The One Marvel TV Villain the Thunderbolts Sequel Can't Afford to Ignore
Thunderbolts* was supposed to be the MCU’s villain squad; now it’s shaping up like a New Avengers outing — and it may still unleash one of Marvel’s most ruthless foes.
When Marvel rolled out Thunderbolts*, most of us expected a dirty dozen of supervillains. Instead, the lineup read more like a New Avengers pit stop. That said, there is one brutally efficient wild card who could make a sequel a lot more dangerous: Bullseye. And thanks to Daredevil: Born Again, the MCU already has a version of him with real momentum.
Why Bullseye actually makes sense for Thunderbolts*
Bullseye is Daredevil's recurring nightmare, and in Born Again he is played by Wilson Bethel as Benjamin 'Dex' Poindexter. The show gives Dex a fresh arc that, frankly, slides him neatly toward a government-sanctioned black-ops team.
In the comics, Baron Helmut Zemo is the guy who originally pulls the Thunderbolts together. Later, Norman Osborn takes over, and that is when Bullseye is planted on the roster as a sleeper agent. Osborn even repurposes him into the Dark Avengers as their 'Hawkeye' at the exact moment H.A.M.M.E.R. replaces S.H.I.E.L.D. as the top spy outfit. It is a nasty bit of role-play that suits Bullseye's particular flavor of precision carnage.
Born Again adds another wrinkle: Season 1 makes it clear Dex was being manipulated and was not the hand behind the most brutal recent events. Paired with his history and his psychological issues, that twist keeps him viable for a redemption-adjacent team without sanding off his edges. If Marvel wants to supercharge Thunderbolts*, Bullseye instantly raises the ceiling. And if the franchise keeps leaning New Avengers-ish, he could still function as the team's Hawkeye stand-in, which he has literally done before on the page.
Where Born Again is taking him next
Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again puts Bullseye right back in the mix. After the Season 1 finale, Dex is heading for a faceoff with Mayor Wilson Fisk, which is a fun sentence to write. While Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin is rolling out bigger plans to cut down New York's vigilantes, Matt Murdock is out recruiting allies for an old-school street fight with City Hall. Set photos suggest Bullseye may actually team with Daredevil this time, which is all kinds of messy in a good way.
Wilson Bethel has also been hinting at more to come beyond Season 2. In an interview, he said:
'As some of you might know, we've already got picked up for another new season that we will start doing next year. We'll have more Bullseye on the way and Kingpin and all the rest.'
He also teased that Season 2 digs deeper into Dex's 'interesting, messed-up' headspace, with more to play for the character.
The basics, if you need them
- Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 is expected March 4, 2026 on Disney+; Season 1 is streaming now.
- Cast includes Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Jon Bernthal, and Wilson Bethel as Bullseye.
- Creators tied to the series: Dario Scardapane, Matt Corman, and Chris Ord.
- Current status: 1 season released, Season 2 announced, with Bethel teasing another season after that.
- Scoreboard: IMDb 8.1/10, Rotten Tomatoes 87%.
- Comics context: Thunderbolts were formed by Baron Helmut Zemo; Bullseye later joins under Norman Osborn as a sleeper agent and serves as 'Hawkeye' for the Dark Avengers when H.A.M.M.E.R. replaces S.H.I.E.L.D.
Bottom line: if Marvel wants Thunderbolts* to feel truly volatile, Bullseye is the move. Drop him into that lineup and suddenly the 'government team of antiheroes' pitch has teeth. Tell me: are you into the idea of Dex suiting up with them, or would you rather see him stick to tormenting Daredevil?