Marvel's next ensemble blockbuster, Thunderbolts, will see some of the MCU's most infamous villains assemble in July 2024 to round out Phase 5. Paper Towns' Jake Schreier will direct and Black Widow's Eric Martin will pen the script, with shooting poised to begin in 2023.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige officially announced Thunderbolts at San Diego Comic-Con with the promise that the "exciting" roster will be announced at a later date. Speculation has been running rampant as to who will join the cast, and several of the MCU's villain actors have already thrown their hats in the ring.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's John Walker actor Wyatt Russel shared his hopes to return, but insisted he had yet to receive a call. While She-Hulk: Attorney at Law's Titania actress Jameela Jamil hinted that she "would LIKE to" come back, she couldn't say any more.
Now, ahead of Disney's Studio Showcase presentation at D23 on Saturday, September 10, an MCU rumor may have revealed several members of the team.
MCU Rumor Hints at Thunderbolts Roster
According to a post on the Marvel Studios Spoilers sub-Reddit, based on information from the moderators' trusted sources, several MCU actors will be returning for the upcoming Thunderbolts movie.
The post claims Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova, Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Valentina, and Anthony Ramos' The Hood - who will have a major role in the Ironheart Disney+ series - will all appear in the 2024 ensemble.
The rumor goes on to name several other potential characters, including Tim Roth's Abomination, Wyatt Russel's U.S. Agent, and Jon Bernthal's The Punisher.
Frequent Thunderbolts member Songbird will reportedly not appear on the team, while the status of Daniel Brühl's Baron Zemo remains unknown.
Who Will Appear in the MCU's Thunderbolts?
With Valentina appearing to be the one assembling the Thunderbolts, her and Yelena joining the flick was a no-brainer given their established connection. The mysterious recruiter also showed up in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to bring John Walker, aka U.S. Agent into the picture, indicating he will play a role.
One of the biggest revelations to come out of this rumor is the involvement of The Hood. With Anthony Ramos' new MCU villain - who just recently had his outfit surface online - reportedly lined up for Thunderbolts, Valentina may show up in the Ironheart Disney+ series to recruit him.
Another surprise listing here comes with Jon Bernthal's Punisher, who hasn't appeared since his Netflix series concluded in 2019. Following Charlie Cox's return as Daredevil from the Netflix universe, anything could happen, but there's no telling how the violent killer could make the jump into the PG-13 world.
Abomination has long been assumed to be part of the roster, especially since recently joining the team on the comics side. Following his return in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, over ten years after he last showed up in the MCU, the odds are high that he will be back for Thunderbolts.
Baron Zemo has also long been predicted to join, and likely lead, the Thunderbolts, given the significant role he plays in most comic interpretations of the team. The mention of his status as unknown, after last being seen in a cell on the Raft, may indicate the studio has yet to lock down the actor.
Two characters who most expect to appear in Thunderbolts are Black Widow's Taskmaster and Ant-Man and the Wasp's Ghost. While they may have been omitted from this rumored roster, that doesn't necessarily dismiss their involvement, only indicating the source has yet to hear anything to confirm it.
There's no telling exactly how far along in development Thunderbolts currently is, with shooting expected to begin in 2023. So, Marvel Studios may well unveil the roster at its D23 presentation on Saturday, September 10. But no matter what, more Thunderbolts updates ought to be coming soon.
Thunderbolts hits theaters on July 26, 2024.
