Warning: Contains spoilers forThunderbolts Annual #1 (2013)!TheAvengerssharing shawarma after the Battle of New York is one of the most iconic moments in the entire MCU, but aThunderboltscomic suggests there’s more going on behind the scenes than just teammates sharing a meal. What seemed like a fun stinger to cap offThe Avengersmay actually have major ramifications for the entire multiverse, thanks to the actions of a lesser-known Marvel Comics organization.
…audiences might be missing a major piece of the MCU puzzle.
Thunderbolts Annual#1 (2013), written by Ben Acker, Ben Blacker, with art by Matteo Lolli and James Campbell, features a twist ending that recontextualizes one ofMarvel’s most famous post-credits scenes. The team embarks on a high-stakes mission, and after defeating the issue’s villain,the Thunderbolts have their memories of the adventure erased, replaced instead with a pleasant shawarma lunch.
The memory alteration is carried out by Pandora Peters, an agent of the Wizardry Alchemy Necromancy Department, a division within SHIELD at the time.This wild development casts doubt on the validity ofThe Avengers’shawarma scene.
A Throwaway MCU Joke Has Serious Implications in Marvel’s Main Comics Universe
An Old Thunderbolts Comic Spills the Secrets of Shawarma with W.A.N.D.
The ending of 2013’sThunderbolts Annualisn’t the only time aMarvel comic expanded on the Avengers sharing shawarmain their first big crossover film, but it does provide more opportunity for intense speculation and theories that could change everything within both movies and comics. If the shawarma lunch this Thunderbolts team shared is really covering up a mission for a clandestine magic group, it’s worth wondering if there’s a similar situation going on for the MCU’s Avengers.Even beyond shawarma,W.A.N.D. could be covering up the knowledge of countless adventures by replacing them with casual memories.
Doctor Doom Really Likes One of the Thunderbolts, Teasing Their Future In the MCU
Doctor Doom and the Thunderbolts are about to make their MCU debut, which is why it’s interesting that Doom admits to liking one member in the comics.
The Thunderbolts team in this comicis made up of some serious Marvel heavy-hitters, along with many characters who have already made their MCU debut, including Red Hulk, Punisher, Deadpool, Elsa Bloodstone, Elektra, and more.If all of these powerful heroes can have their memories edited by W.A.N.D., the same could be said for the Avengers line-up–especially with its connection to SHIELD, which played a major role in the 2012 film. In the comics, Pandora Peters reformed the magical group after SHIELD was disbanded, and has even recruited MCU fan-favorite Wong to the team since then.
TheThunderbolts Annual’sClever Punchline Has Potential to Shake Up Marvel’s Entire Multiverse
Could W.A.N.D. Make the Leap From the Comics to the MCU?
Even though both theAvengerspost-credits scene and theThunderbolts Annualending are clearly just meant to be fun, the reveal still creates implications that could be groundbreaking if explored further. If W.A.N.D. exists within the MCU, and has a more prominent role in Marvel Comics’ Earth-616 than is known,their memory-editing might hide some major Marvel secrets.There are already theories that the upcomingThunderboltsfilm introducingthe Sentry could rewrite the MCU’s historylike his debut did in Marvel Comics, so perhaps W.A.N.D. has already been making big moves behind the scenes.
Tangible connections between the MCU and comics universes are usually left unconfirmed, with current series likeTVAbasically using the MCU’s Scarlet Witchwhile also trying to make it clear that it’s just an identical variant. However, theThunderbolts Annual’s reveal could be a clever way to retcon some major developments into seemingly minor moments, and also raise the profile of W.A.N.D. in the comics and beyond. If theAvengers’shawarma scene is actually a product of the same mind manipulation used on theThunderbolts, then audiences might be missing a major piece of the MCU puzzle.
