Marvel Studios will be introducing a new team in Phase 5's Thunderbolts that may help to solve one annoying issue with killing off the superheroes of the MCU. While the MCU's heroes more-often-than-not defeat their villains and save the day, they also regularly embark on dangerous and potentially-fatal missions, and this has sometimes culminated in their tragic deaths. Notably, Iron Man, Black Widow, T'Challa's Black Panther, Vision, Gamora, Quicksilver, and several others have been tragically added to the roster of all the heroes killed off in the MCU, but the relatively Avengers-focused nature of the MCU means that too many of these deaths would be detrimental to the MCU's future. However, this could soon change.

Featuring major characters' deaths in the MCU highlights the realism of the franchise, and the real stakes of going up against seemingly unstoppable villains such as Ultron, Thanos, and Kang the Conqueror. However, killing off too many high-profile heroes would have a serious impact on the popularity of the MCU and hope for the future of the franchise, which has made it difficult for recent projects in the MCU timeline to accurately depict the extent of the danger facing the MCU's heroes. This has become even more evident in Phase 5, but one upcoming project may have a hand in solving this issue, potentially paving a more realistic and unexpected future for the MCU.

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Phase 5's Death Fakeouts Show The MCU Needs Thunderbolts

Since Marvel Studios seems to be afraid to kill off its heroes, two projects in the MCU's Phase 5 have featured death "fakeouts", setting up beloved heroes to meet their ends before saving them at the last moment. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania saw Paul Rudd's Scott Lang controversially defeat the Multiverse Saga's overarching villain, Kang the Conqueror, despite Quantumania being heavily teased to feature his death. Similarly, many expected at least one member of the titular team to die in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but Chris Pratt's Star-Lord was saved moments before freezing to death in space, completely subverting audiences' expectations of James Gunn's final MCU film.

This hints at a larger problem for Marvel Studios with the current state of the MCU, as every single hero appears to be too important to the story to kill off, or too new for their death to have any real impact. While this problem has the potential to continue, Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts may drastically shift this perspective, bringing back established characters who could certainly die during Phase 5, though their deaths probably wouldn't have a serious detrimental effect on the MCU's future. Similarly to DC's Suicide Squad, Thunderbolts could be the perfect opportunity to bring stakes and danger back to the MCU, without really impacting the franchise's subsequent stories.

Related: Marvel's Thunderbolts: Cast, Release Date & Everything We Know

How Thunderbolts Can Set Up Some Big Franchise Changes

Not only could Thunderbolts feature the deaths of some already-established MCU characters - having some impact, but not too much - the Phase 5 film will also benefit several other aspects of the MCU. The formation of the Thunderbolts team in the MCU suggests that Marvel Studios is putting focus on expanding the franchise into new teams outside the Avengers. With so many new heroes being introduced in Phases 4 and 5, this could be a great way to compartmentalize the MCU and make the separated storylines easier to follow. Thunderbolts will also provide closure to several underused characters whose fates are uncertain, such as Ghost, Taskmaster, and Red Guardian.