Part Two Because I’m Obsessed With Them

@alittlepeculiar this is what I was talking about that one time

I'm plagued by the thunderbolts, have some randomly assorted headcanons

Ava, Bob, and Yelena yell cucumber instead of "bless you". They especially like yelling it at John because he finds it dumb and annoying. Bucky and Alexei are confused.

Ava and Yelena end up getting really close. Neither of them have had friends since childhood, so it's nice to connect with one another. They bully John together 💕

John gets his kid for the weekend. While he was a distracted father, he still knows HOW to take care of a kid. None of the others besides Alexei do and he can't believe how incompetent they are. Alexei likes John's kid because toddlers are easy to impress lmao.

You know the "life changing field trip with Zuko" thing from ATLA? Life changing field trip with Bucky. One way or another, Bucky either comes to an understanding or gets closer to the others on the team. Bob was thoroughly startled to find out that Bucky wasn't scary, just socially awkward

No one but John and Bucky knows how to cook. They don't even cook WELL, just passable. How everyone else has made it this far on take out and frozen meals is beyond them. Ava and Yelena go "how hard can it be?" And now they're yelling at Alexei to follow the recipe as he insists that he knows better and this will taste WAY better. Bob is quietly ordering pizza.

If things turn into a genuine screaming match on the team, Bob going "can we please calm down?" Makes everyone very bitterly simmer down because they know this a bit triggering for Bob

In general, I think they start to learn one anothers triggers and start being more mindful of them. Barely even consciously, but they've all felt that void inside them and don't like being the reason someone else feels it again.

Everyday Bob is blown away by what's happening around him and what's happened to these people. Like, while Bob had a rough life, it was a "normal" kind of rough. No experimentation, no super powers, no government plots. Just a normal guy dealt a terrible deck in life. He's spent the vast majority of his life with no powers.

Ava, Yelena and Bob decide to hang out one day as normal people. They are very bad at this and they come home with torn clothes and a cat.

I'll stop yapping for now, I just love them

Thunderbolts Family Dynamics

Because they're a family and you can't change my mind.

Bucky: Mom. But also older brother to Yelena, Ava, Bob, and John. Friends with Alexei. Ava and Bob are the youngest siblings, he protects them at all cost. Yelena is the younger sister that can take care of herself and beat him up but he still likes to look after her. John is the brother he makes fun of but still loves. Alexei is trying to co-parent Yelena and it's working somewhat.

John: Older brother to Yelena, Ava, Bob, younger brother to Bucky, some kind of cousin to Alexei kinda deal. Loves the girls, will protect them with his life because they're his little sisters. Bob is the younger brother, he is very protective and loves him, but he also gets quite a bit of the teasing. 100% goes 'you're not my mom' to Bucky, then rebels, then finds out Bucky was right. Is annoyed with Alexei a lot but sees that he's a useful member of the team and respects him(most of the time).

Yelena: Older sister to Bob, best friends with Ava, younger sister to John, daughter of Alexei, little sister of Bucky. Protects Bob with her life because he's just a little guy and she feels responsible. Ava is her go-to person for gossip and all matters of family drama, they make fun of John together, besties forever. John is the annoying older sibling she makes fun of but secretly is very fond of him. Alexei is her dad, like literally. Bucky is the older brother she's very close with because they have similar backgrounds.

Ava: Friend of Yelena, older sister-in-law of Bob, tries to ignore Alexei, little sister of John and Bucky. Gossip bestie/mock John together type of friend with Yelena, they share everyone else's embarrassing secrets. More distant with Bob, but is a friend in law and ends up getting to know him better and caring for him. Thinks Alexei is ridiculous but secretly loves watching him bother Yelena so she has blackmail for later. Bothers Walker non stop sibling like but will protect him. Mocks Bucky for being a mom but does listen to him.

Alexei: Self-proclaimed team dad. No one else thinks so. Father of Yelena and Bob, tries to be father of Ava and John(not working), biggest fangirl of the Winter Soldier. Even if he's a little eccentric he does care for Yelena, and adopted Bob too because he sees how much they love each other. Tries to help Ava and John but he's just a bit much at times. Acts like Bucky is his best comrade and will tell him every story he can think of. Is team morale, but no one wants the morale.

