Marvel's New Thunderbolts & X-Force Team

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Red Hulk will lead the new Thunderbolts team consisting of Elektra, Venom, Deadpool, and The Punisher!




















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The Punisher is wearing Hawkeye's mask!

In the history of the Thunderbolts, they usually have been considered a super-villain team, having guys like Baron Zemo and Norman Osborn as leaders at different times in past, but recently since the Heroic Age, they were reformatted by Captain America and S.H.I.E.L.D with Luke Cage leading the villainous team, but instead of doing acts of evil they go out on missions to redeem themselves for lighter sentencing.  

Writer Daniel Way will not make the new Thunderbolts a covert black ops team like Secret Avengers or Uncanny X-Force, but it also won't be a government sponsored team.  The purpose of the Thunderbolts is to go out and rid any evil in a loud and violent way.  The characters chosen aren't villains, but they're antiheroes.  With General Ross (Red Hulk) leading the new team, he brings an excellent military background so he's very strategic and also is a former Avenger.  However, he has had questionable method of "getting the job done right' in the past.  As for the other members, they always have worked alone or were outcasts which can become one of the common grounds for coming together.  They might not like each other but they will understand that the job needs to get done.  The series will be released in December, 2012.

source: Comicbookmovie.com


My Thoughts
I really like the new team and its direction.  I believe the story and the new Thunderbolts will bring a great dynamic to Marvel's comics because Marvel doesn't really have a team full of psychotic killers against forces evil.  There have been crossovers and team-ups similar to this but they have lasted a short arc.  The relaunch looks very interesting and promising to me because it seems like these solo antiheroes and outcasts are brought together because they all never really had anyone they can call an trustworthy partner or have reliable teammates.  Overall I like the attitude this series can bring: "shoot and kill first, ask questions never."

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New X-Force Team

In another team relaunch news, X-Force is being retooled and brought back under Cable's control in Cable and the X-Force #1.  Cable rounds up Forge, Domino, Dr. Nemesis, and Colossus.  The book will be written by Dennis Hopeless with art by Salvador Larroca.

Just like the original X-Force comics in the 90s, Cable will helm the team.  This means the current X-Force and Uncanny X-Force will becoming to an end.  I haven't kept up with the series lately but there are many fans that liked the tone that it portrayed.  With Marvel Now's Cable & X-Force #1 the story will focus on a newly formed team on the run as outlaws after being framed for a terrorist threat.  Like the current series, the new one will be a covert black ops team.  

As far as the roster, I feel like it has the potential to expand.  It won't be as big as The Avengers 18 plus roster, but I wouldn't be surprised to see 2 or 3 mutants added to the roster in the future.  Guys like Warpath or Fantomex are currently X-Force members that should be on the relaunched team.  Personally I  would really like to see Cyclops join the team because of the events from Avengers vs X-Men, while having the time-traveled Cyclops and the rest of the First Class from the past to stay on the X-Men team.  

Source: comicvine.com