AU Thunderbolts Dramatis Personae
Nov. 30th, 2025 06:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ptahrrificI'm doing the Thunderbolts* storyline in the Cover of Knight universe, and it has So Many characters from so many different Marvel properties, I figured I should make a reference list.
Comment if there's any detail you think I should add!
(I have no idea how comprehensible the plot is if you haven't seen Thunderbolts*. Guess we'll find out.)
If you don't want to go through the whole CoK Reading Guide, here's a sampling of Thunderbolts-style missions, as led by Yelena and/or Bucky:
In order by last name:
🦾 Bucky Barnes: Subject of a knockoff super-soldier program, part of the Avengers for a while, now in Congress for some reason. Secretly dating Sam, trusted colleagues with Yelena, trauma buddies with Marc. Too many MCU appearances to list.
📍 Ruth Bat-Seraph: Former Black Widow, turned US national security adviser. Only seen in Cap 4: Brave New World.
📍 Jeanne-Marie and Aurora Beaubier: Two headmates in the same DID system. Taken from the comics, so here's my MCU-ified version of their backstory: former Black Widow, got superpowers (flight + super-speed) by going through a witch hex, trusted friends with Yelena, trauma/DID buddies with the Moon Knights. (Other headmates from brief comicverse cameos.)
📍 Yelena Belova: Former Black Widow, now running a team of scrappy antiheroes, definitely not dating Kate. Pre-Thunderbolts, appeared in Black Widow and Hawkeye (TV).
🏹 Kate Bishop: Rising young Hawkeye, kind-of apprenticed to Clint, totally not dating Yelena. Appeared in Hawkeye (TV), plus a cameo in The Marvels.
🏛️ Contessa Valentina Allegra De Fontaine: CIA director, strong female role model, has never done anything wrong in her life. Pre-Thunderbolts, appeared in Black Widow (post-credits), The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (TV), and Wakanda Forever.
🐞 Layla El-Faouly: Avatar to the Egyptian god Taweret, in a polycule with Marc+Steven+Jake. Only seen in Moon Knight (TV), but that won't stop me.
🌙 Marc, Steven, and Jake "Knight": Three headmates in the same DID system, avatar to the Egyptian god Khonshu, in a polycule with each other and Layla. Only seen in Moon Knight (TV), but that's what fic is for. (One more headmate from a comicverse AU, met in this fic.)
⬣ Wanda Maximoff: Scarlet Witch, loving mom. No Multiverse of Madness in this continuity; instead, she got therapy post-Westview, reconnected with friends, eventually re-manifested the Minimoffs, and is now running a comicverse-inspired shop with a magic door. Too many MCU appearances to list.
📱 Mel (last name TBD): Assistant to Valentina. Introduced in Thunderbolts.
🦄 Bucky Monroe: Adopted daughter of Jack Monroe. Taken from the comics...and not changed much, except that she's age four now.
💪 Jack Monroe: Also from the comics, where he was specifically made to be a knockoff of Bucky Barnes. MCU-ified version of his backstory: he's from a whole knockoff super-soldier program, still traveled the US as a nomadic do-gooder (with an accidentally-acquired baby), and was eventually recruited by Valentina.
🌌 Bob Reynolds: Man of mystery! Introduced in Thunderbolts.
💪 Alexei Shostakov: Subject of a knockoff super-soldier program, spent a while on an undercover mission with the child Yelena and Natasha as his fake daughters. Pre-Thunderbolts, only seen in the Black Widow movie.
👻 Ava Starr: Subject of messed-up child experiments, has mysterious quantum powers, eventually recruited by Valentina. Pre-Thunderbolts, only seen in Ant-Man 2.
💪 John Walker: Briefly the new Captain America, injected himself with the serum from a knockoff super-soldier program, eventually recruited by Valentina. Pre-Thunderbolts, only seen in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (TV).
⍟ Sam Wilson: Currently the new Captain America, secretly dating Bucky. Too many MCU appearances to list.
Comment if there's any detail you think I should add!
(I have no idea how comprehensible the plot is if you haven't seen Thunderbolts*. Guess we'll find out.)
⚡️Past Missions Reading Shortlist
If you don't want to go through the whole CoK Reading Guide, here's a sampling of Thunderbolts-style missions, as led by Yelena and/or Bucky:
- CoK 15: Las Vegas (Bucky+Sam, Team MK, Layla; finding out about the Marc/Layla/Steven polycule)
- CoK 34: Brush Tunnel (Bucky+Sam, Yelena+Kate, Team MK; finding out about Sam/Bucky)
- Stars That Have A Different Birth (Yelena+Kate, Team MK, the Beaubiers; mutual finding-out that MK and the Beaubiers are plural)
- Meeting the Team 3: Under the Hood (Yelena, a big team, including Jack+Bucky Monroe)
- Come In From The Night (Bucky+Sam, Walker, Team MK, Layla; when Bucky+Sam found out MK was plural)
- Reveals 21: Bucharest (Bucky, Yelena, Team MK, the Beaubiers; when Bucky found out the Beaubiers were plural)
- Travels 1: A Week In NYC (Team MK, Layla, cameos including Bucky and Yelena)
⚡️Cast of Characters
In order by last name:
🦾 Bucky Barnes: Subject of a knockoff super-soldier program, part of the Avengers for a while, now in Congress for some reason. Secretly dating Sam, trusted colleagues with Yelena, trauma buddies with Marc. Too many MCU appearances to list.
