Thunderbolts Writer Eric Pearson Explains the Marvel Film’s Surprising Original Villain

Full spoilers travel for Thunderbolts.

Load retired and fastener in, Marvel fans, due to the fact that Thunderbolts is present successful theaters. The latest movie successful the Marvel Cinematic Universe reshuffles the MCU’s presumption quo successful a large mode successful the 3rd act, mounting up a caller Avengers roster that volition presumably beryllium a large portion of Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. We spoke with the film’s co-writer, Eric Pearson – who's worked connected everything from The Consultant to Thor: Ragnarok to The Fantastic Four: First Steps – to dive into each the small details – and large spoilers – successful Thunderbolts.

Thunderbolts Origins

As Pearson – who shares a penning recognition with Joanna Calo – explains, the halfway thought of Thunderbolts started with Florence Pugh’s Black Widow character, which past led to the inclusion of David Harbour’s Red Guardian, who was besides successful that 2021 film, and Hannah John-Kamen arsenic Ghost from the Ant-Man and the Wasp broadside of things.

“It was ever the thought to travel Yelena Belova arsenic the pb of this, which brought successful Alexei [Shostakov aka Red Guardian],” Pearson tells IGN. “Ghost, [I] conscionable ever wanted to usage her.”

Laurence Fishburne’s quality Bill Foster from Ant-Man and the Wasp, who has ties to Ghost, was besides successful an aboriginal mentation of the script.

Laurence Fishburne’s quality Bill Foster from Ant-Man and the Wasp was successful aboriginal versions of the film.

“There was a mentation wherever Bill Foster was progressive for a spot arsenic portion of the Ghost storyline, and determination was a mentation astatine archetypal wherever helium was not progressive and we brought him successful I deliberation successful the 2nd draft,” says Pearson. “But yeah, it was ever [mostly] the aforesaid squad from the beginning.”

The informal team, which is informally called the Thunderbolts, besides includes Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, Wyatt Russell’s John Walker, and by the extremity of the film, Robert “Bob” Reynolds. The second quality is caller to the MCU; altered by Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine to person superhuman abilities, helium becomes the Sentry – who Valentina intends to beryllium a replacement for the Avengers.

Sentry: The Original Replacement Avenger

One large quality successful earlier versions of the publication was that Sentry wasn’t ever successful the movie, and successful information Russell’s John Walker was intended to capable the relation of, arsenic Pearson puts it, “the punching villain” astatine the extremity of the film.

“Valentina, arsenic portion of her manipulation of him, had convinced him that his super-soldier serum needed upkeep,” recalls the writer. “She was really implanting this clip weaponry successful him that was going to spell disconnected astatine immoderate point. … And truthful he, successful his ain way, hulks retired and becomes idiosyncratic that they person to fight.”

The lone occupation was that different Marvel movie was besides successful the works astatine that constituent that besides featured a quality hulking out: Red Hulk successful Captain America: Brave New World.

“It conscionable didn't consciousness close [to bash that],” says Pearson. “My extremity … was ending this Marvel movie with a hug, not a punch. They were going to ne'er triumph a combat against a Hulk character, truthful they were going to person to yet conscionable speech him down.”

And truthful entered the Sentry, whose adventures Pearson remembered speechmaking portion successful the Marvel Writers Program. And with the Sentry of people besides comes his acheronian side, which is known arsenic the Void. In the film, this acheronian persona is activated, attacking New York and turning everyone successful his way into shadows.

Wyatt Russell's John Walker (center) was primitively meant to capable the relation that Sentry yet took on.

“If that's conscionable heroic ambition and self-esteem connected 1 broadside and slump and self-loathing connected the different side, it works the aforesaid way,” says Pearson of replacing John Walker arsenic the antagonistic unit with Sentry. “And if we bash that, past Bob and the Sentry and the Void are beauteous overmuch each of our characters' affectional travel wrapped up into 1 entity. … He was the eventual idiosyncratic that they couldn't decision successful immoderate carnal mode and needed to find an affectional solution for.”

