The MCU is getting a villainous makeover as Jake Schreier has been hired to direct a Thunderbolts movie.
Schreier cut his directing teeth on music videos for Kanye West and Chance the Rapper before going to helm the adaptation of John Green’s Paper Towns. Eric Pearson, who wrote Black Widow for Marvel, is set to write the script.
It’s unclear the direction, or even the cast, of the film as it’s so early in development. However, the MCU has been introducing characters with some… questionable motives, so there are quite a few contenders for the line-up. Not to mention the fan furor that Daniel Brühl garnered as Baron Zemo in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Zemo has been a tentpole of the Thunderbolts in the comic books, having led the team at its inception.
To be honest, though, between U.S.Agent in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Yelena Belova in Black Widow and later Hawkeye, and the return of the Abomination in Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings as well as the upcoming She-Hulk series, it seemed like Marvel was working toward a kind of Dark Avengers team. I’m a little surprised to see the Thunderbolts talked about like this.
In the comics, the Dark Avengers were assembled by Norman Osborn after he saved the Earth from a Skrull invasion and was made director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Osborn’s version of the Avengers mirrored the true Avengers line-up, with similar powers, motifs, and costume designs. In the MCU, the three characters I mentioned above mirror members of the first wave of Avengers (Captain America, Black Widow, and the Hulk) in terms of powers and origins. So it’s possible that without Norman Osborn in the MCU, Marvel chose a different team of villain-turned-heroes.
It’s also a bit strange that Marvel would introduce the Thunderbolts now. In the comics, the Thunderbolts were assembled at the behest of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, hence the team’s name. However, the actor who played Thunderbolt Ross in the MCU, William Hurt, passed away in March of this year. Does this mean Marvel intends to replace the actor, or will they tweak the team’s origin slightly?
Though we have no other details on the Thunderbolts, we’ll be sure to keep you apprised as more information becomes available.
