Marvel‘s Phase Five is definitely having a rough time of it, what with its first project — Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania — becoming one of the most notorious MCU projects of them all and now the whole slate being held up by the ongoing actors’ and writers’ strikes. And yet there’s got to be one movie, in particular, that’s facing a bigger uphill battle than all the rest put together, for a variety of reasons. Thunderbolts, I’m sorry, but it’s you.
Marvel fans had been demanding a Thunderbolts movie for years, as a film about a team of MCU villains trying to redeem themselves just sounded like the perfect counterpart to DC’s Suicide Squad films. However, when the long-awaited announcement finally came, it was met with a surprisingly underwhelmed response. This likely rested with the team’s chosen roster, as led by Sebastian Stan’s Bucky and Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova.
While these characters themselves might enjoy some popularity with the fandom, stacked together they get a little samey, with practically of them serving as variations on the old super-soldier concept. Red Guardian? Check. Taskmaster? Check. U.S. Agent? Check, check. Only Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost had a bit of a different power-set and rumor has it her role in the film’s either been cut or reduced. Plus, maybe half the group coming from nobody’s favorite Phase Four movie, Black Widow, wasn’t the best idea either.
Similarly, on the face of it, Thunderbolts‘ ties with Captain America: Brave New World, are exciting, what with Harrison Ford reprising his role as Thaddeus Ross. However, Anthony Mackie has suggested Stan’s commitments to this will stop him from having as big a role in Cap 4, and while Bucky and Yelena might be a fun duo, they’re not going to replace Sam and Bucky in fans’ hearts so that’s another worrying sign.
And then there’s the real reason fans should be concerned. Thunderbolts is perhaps the upcoming Marvel Studios production most affected by the strikes. That’s because it hasn’t even managed to get started yet, as its shoot was due to begin this very summer (after another pre-existing delay) but now can’t get going. According to scooper Charles Murphy, it probably won’t go before cameras until January 2024, which means it’s highly likely to miss its planned Dec. 20, 2024 release date.
Thunderbolts was originally set to be Marvel’s big summer 2024 tentpole, of course, but it’s probably for the best that Brave New World has snagged that key placement as its enjoying both a much smoother production ride and a higher level of hype. Thunderbolts can still pull it back, but at this point it’s looking to be little more than Black Widow 2, which — as Marvel sequels go — isn’t exactly high up there on people’s lists.
The title suggests Thunderbolts should be lighting up a storm in the MCU, but all it’s doing right now is causing a faint crackling.
