Marvel Director’s Secret Hero Pick for Thunderbolts Movie Blocked by Studio

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Jeff Parker’s Thunderbolts unleash one of the most unusual teams ever assembled in comic book history. Characters such as Hawkeye, Luke Cage, and the Winter Soldier have previously been members of the Thunderbolts, but this team is known for its constantly changing lineup. Over the decades, the Thunderbolts have been led by a mix of reformed villains and those posing as heroes, following Baron Helmut Zemo’s initial creation of the team when the Avengers were absent.

2010 saw Marvel restarting the comic series “Thunderbolts” as part of the publishing campaign called “Heroic Age“. This period was a response to the “Dark Reign” era led by Norman Osborn. In this new setup, Steve Rogers appointed Luke Cage, who had once been an inmate, to lead the Thunderbolts Program housed within The Raft. This program offered criminals like Songbird, MACH-V, the Fixer, Moonstone, and Ghost a chance to reduce their sentences by participating.

On Cage’s Thunderbolts squad were also fresh additions such as Brock Rumlow (alias Crossbones), Cain Marko (the Juggernaut), and Ted Sallis – who later became the Man-Thing. The Man-Thing is a compassionate being, with ties to the Nexus of All Realities, allowing it to transport the team across the globe. Similar to Cage, Ted was altered during an endeavor to reproduce the Super-Soldier Serum, which transformed Steve Rogers into Captain America.

It seems Director Jake Schreier had plans to incorporate Man-Thing onto his Thunderbolts team, but Marvel Studios intervened and prevented it. Later, Man-Thing appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe under Michael Giacchino’s direction in the 2022 production titled “Werewolf by Night.

Schreier shared with SFX Magazine that at some stage in the selection process, he strongly wished Man-Thing would join the team. However, everything eventually turned out favorably.

The group, consisting of Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), and Red Guardian (David Harbour) – super soldiers; Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) – assassins/spies; are gathered by the mysterious CIA Director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). In Yelena’s words: “So, it seems we’re all here to fight and fire weapons?

According to Schreier’s explanation, the focus was on exploring the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) beyond simply identifying potential heroes who could be villains, but rather characters residing in a morally ambiguous zone or those with a unique destiny that got derailed. Alternatively, these characters might just be misinterpreted, such as John Walker who literally became Captain America.

According to the concluding trailer for the movie “Thunderbolts,” this less supernatural group of heroes, though not the strongest on Earth, are bonded together by mutual respect. They all share a common goal: seeking purpose and atonement in their lives.

In my perspective, there seems to be something truly meaningful at stake here. I ponder if they’ve all somehow drifted away from this notion. Initially, it was the dire circumstances that bound them together that sparked a sense of unity. However, as time progressed, I believe their camaraderie evolved not just out of necessity, but also from mutual inspiration, transforming them into a collective force that surpasses the potential of each individual member alone.

Valentina Allegra de Fontaine has trapped our disheartened characters in a deadly situation. They’re now compelled to embark on a perilous journey that will make them face their deepest past regrets. Will this troubled team disintegrate under the pressure or discover redemption and transform into something extraordinary before it’s too late?

Marvel’s Thunderbolts* opens only in theaters May 2.

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2025-04-22 02:09