Character Relationship Map: Thunderbolts*

Characters

• Yelena Belova (played by Florence Pugh) — protagonist

  Elite Black Widow assassin and Natasha's sister figure.

• Bucky Barnes (played by Sebastian Stan) — supporting

  WWII soldier turned brainwashed assassin, later Winter Soldier.

• Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) — supporting

  CIA director manipulating superhumans.

• Alexei Shostakov (played by David Harbour) — supporting

  Russian spy and Black Widow's adoptive father.

• John Walker (played by Wyatt Russell) — supporting

  Government-appointed Captain America.

• Antonia Dreykov (played by Olga Kurylenko) — supporting

  Dreykov's daughter, transformed into Taskmaster.

• Mel (played by Geraldine Viswanathan) — supporting

  Valentina's assistant.

• Ava Starr (played by Hannah John-Kamen) — supporting

  Quantum unstable villain.

• Valentina's Father (played by Stefano Carannante) — minor

  Valentina's parent.

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Valentina's Father → Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (father)
• Bucky Barnes → Ava Starr (Power Captive Handler) — Ava is temporarily under Bucky's authority before their goals align.

  Bucky captures Ava with the other operatives and later brings the group to New York.

• Bucky Barnes → John Walker (Power Captive Handler) — Bucky first detains Walker, then redirects him toward the rescue mission.

  Bucky captures Walker and takes the group toward New York to infiltrate the Watchtower.

• Bucky Barnes → Yelena Belova (Power Captive Handler) — Bucky temporarily controls Yelena's movement for a political investigation.

  Bucky captures Yelena with the other survivors and intends to have them testify in the impeachment proceedings.

• Yelena Belova → Alexei Shostakov (Family Father Figure) — Alexei protects Yelena in a parental role during the crisis.

  The plot identifies Alexei as Yelena's father-figure, and he rescues her after overhearing Valentina's plan.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Valentina Allegra de Fontaine → Bucky Barnes (Conflict Political Adversary) — Bucky's congressional investigation directly threatens Valentina's position.

  Bucky investigates Valentina's actions and intends to use the captured operatives as witnesses in her impeachment proceedings.

• Mel → Bucky Barnes (Narrative Informant) — Mel provides Bucky with information that changes the investigation.

  Mel tips Bucky off about what has happened and about the danger surrounding the volunteer.

• Alexei Shostakov → Ava Starr (Alliance Rescuer And Ally) — His intervention enables Ava to continue with the team.

  Alexei rescues Ava together with Yelena and Walker.

• Alexei Shostakov → John Walker (Alliance Rescuer And Ally) — Alexei directly helps Walker rejoin the group.

  Alexei rescues Walker along with Yelena and Ava after they survive the compound.

• John Walker → Antonia Dreykov (Conflict Assigned Rival) — Their conflict is created by Valentina's attempted cover-up.

  Walker and Antonia are among the operatives ordered into a fight to the death at the O.X.E. facility.

• Yelena Belova → Antonia Dreykov (Conflict Assigned Rival) — They are positioned as enemies by Valentina's lethal assignment.

  Valentina sends Yelena and Antonia into the same facility with orders for the operatives to kill one another.

• Ava Starr → Antonia Dreykov (Conflict Combatant) — Their direct confrontation ends with Antonia's death.

  During the fight at the covert facility, Ava kills Antonia.

• John Walker → Ava Starr (Alliance Teammate) — They function as members of the same improvised team.

  Walker and Ava cooperate with Yelena after surviving the O.X.E. facility trap.

• Yelena Belova → Ava Starr (Alliance Teammate) — Ava becomes one of Yelena's key allies against Valentina's scheme.

  Yelena and Ava escape the compound together after realizing that Valentina intended to destroy them.

• Yelena Belova → John Walker (Alliance Teammate) — Their hostile assignment changes into practical cooperation within the team.

  After discovering Valentina's trap, Yelena and Walker work together with the others to escape.

Story Analysis

Expendable operatives become a reluctant team and overcome a supernatural crisis through trust, shared trauma, and collective compassion.

Plot Progression

1. The Disposable Operatives — Yelena destroys a Kuala Lumpur laboratory for Valentina, while a group of operatives is sent into a lethal O.X.E. facility. The survivors discover that the mission is designed to erase both people and...
2. Escape From The Cover-Up — The surviving operatives cooperate after recognizing Valentina's betrayal. An amnesiac volunteer displays unexplained powers, and Alexei rescues the group from the compound.
3. A Team Without A Banner — Walker names the group the Thunderbolts, while Bucky captures them for an impeachment investigation. Mel's warning redirects the group toward the Watchtower and Valentina's public scheme.
4. The Void Over New York — Valentina attempts to use the super-powered volunteer as a public protector. The failsafe triggers the Void, which covers New York in darkness and forces civilians into traumatic visions.
5. Belief In The Darkness — Yelena enters the volunteer's consciousness and confronts memories connected to her own past. The team reaches the core trauma together and helps the volunteer regain control of the Void.