After years of heroic team-ups from the Avengers to the Guardians of the Galaxy, the MCU has now an answer to DC’s supervillain team of Task Force X, more popularly known as the Suicide Squad. While Marvel Studios has been in the news for its desperate search mission for Fantastic Four‘s director, it has been revealed that the studio was secretly developing a Thunderbolts movie. After years of speculation, this team of anti-heroes/villains is finally happening as reported by Deadline.
Now in Phase 4, Marvel Studios is gradually introducing darker and more mature characters to the fold who usually operate in the morally gray areas of the crime-fighting business. As a result, fans have been demanding a Thunderbolts movie for some time now. Though Marvel Studios hasn’t released any synopsis or characters for this upcoming movie, it has been reported that a few existing actors from the franchise have been contacted to reprise their roles.
Who are the Thunderbolts?
In the comics, Thunderbolts is a team of reformed supervillains led by Baron Zemo who band together after the apparent deaths of both the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. While the team has undergone various changes over the years, the dynamics of having supervillains and anti-heroes serving as Earth’s defenders have always been the focal point in the storyline.
Related: Strongest Villains of Thunderbolts, Marvel’s Suicide Squad – Ranked
Usually led by Baron Zemo, the team has been commanded by Norman Osborn (Green Goblin) too. As a result, the Thunderbolts have been one of the best supervillain teams in Marvel.
Who will join the Thunderbolts in the MCU?
The MCU started planting the seeds for a potential Thunderbolts movie back in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier by introducing Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. As Sam Wilson became the next Captain America, the mysterious Valentina appeared to recruit John Walker’s US Agent, recognizing his seething anger and hatred. Similarly, Val also appeared in Black Widow to recruit Yelena while she was mourning her sister, Natasha Romanoff’s death.
Related: Thunderbolts: 10 Villains Already In MCU That Clearly Indicate Marvel’s Suicide Squad’s Coming
At this point, it is expected that both Wyatt Russell and Florence Pugh will be returning to reprise their roles in the upcoming movie. Moreover, Russell had recently revealed that he is excited to return to the MCU, thus dropping a hint for the Thunderbolts movie. Apart from US Agent and Yelena, the team is expected to recruit Abomination, Ghost, Taskmaster, the Winter Soldier, and Baron Zemo for a top-secret dark-ops mission with sinister overtones.
Who is directing Thunderbolts movie?
According to Deadline, Marvel Studios has confirmed Jake Schreier as director for the Thunderbolts movie. Schreier, who is best known for Paper Towns (2015), will be making his first tentpole big-budget movie with Marvel Studios. Apart from Paper Towns, Schreier has worked on FX’s Dave and The Premise.
According to the reports, Marvel execs were blown away by Jake Schreier’s presentation and instantly hired him as the director for Thunderbolts. As it has been reported that a few MCU stars have been contacted, the film is expected to start filming next summer and will probably be released in the late 2024/early 2025 window.
