Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes. Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan. Falcon, now Captain America and the Winter Soldier. Anyway, however you want to name this duo, it’s a pretty iconic one. In fact, Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes even had a whole MCU Disney+ show all to themselves,

While stopping a conflict between the United States and Japan at Celestial Island, Sam Wilson/Captain America (Anthony Mackie) watches his protege, Joaquin Torres/Falcon (Danny Ramirez), get shot out of the air. He lands in the Indian Ocean, and luckily, a search team finds him.

This timeline tells us that Thunderbolts* will happen either soon after the events in Brave New World or a little later down the road. Whatever the case, Congressman James Buchanan Barnes will be elected to office before he and the Thunderbolts become the New Avengers.