- Some past fic appearances (mostly with Sam): making friends with Marc, meeting Steven, meeting Jake, being in Marc's emergency contacts, finding out the Knights are a system, Thanksgiving with Layla+Knights and Wanda
📍 Ruth Bat-Seraph: Former Black Widow, turned US national security adviser. Only seen in Cap 4: Brave New World.
📍 Jeanne-Marie and Aurora Beaubier: Two headmates in the same DID system. Taken from the comics, so here's my MCU-ified version of their backstory: former Black Widow, got superpowers (flight + super-speed) by going through a witch hex, trusted friends with Yelena, trauma/DID buddies with the Moon Knights. (Other headmates from brief comicverse cameos.)
- Some past fic appearances: Meeting the Moon Knights, meeting Layla, bonding with the Knights, mission with Bucky + Yelena, discovering their third headmate, at the end of BNW
(Visual reference, left to right: la petite, Jeanne-Marie, Aurora, Trinity, Four, Five)
📍 Yelena Belova: Former Black Widow, now running a team of scrappy antiheroes, definitely not dating Kate. Pre-Thunderbolts, appeared in Black Widow and Hawkeye (TV).
🏹 Kate Bishop: Rising young Hawkeye, kind-of apprenticed to Clint, totally not dating Yelena. Appeared in Hawkeye (TV), plus a cameo in The Marvels.
- Some past fic appearances (Yelena+Kate): awkward team-up with Steven, battle aftermath with Sam + Bucky and Marc, mission with the Beaubiers, visiting Clint with the Beaubiers
(Visual reference for Kate and Yelena) (and Deadpool)
🏛️ Contessa Valentina Allegra De Fontaine: CIA director, strong female role model, has never done anything wrong in her life. Pre-Thunderbolts, appeared in Black Widow (post-credits), The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (TV), and Wakanda Forever.
🐞 Layla El-Faouly: Avatar to the Egyptian god Taweret, in a polycule with Marc+Steven+Jake. Only seen in Moon Knight (TV), but that won't stop me.
🌙 Marc, Steven, and Jake "Knight": Three headmates in the same DID system, avatar to the Egyptian god Khonshu, in a polycule with each other and Layla. Only seen in Moon Knight (TV), but that's what fic is for. (One more headmate from a comicverse AU, met in this fic.)
- Characters on this list who know the Moon Knights are plural, with links to the fic/chapter where they found out: Layla (in canon), Wanda, Kate and the Beaubiers (Yelena already suspected), Bucky and Sam
(Visual reference, left to right: Marc, Layla, Steven, Jake)
⬣ Wanda Maximoff: Scarlet Witch, loving mom. No Multiverse of Madness in this continuity; instead, she got therapy post-Westview, reconnected with friends, eventually re-manifested the Minimoffs, and is now running a comicverse-inspired shop with a magic door. Too many MCU appearances to list.
- Some past fic appearances: lots, but the series of adventures at the shop with the Last Door is the main one to know here
📱 Mel (last name TBD): Assistant to Valentina. Introduced in Thunderbolts.
🦄 Bucky Monroe: Adopted daughter of Jack Monroe. Taken from the comics...and not changed much, except that she's age four now.
💪 Jack Monroe: Also from the comics, where he was specifically made to be a knockoff of Bucky Barnes. MCU-ified version of his backstory: he's from a whole knockoff super-soldier program, still traveled the US as a nomadic do-gooder (with an accidentally-acquired baby), and was eventually recruited by Valentina.
- Past fic appearance (Jack+little Bucky): cameos in this Yelena-led rescue mission
(Visual reference for Jack Monroe and little Bucky)
🌌 Bob Reynolds: Man of mystery! Introduced in Thunderbolts.
💪 Alexei Shostakov: Subject of a knockoff super-soldier program, spent a while on an undercover mission with the child Yelena and Natasha as his fake daughters. Pre-Thunderbolts, only seen in the Black Widow movie.
👻 Ava Starr: Subject of messed-up child experiments, has mysterious quantum powers, eventually recruited by Valentina. Pre-Thunderbolts, only seen in Ant-Man 2.
💪 John Walker: Briefly the new Captain America, injected himself with the serum from a knockoff super-soldier program, eventually recruited by Valentina. Pre-Thunderbolts, only seen in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (TV).
- Past fic appearance: part of this Bucky-led mission at Rabbi Spector's synagogue
(Visual reference, left to right: Alexei, Bucky, Walker, Ava, Yelena)
⍟ Sam Wilson: Currently the new Captain America, secretly dating Bucky. Too many MCU appearances to list.
- Some past fic appearances: (...just reread the list with Bucky, the big Sam moments are all there)
