After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, these disillusioned outcasts must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts. Will this dysfunctional group tear themselves apart, or find redemption and unite as something much more before it’s too late? Based on the Marvel comic franchise first published in 1997, Thunderbolts* continues the lineage of epic big-screen adventures in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that started with “Iron Man” in 2008 and expanded across 35 films to date.
Although it is a newer franchise in terms of publishing, Marvel Studios knew it was time to bring the Thunderbolts to the big screen—the studio had been subtly setting up Thunderbolts* for years in the films Captain America: Civil War, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, and Black Widow, as well as the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
In celebration of the unconventional team of antiheroes of Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster, and John Walker making their MCU debut, The Koalition attended the Thunderbolts* press conference where producer Kevin Feige explained the importance of their inclusion while also shedding light onAvengers: Doomsday.
What makes the Thunderbolts* team of anti-heroes unique is that they all have played an integral role in driving the connected universe of the MCU forward, and fans will get to see deeper dives into the psyches and motivations of the multilayered characters in the film. “It’s very exciting to introduce a new team in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They are real underdogs who are trying to find their place in the world and if they’ll ever be worthy of being more than just villains in their lives. Marvel wanted to take characters that were already introduced in the MCU and bring them back in surprising ways.
“The teams on all of our films, I think, are united. This means a lot. This means they come from comic books, which, by the way, also mean a lot to lots of people. The first movie I went to see was called Pete’s Dragon in a theater. We missed the first show; my mom made us a tuna fish sandwich in tin foil, and we went the next time. And I don’t remember anybody screaming and cheering like Endgame or Chicken Jockey, but to me it was incredible, and I couldn’t wait to go. I saw the Herbie movie, and yes, eventually saw the re-releases of Star Wars and Empire. It was this magical place. We need it as humans.”
Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* is a grounded, complex, and character-driven addition to the MCU. As this group of unlikely heroes grapples with old mistakes, they learn to lean on each other as they battle forces of darkness within and around them—to save the world. Taking a different route towards heroism and coming together as a team is about something emotionally resonant, which is the need for connection. “You can make a film that feels successful on a big superhero level with action and heroism, but also have it be successful on a personal level in dealing with internal trauma, depression, and the need for feeling like you are part of something. Hopefully, it adds up to something that works on both of those levels, where it is fun, humorous, and has a lot of heart, but then also leaves you thinking a little bit about some things you might not expect from a superhero film.”
“The weekend we’re doing this, four movies made over 20 million this weekend at the box office. That’s excellent. That’s excellent because it means there’s a variety. And they’re all very different films. That hasn’t happened in a while, and it is very heartwarming to me.”
With Avengers: Doomsday around that corner, that could have implications for the events of this particular film and the future of Marvel, Kevin offered a little insight into where we’re headed with Marvel Studios and Avengers: Doomsday and beyond. “The truth is, what’s very exciting is the audience getting to meet this team in this movie this Friday. We then have another team called The Fantastic Four that [people are going to] get to meet in July. The Avengers movies are always about incredible actors who have never met before on-screen. They’re meeting for the first time and interacting in ways that they’ve never interacted before. That’s my favorite part of Avengers movies. There’s already been a little taste of that with some people sitting here. We officially started on Monday (April 28th). So, that’s what’s next for us, and it’s very exciting.” While Feige won’t be there for the first day of production because “we have a premiere of Thunderbolts,” it is still an exciting venture.
Below, all the cast members who will be interacting with Robert Downey Jr. in Avengers: Doomsday:
Chris Hemsworth, Thor
Vanessa Kirby, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman
Anthony Mackie, Sam Wilson/Captain America
Sebastian Stan, Bucky Barnes
Letitia Wright, Shuri/Black Panther
Paul Rudd, Scott Lang/Ant-Man
Wyatt Russell, John Walker/U.S. Agent
Tenoch Huerta Mejía, Namor
Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ben Grimm/the Thing
Simu Liu, Shaun/Shang-Chi
Florence Pugh, Yelena Belova/Black Widow
Kelsey Grammer, Dr. Hank McCoy/Beast
Lewis Pullman, Bob Reynolds/Sentry
Danny Ramirez, Joaquín Torres/Falcon
Joseph Quinn, Johnny Storm/Human Torch
David Harbour, Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian
Winston Duke, M’Baku
Hannah John-Kamen, Ava Starr/Ghost
Tom Hiddleston, Loki Laufeyson
Patrick Stewart, Charles Xavier/Professor X
Ian McKellen, Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto
Alan Cumming, Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler
Rebecca Romijn, Raven Darkhölme/Mystique
James Marsden, Scott Summers/Cyclops
Channing Tatum, Remy LeBeau/Gambit
Pedro Pascal, Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic
Robert Downey Jr., Doctor Doom
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