David Harbour describes how Thunderbolts differs from past MCU films. Thunderbolts, which was officially confirmed earlier this year at Marvel’s SDCC panel following multiple leaks confirming its production, is an upcoming chapter in the MCU’s Phase 5, set to release in the summer of 2024, right after Captain America: New World Order. The film includes a number of characters who have already appeared in earlier MCU films, frequently as villains or anti-heroes. Following teasers in both Black Widow and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, many began to think that an anti-hero team-up film was in the works.
The Thunderbolts’ full cast was revealed at Disney’s recent D23 Expo, revealing that the central team will include Red Guardian (Harbour), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Harbour’s Red Guardian first appeared in 2021’s Black Widow, as the adoptive father of Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) and Yelena. Pugh’s Yelena is prominently featured in the recent Thunderbolts artwork that debuted at D23, with her character first appearing in Black Widow before appearing in Hawkeye.
Harbour reveals why Thunderbolts is different from other MCU films in a new interview with Entertainment Tonight at D23, stating it’s all about the cast and characters. Thunderbolts, unlike other MCU products, concentrates around a bunch of “misfits, outcasts, and losers,” according to the actor. Check out the rest of Harbour’s statement below:
“There’s a lot of really exciting work happening on this movie. I also think it’s a unique MCU movie in the sense that you’ve got a bunch of misfits and outcasts and losers and people who don’t really live up to the super in superhero. And also all of us are such cool, interesting performers — I think audiences have some complicated feelings about a lot of us — and I think that’s a terrific thing going on.”
While the MCU does not shy away from showing complex and sinister characters, these personalities rarely earn their own films. It remains to be seen how Thunderbolts will make a hero out of Harbour’s Red Guardian and other characters that have done some questionable things in the MCU, while Loki has already demonstrated that it is possible. When Tom Hiddleston’s God of Mischief initially appeared in 2012’s The Avengers, he was legitimately malevolent and power-hungry, but in Loki, he keeps that playful side while still using his talents for good.
Marvel’s Thunderbolts team may be a big shake-up to the MCU, serving as a response to DC’s The Suicide Squad. While the Guardians of the Galaxy are a colorful collection of misfits, Harbour’s recent comment hints Yelena’s Thunderbolts will take this concept to a whole new level. With a release date of 2024, fans will have to wait a little longer for a teaser for Thunderbolts, but in the meanwhile, the forthcoming squad of anti-heroes will likely be further teased in post-credits scenes for previous MCU films, giving audiences a clearer idea of what to anticipate.
Source: Entertainment Tonight