The New Avengers… and the Other Avengers?

In the climactic moments of Thunderbolts, Yelena and the squad willingly spell into the shadiness realm to halt the Void and, done the powerfulness of empathy and that bully aged radical hug that Pearson promised, they assistance Bob undo each the harm helium caused. This happens conscionable successful clip for the squad to stumble into a property league held by Valentina wherever she dubs them the New Avengers, confirming a mentation we astatine IGN posited earlier this year.

During the closing credits, we spot a clump of amusive mag covers and the similar which question the validity of these “New Avengers” earlier a mid-credits country wherever Red Guardian tries to person a chap shopper to bargain a container of Wheaties that has the team’s representation connected it. (His dream, realized!) And past the post-credits country is acceptable 14 months later, wherever we larn the New Avengers are having difficulties securing the rights to their squad sanction due to the fact that of interference from Sam Wilson, aka Captain America. Cap doesn’t amusement up, but Bucky mentions him by name. This would look to bespeak that Sam is moving connected forming his ain squad of Avengers, conscionable arsenic ex-President Ross had asked him to pb backmost successful Brave New World.

Interestingly, the post-credits country was not written by Pearson. As is often the lawsuit with these things, it became a post-production endeavor (in fact, Thunderbolts manager Jake Schreier has confirmed that it was changeable connected the acceptable of an upcoming accumulation successful the past respective weeks, presumably Avengers: Doomsday).

“I'm ace jealous of it due to the fact that it's truthful amusive and it's truthful great,” Pearson says. “And 1 of my favourite moments successful the full movie is conscionable Wyatt Russell: ‘I don't cognize what immoderate of these buttons do. Nobody labeled them.’ It conscionable cracks maine up.”

The Arrival of the Fantastic Four

The post-credits country ends with a infinitesimal fans person been waiting for for a long, agelong time: The New Avengers get a notification of an approaching spacecraft, and we spot a vessel with a large “4” emblazoned connected the side. The Fantastic Four person yet arrived successful the MCU!

Pearson explains that this was not ever however the squad were expected to onshore successful the alleged Sacred Timeline.

“Well, due to the fact that erstwhile they started shooting Thunderbolts, I was really successful Burbank penning Fantastic Four and checking successful connected however Thunderbolts was going due to the fact that I was conscionable like, ‘How's my baby? Is it walking? Is it running?’” helium laughs. “And everybody was saying that Thunderbolts was going truly great. And from being successful the Fantastic Four room, I knew that it felt precise acold astatine the clip from the Thunderbolts world. So this transportation came successful overmuch aboriginal and astir apt has immoderate nexus towards what they're doing adjacent in... Sorry, I shouldn't accidental probably, I'm doing full conjecture here, but conscionable based disconnected of however they designer these things, I'm definite that there's going to beryllium a adjacent measurement successful a movie coming retired soon.”

Considering that the stars of FF (Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach) person already been announced by Marvel for Avengers: Doomsday, it’s not that hard to portion unneurotic wherever this is each going…

Burning Questions

Now that we cognize the Thunderbolts are really the New Avengers, it makes cleanable consciousness wherefore the squad volition beryllium large players successful Avengers: Doomsday. They each got directors chairs successful the large Doomsday formed announcement aft each (aside from mediocre Taskmaster, of course, who doesn’t past Thunderbolts). Since Sam Wilson doesn’t look to person really formed a caller squad of Avengers yet, the New Avengers volition presumably beryllium the archetypal enactment of defence against Robert Downey, Jr’s Doctor Doom. And the Fantastic Four too, maybe? That’s conscionable the extremity of the helicarrier erstwhile it comes to questions we person aft Thunderbolts, however.

What Was the Point of Making Bucky a Congressman?

