Kevin Feige’s Surprise Twist Turns Thunderbolts into the New Avengers!

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It wasn’t originally intended for Thunderbolts to conclude Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, when screenwriter Eric Pearson, who has previously worked as a script doctor on Marvel films like Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Black Widow (2021), proposed a spinoff featuring characters from these movies, such as Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour) from Black Widow, Antonia Dreykov (Olga Kurylenko), John Walker (Wyatt Russell) from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier TV series in 2021, and Ava Starr (Hannah John-Kamen) last seen in Ant-Man and the Wasp in 2018, Marvel Studios decided to incorporate this idea into their plans.

As a film enthusiast, I find myself drawn to the creative shift akin to the climactic scene in “Thunderbolts,” where the unforeseen rebranding of the team took place. Instead of CIA Director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, it was Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige who proposed that unexpected name change – transforming them into the New Avengers.

In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Pearson stated, “What Kevin did was very much in line with his style. I mentioned to him my plan for a Thunderbolts film, and he suggested that Yelena would be the one to bring them together against Valentina.” Pearson then attempted a pitch that didn’t quite hit the mark, but the second one came incredibly close to the movie as it is today. He concluded his pitch by imagining Yelena whispering to Valentina, “You work for us now,” essentially. So, in my pitch, Valentina was compelled to present the Thunderbolts to the public. Kevin then suggested that she should call them ‘The Avengers.’ And I was quite taken aback when he said that!

He emphasized that one point from the Marvel pitch was crucial, and when a key element is revealed in such a pitch, you leave with it. So, I thought, ‘Alright, interesting. I’m not sure what your strategy is for the New Avengers.’ Afterward, there were numerous conversations about the name: ‘Capital N or lowercase n? Are they new Avengers or the New Avengers?’, but that concept originated with Kevin, and it seems to be a part of some complex four-dimensional scheme that I’m not yet fully aware of.

In the end credits of the film, where it shows “Thunderbolts” asterisked as “*The New Avengers*”, there’s another footnote: Anthony Mackie’s character, Captain America, is involved in a trademark disagreement with Sebastian Stan’s character, Bucky Barnes (also known as The Winter Soldier), regarding their respective rights to the title.

In an upcoming scene from next year’s “Avengers: Doomsday,” a post-credits segment, set approximately 14 months following the occurrences of “Thunderbolts,” introduces the Fantastic Four to Earth at the exact instant when Yelena discovers, through Bucky, that Sam Wilson has assumed the Avengers title.

As a film enthusiast, in my initial script drafts, there was consistently a reference to the peewee Thunderbolts soccer team – the very team that sparked Yelena’s character’s group name. Later on, during production, I noticed the asterisk addition and thought it was quite clever, so I decided to keep it. We were never aiming for Thunderbolt Ross, but the playful wit of the asterisk appealed to me.

Additionally, Pearson mentioned that Marvel Studios had no intentions of producing a film featuring the Thunderbolts – a group initially introduced back in 1997 who posed as heroes while the Avengers and Fantastic Four were absent, disguising themselves as supervillains.

Apparently, Marvel hadn’t already developed a plan for a Thunderbolts film. However, I proposed the idea to them. Given my experience working with Florence during Black Widow and crafting the initial Yelena Belova stories, I was impressed by her performance and believed she had the potential to lead a movie like this. She’s truly remarkable, and I didn’t want to disguise a Yelena-centric film within a team-up story. Instead, I wanted it to be a genuine team effort.

He went on to say, “The Avengers were headlined by Tony Stark and Captain America, with their contrast serving as a focal point. For the Thunderbolts and the vision I had for the characters and the movie’s themes, Yelena seemed like a natural choice for leadership. It may not be fully developed yet, but I liken her to Michael Corleone and Bucky to Tom Hagen in The Godfather – that’s how I envision it.

Thunderbolts* / *The New Avengers is now playing only in theaters.

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2025-05-07 00:42