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Thunderbolts villain leaks as rumors suggest rewrites are underway

Published Nov 21st, 2022 4:21PM EST
High quality render of the Thunderbolts concept art by Andy Park.
Image: Reddit

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There’s no question that Thunderbolts is one of the most highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movies. The film proposes a different type of crossover than what we saw in Avengers movies. Instead of full-fledged superheroes, we’ll have a team of antagonists and misfits in Thunderbolts. But who will be the main villain if former villains are the heroes in Thunderbolts?

The identity of that Marvel character might have leaked, with several insiders mentioning it on social media. At the same time, reports appeared that Marvel might not be happy with the plot, as the story is undergoing rewrites. If these reports are accurate, you should know that big spoilers might follow below.

Thunderbolts plot rewrites

Before we look at the Thunderbolts villain rumors, we’ll address the purported rewrites. We’ve already seen a plot leak that might spoil a big twist. Separately, we saw Red Guardian actor David Harbour tease a big “bomb” reveal in Thunderbolts.

With a release date of July 26th, 2024, Thunderbolts will close the MCU Phase 5. That seems reasonable for a crossover movie that might rival Avengers projects. But that means the time is ticking, and Marvel will soon have to start production.

Assuming any of those leaks are accurate, Marvel might want to change the script. That’s just speculation, however.

But there’s already talk on social media about Thunderbolts rewrites. It’s unclear if the information is accurate. Or whether we’re looking at extensive changes.

After all, rewrites are standard for any movie this early in production. Not to mention that we often hear about Marvel’s extensive MCU reshoots that happen after Marvel makes changes to these stories.

Black-Widow
Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh in Black Widow. Image source: Marvel Studios

Thunderbolts villain might be revealed

Story rewrites aside, the Thunderbolts story needs a villain. You know, some super-powered individual that will make the Thunderbolts look good.

Just like in Suicide Squad, we’ll be rooting for the Thunderbolts. Especially Yelena (Florence Pugh) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). Yelena will surely join the Avengers, becoming the next Black Widow. And Bucky is already on the team.

Also, we know from the D23 Expo reveal that Val (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) will lead them. And Wakanda Forever told us that Val is the MCU’s CIA chief. Moreover, Harrison Ford’s Thunderbolts Ross might be the US President in Thunderbolts present-day events.

With all that in mind, we expect the Thunderbolts to have some mission for the greater good of the US, at least. They’ll have to face some bad guy in the process.

Per Daniel Richtman and Grace Randolph, the Thunderbolts villain might be Robert Reynolds or The Sentry. The Thunderbolts will have to face this version of Evil Superman. And that sounds like a great villain to have, considering the current Thunderbolts roster.

Randolph also said that Ryan Gosling and Alexander Skarsgard might be potential choices for the role.

Like the Thunderbolts plot rewrite rumors, these villain rumors can’t be confirmed at this time. However, we should learn more details about Thunderbolts as we get closer to the film’s launch. In the meantime, you can keep up with all the Thunderbolts news at this link.


More Marvel coverage: For more MCU news, visit our Marvel guide.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.