Marvel sets lineup for ‘Thunderbolts’ at D23, and reactions may be split

It doesn’t matter what anyone involved with Thunderbolts says or does, the elephant in the room when it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s ensemble-driven antihero adventure is always going to be the DCEU’s Suicide Squad.

While the similarities are entirely superficial, fans love nothing more than to pit Marvel and DC against each other, so any and all elements that the two have in common are going to be analyzed, dissected, and picked apart in the greatest of detail.

Jake Schreier will direct from a screenplay penned by Black Widow scribe Eric Pearson, with Thunderbolts coming to theaters on July 26, 2024. MCU supporters have been tossing out plenty of ideas as to who they want to see as part of the titular team, with many of them pointing towards D23 as the destination for potential answers.

Luckily, we weren’t left disappointed, with Kevin Feige confirming the lineup as Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, David Harbour’s Red Guardian, Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost, Wyatt Russell’s John Walker, and Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster, with Julia Louis-Dreyfuss Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine calling the shots.

Given the myriad of potential candidates, you can expect fans to have plenty of thoughts on the complexion of the Thunderbolts, so we’ll be very interested to see what social media has to say now that it’s out in the open.

Kevin Feige’s superhero saga has never really operated in the gray area between good and evil before, so we’re curious to see how Thunderbolts comes together, given that the unit is expected is comprised of dastardly figures that audiences have seen do some terrible things in the past, with an antihero or two thrown in for good measure.