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Credit: Marvel StudiosIs this really happening?
Related: Disney To Reportedly Wipe Entire Marvel Disney+ Slate Clean
The Walt Disney Company-owned Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is currently in the midst of its MCU Phase Five, in the middle of the Multiverse Saga. During the 2022 San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) Marvel panel, Marvel President Kevin Feige confirmed the direction of the MCU moving forward, with Phase Five scheduled to end with Marvel Studios’ version of DC’s Suicide Squad concept — the Marvel Comics-inspired Thunderbolts, slated for its own feature film in the MCU’s near future.
Following Tony Stark/Iron Man’s ultimate sacrifice in defeating Thanos (Josh Brolin) and Chris Evans’ departure from his role as Steve Rogers/Captain America, passing on the Captain America mantle, a significant opening has arisen for prominent superhero teams like the Fantastic Four and X-Men to step into the spotlight and assume influential positions.
Marvel’s planned counterpoint to that squeaky-clean image? Their very own antihero and “villain”-led squad of superpowered individuals called the Thunderbolts.
Related: ‘Daredevil’ Hero Reportedly Replaced, Female Actor To Take on New Disney+ Show
Marvel’s Thunderbolts Movie, Another Reset?
According to Hollywood and Marvel insider Daniel Richtman, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) will take center stage in the new Thunderbolts movie.
Naturally, fans are getting upset that Marvel is allegedly going to “bench” and “downgrade” longtime Avenger Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) and what appears to be David Harbour (Stranger Things) Red Guardian in the upcoming Thunderbolts movie.
Richtman came forward with the Thunderbolts character priority list:
No. From what I heard it’s more like this:
– Yelena (Yelena Belova)
– Val (Valentina Allegra de Fontaine)
– Sentry (Robert Reynolds)
– Ghost/Taskmaster (Ava Starr)
– US Agent (John Walker)
– Bucky (Bucky Barnes)
– Red Guardian (Alexei Shostakov)
No. From what I heard it's more like this:
– Yelena
– Val
– Sentry
– Ghost/Taskmaster
– US Agent
– Bucky
– Red Guardian https://t.co/PtOKfkLvTy— Daniel Richtman (@DanielRPK) February 26, 2024
On top of that revelation, it appears as if Marvel is planning to reduce the Captain America star’s focus by making Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, who debuted in the Black Widow movie alongside Scarlett Johanssen (Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff), the true lead of Thunderbolts. Richtman shoots down the idea of co-leads:
Bucky is definitely NOT a co-lead with Yelena
Bucky is definitely NOT a co-lead with Yelena https://t.co/dxipLtPuvS
— Daniel Richtman (@DanielRPK) February 26, 2024
Even Julia Louis Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is taking on a more prominent role, according to the report from the known inside source.
Fans like Marvelplus are quick to respond to Bucky’s “downgrade”, as the fan-favorite Marvel hero and Avenger is naturally a familiar face and draw to the movie for many. The fan responds with upset to the additional revelation from Richtman about Wyatt Russell’s “Evil Captain America” from Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021), John Walker (now US Agent):
Richtman: Bigger than Bucky
Man they are gonna downgrade bucky. They should’ve realized that 50% of people are gonna watch thunderbolts for being the next appearance of bucky.I just hope rewrites correct this problem.
Man they are gonna downgrade bucky.
They should've realized that 50% of people are gonna watch thunderbolts for being the next appearance of bucky.I just hope rewrites correct this problem.— Marvelplus (@Huzaifa98232895) February 26, 2024
The overall feeling from fans is one of immense disappointment, as fans are now bemoaning this reported approach to the new MCU Thunderbolts film:
@samk0006: Bucky deserved to be the lead with her. He was great in FATWS (Falcon and the Winter Soldier) as well
Bucky deserved to be the lead with her. He was great in FATWS as well
— Sam (@samk0006) February 26, 2024
While others like Adrián Ramírez questioned Marvel Studios’ alleged plan, saying that this “doesn’t make sense” from a storytelling perspective:
For me, doesn’t make sense yelena being the leader with bucky in the same team (for all the years of experience)
For me, doesn’t make sense yelena being the leader with bucky in the same team (for all the years of experience)
— Adrián Ramírez (@Adrianskymr) February 26, 2024
Even the MCU’s new Captain America, Anthony Mackie, who plays Sam Wilson, has been left out of the Thunderbolts movie — allegedly to give the character more focus in Captain America: Brave New World (formerly Captain America: New World Order), which will reportedly not feature Bucky Barnes, either. It’s clear that Marvel is rethinking their hero connections and giving new heroes room to grow into being audience favorites over their older, more established crop of Avengers members.
Considering Ayo Edebiri and Steven Yeun (previously slated to play Sentry) have reportedly dropped out of the project, as well as the fact that Harrison Ford’s Thunderbolt Ross/Thaddeus Ross and Daniel Brühl’s Baron Zemo/Helmut Zemo are also not seemingly involved, it definitely appears like this Thunderbolts MCU outing is racking up a fair few casting and production woes.
Currently, Thunderbolts has a (tentative) release date of May 2, 2025.
What do you think of Marvel’s reported decision to “downgrade” known favorites like Bucky Barnes? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!