-Men (2022) #1
- Devil’s Reign: Villains for Hire (2022) #1-3
- Devil’s Reign: Omega (2022) #1 [B Story]
- Thunderbolts (2022) #1-5
- Thunderbolts (2023) #1-4
Extra reading:
- Black Widow: Deadly Origin (2010) #4
- Secret Empire (2017) #9
- The Punisher (2016) #226
- Black Widow (2020) #1-5
- Winter Guard (2021) #4
Thunderbolts* Character Reading
In this section, we have even more comics for each of the MCU’s Thunderbolts* characters individually.
It will be interesting to see how Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* connects to Captain America: Brave New World. The two movies seem to share a lot of DNA, both spinning out of the world of Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff. And of course, the expectation that Harrison Ford’s Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Red Hulk) will feature in both movies. Even the Leader, a villain in Brave New World, was in the 2013 Thunderbolts comics team with Red Hulk.
For more about connections to Captain America: Brave New World, check out our Captain America Sam Wilson comics reading guide!
- Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes
- Captain America: White (2015)
- Captain America (2005) #1-50, 600-615
- Winter Soldier: Winter Kills (2006) #1
- Winter Soldier (2012) #1-14
- Thunderbolts (2016) #1-12
- Winter Soldier (2018) #1-5
- The Punisher (2018) #16
- Thunderbolts (2023) #1-4
- White Widow, Yelena Belova
- Inhumans (1998) #5
- Black Widow (1999) #1-3; (2001) #1-3
- Black Widow: The Things They Say About Her (2005) #1-6
- New Avengers (2005) #5-6; Annual #1
- Tales of Suspense (2017) #101-104
- The Web of Black Widow (2019) #3, 5
- Widowmakers: Red Guardian and Yelena Belova (2020) #1
- Black Widow (2020) #1-15
- Winter Guard (2021) #1-4
- White Widow (2023) #1-2
- Thunderbolts (2023) #1-4
- Red Guardian, Alexei Shostakov
- Avengers (1963) #43-44
- Black Widow: Deadly Origin (2010) #2, 4
- Widowmaker (2011) #1-4
- The Web of Black Widow (2019) #3
- Widowmakers: Red Guardian and Yelena Belova (2020) #1
- Black Widow (2020) #1-5
- Winter Guard (2021) #1-4
- Thunderbolts (2023) #1-4
- U.S. Agent, John Walker
- Captain America (1968) #332-350
- Thunderbolts (2006) #141-148, 153-161, 171
- Dark Avengers (2009) #179-190
- U.S. Agent (2020) #1-5
- Devil’s Reign (2021) #1-6; Villains for Hire (2022) #1-3
- Thunderbolts (2022) #1-4
- Ghost, Ava Starr
- Iron Man (1968) #219-221, 238-240; (1998) #42-45
- Amazing Spider-Man Annual (1964) #25
- Iron Man: The Inevitable (2006) #1-4
- Thunderbolts (2006) #128-174
- Dark Avengers (2009) #176-183
- Invincible Iron Man (2008) #20-24
- Amazing Spider-Man (2014) #16-18; (2015) #12
- Thunderbolts (2016) #8-9, 12
- The Punisher (2016) #226-228; (2018) #13-16
- Taskmaster, Antonia Dreykov
- Avengers (1963) #195-196, 223
- Taskmaster (2002) #1-4
- Deadpool (1997) #67-69; Agent X #1-15
- Avengers: The Initiative (2007) #8-35; Annual #1
- Taskmaster (2010) #1-4
- Age of Heroes (2010) #3
- Ant-Man (2015) #1-3
- Taskmaster (2020) #1-5
- King In Black: Thunderbolts (2021) #1-3
- Devil’s Reign (2021) #1-6; Villains for Hire (2022) #1-3
- Thunderbolts (2022) #1-5
- Sentry, Robert Reynolds
- The Sentry (2000) #1-5
- Sentry/Fantastic Four #1; Sentry/Hulk #1; Sentry/Spider-Man #1; Sentry/X-Men #1
- The Sentry (2005) #1-8
- New Avengers (2005) #1-10, 14-20, 24-30, 41-42, 49-50, 59-60, 63-64; Annual #1, 3
- Mighty Avengers (2007) #1-11, 30-33
- World War Hulk (2007) #1-5
- Hulk (2008) #7-9
- Avengers/Invaders (2008) #1-8
- Dark Avengers (2009) #1-15; Annual #1
- Siege (2010) #1-3
- Avengers: The Initiative (2007) #32-35
- Uncanny Avengers (2012) #9-11, 21-22
- Doctor Strange (2015) #382-385
- The Sentry (2018) #1-5
- Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
- Strange Tales (1951) #159-167
- Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (1968) #1-5, 12-14
- Captain America (1968) #145-153, 166-169, 188-191
- Daredevil (1964) #120-123
- Marvel Team-Up (1972) #82-83
- Nick Fury vs SHIELD (1988) #1-6
- Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (1989) #1-27, 42-47
- Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. (1995) #1-4
- Kitty Pryde, Agent of SHIELD (1997) #1-3
- Union Jack (2006) #1-4
- Punisher War Journal (2006) #14, 19-23
- Secret Warriors (2009) #1-6, 12-16, 20, 27-28
- International Iron Man (2016) #6-7
- Thunderbolts (2023) #1-4
Thunderbolts in Multimedia
The Thunderbolts were a lesser known team for a long time, but with Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* coming to theaters next year, now is their time to shine!
