With The Avengers as we knew them now firmly in the MCU’s rear-view mirror, there has been persistent speculation in the fandom that the Thunderbolts might get their day. According to Deadline, a film focused on the reformed supervillain team has started to get traction with Eric Pearson (Black Widow) writing and Marvel boss Kevin Feige producing.
Citing unnamed sources, the publication further reports that although not much is known about the plot, “Marvel has been in touch with certain individuals who already are part of the MCU to make sure to keep an opening in their schedules for next summer when it shoots.” It’s an insight that, of course, opens up further fan speculation (we may already know who could be drafted for the movie) but not too much (the pool may be limited by characters who have already been in the MCU)
In 2019, GameSpot predicted that the Thunderbolts were on their way to the MCU. Writes Mason Downey, “There’s a bit of a power vacuum in the MCU right now… the MCU is currently littered with disparate plot threads and half-dealt-with villains, all of whom could be primed and ready for a major comeback, and even potentially a redemption arc.”
In the comics, Baron Zemo, who recently starred in the Disney+ Series Falcon and The Winter Soldier, lead multiple versions of the team. Other MCU characters, like Ghost, Goliath, Baron Mordo, and even Venom who left a bit of symbiote behind after Spider-Man: No Way Home, are all potential candidates for recruitment. Julia Louis-Dreyfus has also been skulking about working with characters like John Walker and Yelena Belova for unknown ends.
Elsewhere among the MCU’s TV series, Ms. Marvel just kicked off June 8 on Disney+. She-Hulk: Attorney At Law debuts on Disney+ on August 17. In theaters, the MCU’s film side will continue next on July 8 with Thor: Love and Thunder.
Source: Gamespot
