Geraldine Viswanathan, rumored to play Marvel Studios' Songbird, addressed her "idealistic" MCU character for the first time ahead of her debut.
Viswanathan was officially confirmed for an undisclosed role in Thunderbolts* in January 2024, taking over a role initially meant to be played by The Bear's Ayo Edebiri. She joins a stacked cast of MCU veterans, who will form a unique team of antiheroes and former villains going up against the world-threatening Sentry.
Rumored Songbird Star Addresses "Idealistic" Hero in Marvel Debut
Speaking with The Upcoming at the UK world premiere event for Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts*, star Geraldine Viswanathan spoke on her character for the first time.
Touching on her role as Mel, she confirmed her place as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine's assistant whose "heart is in the right place." Further describing her as "idealistic," she eventually starts to question what she's doing working with a darker character like Val:
"It's so crazy. It's so freaking surreal and fun pulling up and just like seeing everybody's faces on the big screen. It's so exciting. So I play Mel, Valentina's assistant, and... she's heart in the right place, idealistic, and starts to kind of question her position with Valentina, who's a bit of a bad gal..."
Turning things around to co-star Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who portrays Val, Viswanathan reflected on giving her "a 'Best Boss' Oscar award" and called her "the best:"
"I gave Julia a 'Best Boss' Oscar award. She doesn't have enough awards, so I just kind of wanted to add one to the mantle. She is the best, so I just I had to give her that."
Looking back on being cast in Thunderbolts*, the actress remembered being "really sick in bed" when director Jake Schreier called her and asked her to be in the movie. Asking for more details, he told her, "You got to find out," which ended up becoming an incredible experience for her:
"It was really, really wild and I remember I was really sick in bed and Jake Schreier called me and was like, 'Would you want to do this?' And I was like, 'What is it?' And he was like, 'You got to find out.' So, it was just a total dream come true pinch me moment and yeah, I can't believe it."
This comes after a recent Thunderbolts* trailer hinted at Viswanathan actually playing the MCU's Songbird, which is still being kept a secret ahead of its release.
Will Thunderbolts* Reveal Mel as Marvel Studios' Songbird?
Early reviews have hinted at Thunderbolts* being one of the best movies in Marvel's Multiverse Saga, praising the action along with performances by Florence and her co-stars. However, with plenty of secrets still being kept hidden ahead of its debut, many are wondering if a reveal that Mel is Songbird is one of them.
With a cast full of superheroes and an ultra-powerful supervillain in Sentry, Thunderbolts* may not devote much time to another brand-new character in the MCU. However, with Viswanathan being so underutilized in the marketing campaign, Marvel could be setting her up to be one of the film's big surprises.
Known as one of the original members of the Thunderbolts, Songbird is blessed with the ability to manipulate sounds, allowing her to create sonic blasts and force fields with her voice. She can also use her voice to influence other people's emotions.
Considering how different this team of Thunderbolts is from the one in the comics, including Songbird would at least be a nod to the team's origins if she were to be fully revealed. However, if she's saved for a later project or even one of this movie's post-credits scenes, she still has plenty of time to make her impact felt.
Thunderbolts* will debut in theaters on Friday, May 2.