Catch up with the MCU characters with the watching guide below, then check out their animated and video game appearances too! The recommendations below include characters from both the live action team and the comics teams.
Don’t miss the Avengers Assemble (2013) animated series which spends the most screen time with the comics accurate team!
Thunderbolts in Marvel Studios:
- The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (2021) S1 E1-6
- Features Bucky and U.S. Agent!
- Black Widow (2021)
- Features Yelena, Alexei, and Taskmaster!
- Thunderbolts* (2024)
- Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes
- Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
- Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
- The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (2021) S1 E1-6
- Ghost, Ava Starr
- Ant-Man & The Wasp (2018)
- White Widow, Yelena Belova
- Black Widow (2021)
- Hawkeye (2021) S1 E4-6
- Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
- The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (2021) S1 E5-6
- Black Widow (2021)
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
Thunderbolts in Animation:
- Marvel Super Heroes: What The–?! (2009)
- Bucky: S1 E3-6, E15, E18, E31, E38, E45, E50, E53; Specials E2, E15, E25
- U.S. Agent: S1 E3
- Taskmaster: S1 E18, E47; Specials E2, E18, E24-25
- Sentry: S1 E15
- Marvel’s Avengers Assemble (2013)
- Thunderbolts: S3 E5-6
- Bucky: S2 E4; S3 E3; S5 E14
- Yelena: S3 E14; S4 E4, E8, E23; S5 E23
- Ghost: S3 E11; S4 E1, E4
- Taskmaster: S4 E6; S5 E9
Extra Bucky watching:
- Marvel Superheroes: Captain America (1966) S1 E1, E4, E6-7
- Ultimate Avengers: The Movie (2006)
- Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther (2006)
- Super Hero Squad Show (2009) S2 E3
- Avengers Micro Episodes: Captain America (2010) S1 E1-4
- Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (2010) S1 E4, E16, E19; S2 E9, E20-21, E26
- Ultimate Spider-Man (2012) S3 E15
- Marvel’s Avengers Assemble (2013) S2 E4; S3 E3; S5 E14
- Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers (2014) S1 E13, E17-20
- Marvel Future Avengers (2017) S1 E3-4, E8-9, E16-17, E26; S2 E11, E13
- Marvel’s Spider-Man (2017) S3 E3
- What If…? (2021) S1 E1, E5; S2 E2, E5
Extra Ghost watching:
- Iron Man: The Animated Series (1994) S2 E8
- Iron Man: Armored Adventures (2009) S1 E17, E21, E24; S2 E4, E11, E13
- Marvel’s Spider-Man (2017) S1 E8
Extra Taskmaster watching:
- Ultimate Spider-Man (2012) S1 E6, E8; S2 E16; S3 E3-8, E23
- Marvel’s Avengers Assemble (2013) S4 E6; S5 E9
- Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher (2014)
- Iron Man and Captain America: Heroes United (2014)
- Marvel Rising: Ultimate Comics (2019) S1 E6
Extra Val watching:
- Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (1998)
- Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (2010) S2 E21
Thunderbolts in Video Games:
- Marvel Super Hero Squad Online (2011)
- Marvel Puzzle Quest (2013)
- Marvel Heroes (2013)
- LEGO Marvel Super Heroes (2013)
- LEGO Marvel’s Avengers (2016)
- LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 (2017)
- Marvel: Avengers Alliance (2012)
- Marvel: Avengers Alliance Tactics (2014)
- Marvel: Avengers Alliance 2 (2016)
- Marvel Contest of Champions (2014)
- Marvel Realm of Champions (2020)
- Marvel Avengers Academy (2016)
- Marvel Super War (2019)
- Marvel Duel (2020)
- Marvel Future Revolution (2021)
Extra Bucky playing:
- Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (2006)
- Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (2009)
- Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order (2019)
- Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011)
- Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite (2017)
- Marvel Future Revolution (2021)
Extra Yelena playing:
- Punisher: No Mercy (2009)
Extra U.S. Agent playing:
- Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997)
- Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes (1998)
- Marvel vs. Capcom Origins (2012)
- Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (2006)
Extra Ghost playing:
- Iron Man 2 (2010)
- Marvel Future Fight (2015)
- Marvel Strike Force (2018)
Extra Taskmaster playing:
- Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011)
- Avengers Initiative (2012)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier – The Official Game (2014)
- Marvel Mighty Heroes (2015)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (2023)
- Marvel’s Avengers (2020)
Extra Sentry playing:
- Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (2009)
And that’s our guide to the Thunderbolts comics! Are you excited about their big team up next year? What do you think about the Dark Reign era of the Multiverse Saga? Let me know on X/Twitter @vinwriteswords and remember to follow the site on social media @MyCosmicCircus for more justice like lightning coming soon!
Also check out our full list of comics reading guides here, including Captain America Sam Wilson, She-Hulk, and more! To learn more about the Thunderbolts in the comics, visit the official Marvel Thunderbolts page!
Captain America Sam Wilson Comics Reading Guide
Are you new to comics? Try our Comics FAQ Guide, and find me on Twitter if you have any questions!
All comics images courtesy of Marvel Comics.