Bucky being revealed to beryllium a US congressman was 1 of the weirder beats successful Brave New World, and the payoff successful Thunderbolts doesn’t assistance matters. He trips implicit his words successful a property interrogation and his governmental responsibilities don’t halt him from getting connected his motorcycle and firing explosives astatine O.X.E. vehicles… truthful wherefore was helium adjacent portion of Congress to statesman with?

In the drafts of the movie Pearson worked on, it turns retired Bucky had a antithetic time job.

“That happened aft me,” helium explains. “That was a Kevin [Feige] thought from what I understand, due to the fact that it was each the aforesaid scenes but Bucky was, helium was benignant of a lobbyist a bit, oregon a amended analogy would beryllium similar erstwhile you prosecute an aged shot subordinate to shingle hands astatine a car wash. Like politicians were utilizing him arsenic a mode to propagandize, truthful you're meant to conscionable him [and beryllium like] ‘Oh, this is humiliating, what a unspeakable autumn for Bucky.’ And past you're like, ‘Oh wait, he's really infiltrated this satellite of authorities and commerce due to the fact that he's investigating Valentina and he's got this congressman who's an state to him and they're moving unneurotic and past helium goes connected the hunt.’”

As for whether oregon not he’s adjacent inactive successful Congress erstwhile he’s portion of the New Avengers? We person nary clue.

Why Is Sam Wilson Feuding with the New Avengers?

Clearly Sam Wilson is not getting on with the New Avengers and is trying to instrumentality the copyright for the squad sanction from them. Bucky says helium tried to get done to Sam but that the speech didn’t spell well. So wherefore is Sam being a jerk astir this? Doesn’t helium privation to physique a squad of superheroes? He and Bucky person worked unneurotic galore times successful the past, truthful what is his occupation with the New Avengers erstwhile Bucky is connected the roster? Hopefully Doomsday sheds immoderate airy connected this front, due to the fact that arsenic it stands it feels retired of quality for Sam to enactment this mode without a bully reason.

Will There Be Two Teams of Avengers successful Avengers: Doomsday?

Will we spot 2 chiseled teams of Avengers successful Doomsday? Avengers and Avengers with a Z, possibly (but hopefully not)? The main crippled of Thunderbolts takes spot aft Brave New World since Valentina references Thaddeus Ross becoming Red Hulk during her impeachment hearing, and the post-credits country is implicit a twelvemonth aft that. What was Sam doing each that time? Will helium enlistee the likes of Falcon, Thor, Ant-Man, etc. to marque his ain squad that is abstracted from the New Avengers, and volition they conflict Civil War-style earlier they yet unite to look Doom? And wherever bash the X-Men acceptable into each this!?

Do We Already Know How The Fantastic Four: First Steps Ends?

We’re lone a fewer months distant from The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is arriving connected July 25, 2025. Since the F4 are coming from an alternate world successful the multiverse and not the MCU’s Sacred Timeline, this indicates that vessel has conscionable made a reality-hopping journey. Yet wouldn’t that truly lone marque consciousness arsenic the extremity of First Steps? The F4 changing realities is astir apt the extremity of the movie oregon a post-credits country of its own. If so, we fundamentally already cognize however First Steps ends. Or bash we? Is Marvel playing a instrumentality connected us, and is determination much to this tease than it seems?

We asked Pearson if the FF are going to beryllium the linchpin of the MCU moving forward.

“The fans are the astir important portion of the MCU,” helium responds. “Like what they respond to and what they emotion helps dictate truthful overmuch of what's going on. Fantastic Four … they're each of large importance. And past determination is the Sue and Reed astatine the caput of it arsenic the astir superb caput successful the beingness and the astir caring bosom successful the universe. They're surely going to steer the car for a bit, but the universe, the multiverse close present is beauteous big, truthful I don't privation to cipher immoderate value connected their shoulders.”

What did you deliberation of Thunderbolts? Let’s sermon successful the comments…