Thunderbolts* Director Names Surprising Character He Originally Pitched To Be in MCU Movie

Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier originally wanted Man-Thing to be on the MCU team.

In American cinemas next month, the Marvel Studios film titled “Thunderbolts” will debut, with direction by Schreier. The movie features Florence Pugh portraying Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan playing Bucky Barnes, Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent/John Walker, Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster, Lewis Pullman as Bob/Sentry, Geraldine Viswanathan as Mel, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr/Ghost, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.

What did the Thunderbolts* director say about wanting Man-Thing to be in the MCU movie?

According to Schreier’s conversation with SFX Magazine, as reported by Games Radar+, he expressed that at some stage during the pitching process, he strongly desired for Man-Thing to join the team.

Initially, Marvel had different aspirations for Man-Thing, but the character actually entered the MCU in the 2022 Werewolf by Night TV special. According to Schreier, this turn of events turned out to be advantageous.

Schreier added about Thunderbolts*: “The focus was not only on identifying potential heroes within the MCU, but also on characters that inhabit the morally ambiguous area or who, despite initially appearing to be good, have gone astray. Or perhaps they’ve been misjudged, like John Walker, who took on the role of Captain America.

Could it be possible that there’s something significant worth being concerned about? I believe they’ve all somehow drifted away from this notion. Initially, due to the circumstances that brought them together, but later, driven by inspiration, they might transform into something greater than what any of them could achieve individually.

Marvel’s Thunderbolts* will be released in United States theaters on May 2, 2025.

Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes (also known as the Winter Soldier), Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster, and John Walker. The story goes that they are drawn into a deadly trap by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. As disenchanted outcasts, they’re compelled to undertake a perilous journey which will push them to confront the deepest secrets of their pasts. Will this fractious group fall apart or manage to find redemption and come together as something greater before it’s too late?

Originally reported by Brandon Schreur at SuperHeroHype.

Read More

2025-04-22 00:10