Florence Pugh might be picking up a paycheck in the region of $10 million and be taking top billing among the cast, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Thunderbolts is destined to be more than just the Yelena Belova show.
Admittedly, fans were a little disappointed when the full roster for the titular team was announced, but it’s not as if the franchise is going to cram all of its heavy hitters into a somewhat unheralded proposition that’s sandwiched in between Captain America: New World Order and Blade on the calendar, unless of course the release date dominoes fall yet again.
Daniel Brühl may have offered a helpful reminder that Zemo isn’t dead, but he’s yet to be added to an ensemble that officially features Pugh’s Yelena, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost, Wyatt Russell’s John Walker, Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster, and David Harbour’s Red Guardian.
Talking of the latter, he recently spoke to Gizmodo and offered up the vaguest of breadcrumbs regarding Thunderbolts, although the Stranger Things veteran did at least promise to “drop a bomb” on the MCU.
“I’ve loved Wyatt, and Sebastian and Julia’s characters throughout the universe. What [director Jake Schreier] wants to do with Florence’s character is very interesting and how I factor into how we develop our relationship is very interesting. And then when you see what Jake and Eric Pearson is trying to fashion, it’s really clever…So you have this movie that’s, you know, kind of ragtag. It’ll be funny. it’ll be weird, it’ll be action. And then we’re also going to drop a bomb, which is cool.”
Thunderbolts could end up playing a key part in the buildup to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, given that it precedes only Blade, Deadpool 3, and Fantastic Four before Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are assembled again in May 2025, so that bomb he’s talking about could prove to be as literal as it is figurative.