The Fantastic Four has stolen much of the attention of late, so let’s give a much-deserved moment in the spotlight to another MCU movie coming in 2025 that was just quietly moved up the slate. Don’t forget, Thunderbolts recently switched release dates with FF, so it’s now due to hit theaters May 2, 2025.
And that’s a pretty tall order considering that production is only just beginning, as per the end of February. Luckily, the cast is full of super-soldiers, so we have faith they can complete this daunting endurance test and bash out a blockbuster in little over a year. Although, having said that, one super-soldier might not report for duty as much as we thought…
Bucky Barnes’ Thunderbolts role may be way smaller than his fans are expecting
Are we going to be able to look at Bucky Barnes the same way again after we see Sebastian Stan play Donald Trump (in an upcoming movie about the ex-POTUS’ early years in business)? Well, the good news is we might not have to look at him as much as anticipated. Thunderbolts has always been discussed as an ensemble film but with Florence Pugh and Stan as co-leads. However, the Yelena Belova actress confirming she’s started shooting before anyone else has led to an alleged bit of intel claiming Stan is not the co-lead. In fact, he might be as low as the sixth most important character in the movie. Now that’s a bolt from the blue!
Marvel Studios reportedly planning to launch brand-new franchise in 2026
It’s been said time and again that Marvel Studios is putting all its chips on the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, both of whom are making their grand entrances in the MCU soon, in order to bolster the flailing cinematic universe. So that’s why it’s so surprising that a new rumor claims that Marvel is set to launch a brand-new franchise in 2026 based around a character we haven’t seen in the MCU yet. Don’t get too excited that we’re about to get a, say, Nova or Alpha Flight movie just yet, as this is just a rumor and it’s as vague as they come (it’s unknown if it refers to a film or TV series), but it’s another encouraging sign that Marvel is on its way back up again.
Dave Bautista is so done with Drax, but he’s not necessarily done with the MCU
Has Dave Bautista actually left the MCU? How can we be sure that he’s not been in every Marvel movie since Guardians 3, but he’s just standing so still that we didn’t see him? While we ponder that conundrum, Bautista has made it known that, while he’s definitely done as Drax and nobody can make him don that grey bodypaint again, he’s up for returning to Marvel to play some kind of “ominous villain.” If you ask me, this leaves the door open for him to replace Jonathan Majors’ Kang as the big bad of Avengers 5, but who knows what the studio’s plan is on that front. I’m just saying, the fans’ll never see it coming… mostly because he’s invisible.