Bob: Younger brother to Yelena, Ava, and John. Son to Bucky and Alexei. Tends to look to Yelena for support and questions, will also look to Ava if Yelena isn't there. Despite bickering and teasing, he has grown closer to John and does see him as a brother(bother) figure. Likes Bucky and Alexei and loves that he has father like figures in his life who care for him and actually want him on their team.

This is how I write/interpret their relationships and these are just some of my thoughts, I would love to hear yours!

Thunderbolts Sparring

How good are all of the Thunderbolts(Yes I'm still calling them that I don't care) at sparring? This is what I think. List is from worst to best(Bob not included)

5. Alexei Shostakov: Yes, I know he's a super soldier, here me out. Alexei is very strong, but in a group like this, being strong isn't as big of an advantage as you would think. He can throw someone around yes, but does he seem like he has the amount of training everyone else has? No. Against unenhanced people he's amazing, when fighting with trained assassins? I actually think he would lose first.

4. John Walker: Yes, he's like, the best in the military, that's also not super cool compared to some training the others have. I do think he would beat Alexei in a fight because he has the same strength but more training, but he would lose to some of the others because they are trained better, have different skills, and have more control over their strength. I do like to think he's somewhat still learning how to control his strength. Even though he has military training, with the serum he seems like he would rely more on his strength than skill to take down an opponent.

3. Ava Starr: She would be so much higher if she could throw a punch better. With her skillet, she doesn't even need to fight and she would be absolutely amazing at dodging. I think she would easily beat John and Alexei by dodging and trowing a few well aimed punches. Though I don't think she is the best and hand to hand fighting. With a weapon? Amazing, you're probably not winning. Hand to hand? She probably needs a little bit of practice. She seems more of a spy with a gun than a soldier.

2. Yelena Belova: She's a widow, what else do you want? I think she would be able to beat both previous super soldiers because her fighting style is so different and she's very quick on her feet. I think she could also beat Ava because quick enough reflexes would be able to get her before she phases again. She was an assassin, she could definitely beat around a lot of people.

1. Bucky Barnes: I headcannon that he trained the young widows in the Red Room so yes, I think he could beat Yelena in a sparring match. Maybe it would go back and forth a bit, but for the most part I think Bucky would be able to win. He was an assassin for far longer, has the super soldier serum, and has a vibranium arm.

These are just my thoughts and how I write the characters, I would love to hear how anyone else interprets their fighting styles!!!

the day people stop dropping brain dead john walker (mcu) takes is the day i will finally know peace

like he’s such a morally complex and interesting character who was a perfect narrative foil to sam and the long-standing arc of what it means to pick up that shield and be captain america. he perfectly displays the sentiment we got back in the first captain america movie “not a great soldier, but a good man”. the us government picks a great soldier, the greatest one they have available. they do not understand that being captain america is so much more than that. a guy like john walker thrives in the morally grey environments of war but you make him the beacon of morality and goodness that is captain america and he crumbles. he was not made for it. the us military made him into a soldier, a weapon, and asked him to be something else. he acts the way that a soldier acts, does what a soldier would do, but captain america was never supposed to be a soldier, so he fucks up and makes the wrong decisions at almost every turn. he’s doing his best but he wasn’t built for this so it isn’t enough

his character is also such a good commentary on the us military, how the government asks terrible and life ruining things of its soldiers and then leaves them behind at its earliest convenience.

like john walker is the definition of “i am what you made me”. they made him exactly who he is, he lived his life by their mandates, he did everything they ever asked of him, and it wasn’t enough because they asked him to do something he could never do, stop being a soldier

"It's character building!" I say as I put him in the worst situations imaginable

Feeling insane about this

Not Your Little Toy Soldiers

Summary: A rewrite of the end of Thunderbolts*. They're not the New Avengers, they don't work for Val, they don't live in Avengers Tower, they're not mad at Sam, and they're a family who cares for each other. Also they watch Star Wars together.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/65367943

bucky in fic: steve u asshole u could’ve been killed! what were u thinking? let me bandage u up and get u a nice cup of tea, i love u so much

actual bucky: