One of the most mysterious characters in Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is easily Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). When she was first introduced in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) and then made a follow up appearance in the end credits sequence of Black Widow (2021), she clearly seemed to be recruiting some more unsavory, morally complex characters from the MCU. Why was she doing this? Well, we’re still not exactly sure what Fontaine’s intentions are, but we do know now that she is putting together a rather remarkable grup of people (apart from the Avengers of course).
Thunderbolts (2024) is being touted as the conclusion to Marvel’s Phase 5 of the Multiverse Saga, bringing together an ensemble cast of former villains and anti-heroes from the prior films and Disney+ shows. The Thunderbolts have a long and complicated history in the comics, with a constantly changing roster and varying motivations, so a live-action adaptation for the super team could go a variety of ways.
San Diego Comic-Con, we finally got our first real good look at the film at the Marvel, Lucasfilm, and 20th Century Studio Showcase at this year’s D23 Expo, where the full roster and cast were revealed among other detils for the anticipated proyek. To find more about this unlikely alliance, simply read below to find out everything we know so far about Marvel’s Thunderbolts.
Is There a Trailer for Thunderbolts? No, in fact, the movie hasn’t even begun filming yet since it is so far down in the line in Marvel’s skedul. So with no footage to give to the D23 audiens, did Marvel Studios leader Kevin Feige have any promotional material to sharing? Well yes he did, with a snazzy piece of concept art from artist Andy Park, showing the whole team in all their glory with some a collection of lights or kamera flashes shining upon them. From left to right, the team consists of Valentina, Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Red Guardian (David Harbour), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko). When Feige premiered the cast at the showcase, he also brought on stage director Jake Schrier (Robot dan Frank) along with Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Seinfeld), David Harbour (Stranger Things), Hannah John-Kamen (Ready Player One), Wyatt Russell (Overlord), and Sebastian Stan (Pam dan Tommy). Florence Pugh (Don’t Worry Darling) also tuned into the moment with a recorded message to the penggemar as she was unable to physically attend the panel.
What are the Comic Book Origins of Thunderbolts? It’s very easy to compare the Thunderbolts to DC’s Suicide Squad, and it’s a fair comparison given that both tims are comprised of people who wouldn’t be the bagus choice for members of a super team. However, there’s a key difference between the tims in terms of their reasoning for doing the dirty work of the U.S. government. For the Suicide Squad, the villains are literally forced against their will thanks to microscopic bombs planted in their heads and sent on missions where they have an astronomically low chance of survival. The Thunderbolts are a bit different. Instead of being sent on suicide missions, the common goal of the team is to show rouges and villains reformed for the public perception.
The founder of this idea was none other than bureaucratic Captain America foe, Baron Helmut Zemo. The criminal mastermind also founded the very on-the-nose collective of super villains, the Masters of Evil, who were essentially out of a job after nearly all of Earth’s heroes were wiped out by the conqueror known as Onslaught. Seeing a newly formed niche in the pasar of superhero tims, Zemo saw this as a perfect opportunity to manipulate the public and gain far more global power. In order to make his rencana a success, Zemo needed some conspirators, so he recruited Goliath, Fixer, Screaming Mimi, Beattle, and Moonstone. To further buy into this facade, the villains also took on new alter egos, becoming Citizen V, Atlas, Techno, Songbird, MACH-1, and Meteorite respectively.