Best Thunderbolts Easter eggs and Marvel references you missed

The Thunderbolts have arrived, bringing the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Five to a close. As is the case with all Marvel movies, there are plenty of Easter eggs and nods to the comics peppered throughout. 

This time, the story follows a team of antiheroes led by Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) as they’re sent on a covert mission by Valentina “Val” Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). 

Along the way, the Thunderbolts face the emergence of Marvel’s most powerful and dangerous new character: the Sentry (Lewis Pullman), a hero cursed with a destructive dark side known as the Void.

Since the story focuses more on character dynamics and emotional fallout than on multiversal chaos, the Easter eggs are a little more subtle. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t there – you just have to know where to look. Warning: spoilers ahead!

Thunderbolts Easter eggs

Below, we’ve picked out the 10 best Easter eggs in Thunderbolts, from Marvel Comics nods to Avengers references. 

The Red Hulk

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At the beginning of the new MCU movie, Val sits before an impeachment committee where she justifies her actions of seeking to make a new “superperson,” telling the board, “You’ll recall that our last President turned into a bright red superhuman monster who nearly destroyed this city.”

She is, of course, referring to Captain America: Brave New World. Specifically, the moment then-POTUS Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) transformed into the Red Hulk.

Battle of New York gala 

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Also early on in Thunderbolts is a gala Bucky attends commemorating the Battle of New York, the infamous fight of the Avengers against Loki and his Chitauri army in the 2012 flick The Avengers. 

As well as this nod, the gala itself has a number of artifacts there, including Loki’s Scepter and some Chitauri handcuffs. There’s also the giant Avengers “A” from Stark Tower, the only letter remaining after the battle. 

Mel’s necklace

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One of the biggest mysteries of Thunderbolts is if Val’s assistant Mel (Geraldine Viswanathan) has ties to the Marvel Comics. Although we don’t find out by the end of the film, there are plenty of theories that she’s meant to be Melissa Gold, aka Songbird, an OG Thunderbolt. 

The reason being that she wears a gold necklace with a songbird on it. This could mean she’ll have more of a significant role moving forward, or it may just be a fun little nod to the original comic book team. Either way, it’s a subtle yet smart hint. 

OXE Group’s shady business 

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It’s revealed that Val has been heading up a shady organization called the OXE Group, through which she’s been running illegal human experimentation for Project Sentry, in a bid to create the ultimate superhero.

It’s this morally bankrupt operation that leads to the birth of Bob Reynolds’ the Sentry… and eventually the Void. While it’s the first time OXE has been in the MCU, fans of the comics might recognize the name. 

OXE was first introduced in Ultimate Fallout #3 in 2011, where it’s said to be the “largest holding company in the world.” Not unlike its MCU counterpart, it’s founded by Val, who uses it for her black ops projects.

Our powerful new “golden guardian” the Sentry

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The introduction of the Sentry comes with several nods to his comic book origins. When Yelena digs into Project Sentry, she uncovers a costume design with a distinctive “S” logo, one that mirrors the emblem seen in the original Marvel Comics. 

He’s described with various phrases pulled directly from the source material, including the “golden guardian of good” and possessing the “power of 1000 exploding suns.” The latter is a slightly downgraded version of the original “a million exploding suns.”

Val also calls him “Earth’s mightiest hero,” a twist on the Avengers’ iconic label. 

Throwback to Thor

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One of many Avengers nods arrives as the Sentry challenges Val. She’s trying to get him to follow her orders, but he’s having none of it, saying he’s too powerful. 

“You need to do what I say, Robert,” she says, to which the Sentry asks, “Why?… You said I was all powerful, invincible, and stronger than the whole team of Avengers, which includes at least one God.”

This little comment is actually a reference to the one and only God of Thunder, Thor. 

Black Widow’s legacy

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Yelena may be carving her own path as a New Avenger, but she’s still clearly carrying Natasha Romanoff’s legacy. Throughout Thunderbolts, she wears the same signature belt once worn by her sister, only the hourglass symbol is simply metal instead of red. 

It’s a subtle tribute to the original Black Widow and a visual reminder of how far Yelena has come since we first met her.

A different kind of Captain America 

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During the team’s escape from the OXE vault, John Walker, aka US Agent (Wyatt Russell), uses his shield to free Ava Starr’s Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen). When he does so, he shouts, “On your left!”

If you’re a dedicated MCU fan, you’ll know it’s a callback to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, where Steve Rogers teases Sam Wilson with the same phrase. 

Later, it became one of the most iconic lines in Avengers: Endgame, when Sam gets to say it back to his bestie ahead of the epic battle. 

The Watchtower

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After purchasing the iconic Avengers Tower, Val reveals she’s named it the Watchtower, which now serves as the New Avengers’ headquarters. 

This isn’t just a cool rebrand. In the comics, the Sentry’s Watchtower was hidden in plain sight, built atop Stark Tower but magically obscured from everyone’s perception.

The building only became visible after the Sentry rejoined the New Avengers and began confronting his fractured memories. Naming it the Watchtower in Thunderbolts is a clever nod to this part of Sentry’s origin.

The Fantastic Four make their First Steps

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In the film’s post-credits scene, the MCU sets up its next big arrival when a sleek spacecraft flies through the atmosphere and heads straight for Earth-616. Yelena pulls up a satellite image to reveal the F4 logo. 

But that’s not all. As it approaches, the unmistakable Fantastic Four theme music begins to play. The brief moment teases Marvel’s First Family’s debut in the MCU with the upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps, while tying Thunderbolts into the wider Phase Six slate. 

Thunderbolts is in cinemas now. If you’ve seen it and don’t mind spoilers, here’s a breakdown of the ending. You can also read about why Baron Zemo isn’t in the movie, how the post-credits scene breaks an MCU record, and how much it needs to make at the box office.