At San Diego Comic-Con 2022, Marvel officially announced that the Thunderbolts movie is releasing on July 26, 2024 as the last film in Marvel’s “Phase 5.” The film was first confirmed to be in development in June of 2022, and Jake Schreier, most well-known for directing Paper Towns, was tapped to direct. No other details have been released about the film’s plot, cast, or crew. However, as always, comic book material and speculation can go a long way in uncovering potential details about projects.
In the comic books, the Thunderbolts were part of a supervillain group created by Baron Zemo. In actuality, the “Thunderbolts” was just the supervillain team “Masters of Evil” disguised as superheroes. Zemo had taken advantage of the loss of Earth’s heroes to Onslaught to create a new batch of supposed heroes. The ruse ultimately didn’t last long, but the idea of the Thunderbolts did. Ever since then, the team has existed in some capacity, and over the years, dozens of Marvel characters have rotated in and out of their ranks.
Marvel superhero team-ups—at least of full teams, rather than individual characters showing up in each others’ movies—have been rather scarce in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so far, This is what makes the unique addition of a supervillain/anti-hero team especially exciting. It also makes us eager for the potential return of some MCU characters who would likely fit in well with the team. Here are all the characters who could be diabolical, or even just confused, enough to show up in Marvel’s Thunderbolts.
John Walker (Wyatt Russell)
At the top of the list of rumored Thunderbolt characters is Wyatt Russell’s John Walker (a.k.a. U.S. Agent). Walker made his live-action debut in The Falcon and Winter Soldier and was initially given the mantle of Captain America, but had it stripped, along with his honor, after he committed murder in front of tons of cameras. However, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) wasn’t deterred by this, giving him the moniker U.S. Agent and leaving her card with him, implying she has big plans for his future. This has led to many speculating that she’s forming the Thunderbolts and was potentially recruiting Walker into the group.
However, so far, Russell hasn’t received a call about Thunderbolts yet. While speaking to The Digital Fix, Russell addressed rumors of his Thunderbolts role and confirmed he has not been cast yet. However, he knows that they’re doing it and he does think there’s a place in there for him. Until he gets that official invitation, though, anything can happen. Check out his statement below:
No, I’m still waiting. I know they’re doing it. I know that they’re planning it, I gotta imagine that there’s something in there for me. But yeah, until you get that true actual prompt, like, ‘Okay, this is your start date. And this is when you’re coming, and this is when you rent your house, and this is when logistically you need to start setting up to do these things.’ That’s when I shift my mindset to going to do that, you know? Other than that, before you get that call, things can change on a dime; you never know.
Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh)
Russell is the only MCU star who has officially responded to rumors, but that doesn’t mean he’s the only one being rumored for Thunderbolts. Yelena Belova is another character who has been a favorite to be cast in the film. The major reason for this is that Valentina approached Belova in the same manner she did Walker. In Black Widow, she approaches Belova and sets her sights on Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), by lying to her that he’s responsible for her sister’s death. She seems to be putting a hit on Hawkeye, and if Belova is doing her dirty work, she’d likely be a first recruit for the Thunderbolts.
Even without the mystery of her and Valentina, Belova is an excellent fit for Thunderbolts. She was previously a trained assassin, was disillusioned by heroes from her family’s history, and is still grieving the death of her sister. There’s no denying she’d likely find more like-minded people in a supervillain/anti-hero group than, say, with the Avengers.
Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus)
Valentina has had brief cameos in both The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Black Widow. Her role has been shrouded in mystery, and what exactly she wants with Walker and Belova remains to be seen. However, from her comic book history as a double agent and, later, Madam Hydra, we know she can’t be up to any good. Meanwhile, in both appearances, she has targeted someone who isn’t necessarily a villain, but whose past may prevent them from being a hero. This gray area seems perfect for the Thunderbolts. We don’t know for sure what she’s up to, but there’s a chance she is assembling the Thunderbolts and will appear in the film.
Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl)
Considering he was the team’s founder in the comics, it would make sense for Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl) to appear in Thunderbolts. Meanwhile, the MCU has certainly set him up to do so. In Captain America: Civil War, he was intent on breaking apart the Avengers and ridding the world of enhanced individuals after the loss of his family. He decided to frame Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) for murdering Wakanda’s king, T’Chaka (John Kani). He knew Captain America (Chris Evans) would defend Bucky, thus dividing the Avengers further until they tore each other apart. In the end, he was imprisoned for his crimes.
In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, he nearly escaped, until being apprehended by the people of Wakanda. However, this likely isn’t the last we’ll see of Zemo. He will likely continue on his quest to destroy the Avengers and enhanced individuals, and what better way to do so than to create his own team to combat the Avengers?
Abomination (Tim Roth)
Abomination was originally introduced in The Incredible Hulk in 2008, but made a surprise return in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. In the film, he was temporarily released from the Damage Control Supermax Prison to fight Wong (Benedict Wong) at a fight club. Abomination is now slated to return in She-Hulk in August. He’s one of the Hulk’s major enemies and, in the comics, was a member of both Masters of Evil and Thunderbolts. He himself is stronger than Hulk, having exposed himself to the same gamma rays as Bruce Banner, but to a greater extent. Hence, he’d be a strong candidate for the Thunderbolts and would give them their very own Hulk.
The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan)
On the surface, a group of supervillains doesn’t seem like the best place to find Barnes (a.k.a. The Winter Soldier). However, at times, the Thunderbolts were supervillains who did try to do some good, often because they held regrets about their past actions. Barnes, at the end of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, hasn’t really found where he belongs. He is still struggling with regret, grieving the loss of Captain America, and now watching his friend, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), become Captain America. He may be searching for a place with people who have similar stories to him, and the Thunderbolts would be just that.
Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner)
In the MCU, Hawkeye is a retired Avenger. However, in Marvel Comics’ most recent iteration of the Thunderbolts, Hawkeye is their leader. He is tasked with whipping these supervillains into shape and keeping them in line. This actually, quite honestly, sounds right up his ally and is the kind of role an Avengers-retiree would be a good fit for. Many of the characters we’ve mentioned so far are either villains or individuals who might not make the best leaders. Getting a former Avenger into the mix would give the team the leadership it needs to make them less of a supervillain team and more of an anti-hero team, akin to DC’s Suicide Squad.
The Punisher (Jon Bernthal)
Jon Bernthal first made his debut as The Punisher in Marvel’s Daredevil. He later went on to head his own solo series, The Punisher. His iteration of the brutal vigilante was mainly well received by fans. Now, as Marvel is confirmed to be bringing back Daredevil (Charlie Cox) and Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) to the MCU, we can’t help but wonder whether fan-favorite Punisher will return, too. Now, Thunderbolts offers the perfect opportunity for him to enter the MCU seamlessly, as he was a member of the team in the comics.
Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko)
Taskmaster made her long-awaited live-action debut in Black Widow. Kurylenko portrayed a female version of Taskmaster, named Antonia Dreykov. As a young girl, Antonia was injured in an explosion set off by Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) that targeted her father, Dreykov (Ray Winestone), due to him heading the Red Room. As a result, Dreykov placed technology in her head to save her and, in the process, made her into the perfect soldier capable of mimicking any move. At the end of the film, she is freed from her father’s control and left to rebuild her life. Taskmaster was a prominent member of the Thunderbolts, creating an opportunity for Krylenko to potentially reprise her role.
Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen)
Hannah John-Kamen portrayed a female version of Ghost in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Her real name is Ava and she is the daughter of one of Hank Pym’s (Michael Douglas) colleagues who died during an experiment gone wrong. This resulted in Ava being left in an unstable quantum state. Fortunately, Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) was able to give her quantum energy to help stabilize her. Ava went into hiding at the end of the film—right before the Blip, and not much is known about her current whereabouts. She was a member of the Thunderbolts in the comics, meaning the film could present an opportunity for her return.
(featured image: Disney)
Published: Jul 29, 2022 03:58 pm