Marvel Studios has owned the live-action rights to the X-Men for over three years and while they haven’t chosen to introduce any of the major characters associated with the team into the MCU, they have started to sprinkle in some bits and pieces that are connected. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier introduced the lawless location of Madripoor to the MCU, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness featured a Multiversal Variant of Charles Xavier, Kamala Khan’s powers in Ms. Marvel were discovered to be the result of a mutation and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever introduced Namor, the MCU’s first mutant (at least for now). Now, a fascinating new rumor suggests they slipped another mutant-related breadcrumb into the MCU without anyone noticing and may change the way audiences look at Eternals.
New information from insider Daniel RPK suggests that a major mutant location already exists in the MCU and will serve as a key setting in two 2024 films. The new rumor claims that the corpse of the Celestial Tiamut has become an island called Genosha and will be featured in Captain America: New World Order and Thunderbolts.
Fans of X-Men comics will recognize Genosha immediately and likely have a visceral response. Located in the Indian Ocean, Genosha played a major role in the comics for well over a decade, first as an island full of mutant slaves, then as the first attempt at a mutant nation on Earth and ultimately as the site of the massacre which killed 16.5 million mutant inhabitants of the island.
Rumors point to Tiamut’s corpse/Genosha, which is indeed located in the Indian Ocean, serving a key role in Captain America: New World Order as governments of the world learn of the presence of Adamantium in or on the island. Then, in Thunderbolts, the titular team will be sent to Genosha to procure the precious metal. The Thunderbolts going in after Adamantium lines up with CIA Director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine’s obsession with Vibranium, as seen in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and establishing Tiamut/Genosha as a geopolitical hotspot due to its natural resources sets it up to be a key locale in the future of the MCU. Other rumors point to Thunderbolts also serving to show that Super Soldier research is ongoing and it becomes fairly easy to connect the dots from Super Solider research to Adamantium to Weapon X down the road.
Just ahead of September’s D23, we rolled out V3 of The Hypothetical 2024 Marvel Studios Release Calendar. Kevin Feige did nothing to change the outlook during D23, but quite a bit of shuffling has gone on since then that needs to be accounted for and so we present V4!
*NOTE* we are no longer tracking animated projects nor including them on the hypothetical calendars.
Well, it was supposed to be a surprise, but showrunner Marion Dayre took away your Christmas present when she confirmed that Echo was moving from its Spring 2023 slot. We’ve heard “early 2024” and Dayre’s comments that the show would be out “about a year from December 2022” are close enough to that for a hypothetical calendar Assuming the series keeps what’s currently a very deep connection to the events of Daredevil: Born Again, moving it to 2024 would allow the two series to stream fairly close together.
Recent reports suggest that Wonder Man may have been bumped up in the queue and take the place of Agatha: Coven of Chaos as the late 2023/early 2024 release. This potential news doesn’t spell doom and gloom for Kathryn Hahn‘s series, however (more on that later). Wonder Man isn’t set to complete filming until August, so an early 2024 start seems much more likely than late 2023, which is why it finds itself here, starting what currently looks like a 10-episode run in mid-March.
Though it didn’t get a new date at D23, Captain America: New World Order was a big newsmaker at the event. The film will feature the return of Tim Blake Nelson as The Leader and see Harrison Ford replace the late William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross who is rumored to not only be the President of the United States in the film but also make his long-awaited transformation into Red Hulk. The plot is one of the crazier ones Marvel Studios has put together recent memory and is going to tie into several projects both past and future. My most anticipated project of 2024.
If Echo keeps the relevant plot threads and moves to 2024, Daredevil: Born Again will have to get bumped down the road a bit from the original “Spring” window and from where we slotted in V3. There’s still absolutely no information on how Marvel Studios plans to roll this 18-episode monster out, but we’ll throw a mid-June through an early-October run out there for now.
Another big newsmaker at D23, Thunderbolts is shaping up to be a Super Soldier-gone-wrong film that’s now rumored to feature an “evil Superman” character that’s widely believed to be Sentry. The events of Captain America: New World Order allegedly play a part in setting up Thunderbolts, making the 2024 slate look like it’ll have a couple of continuous stories being told between projects both theatrical and streaming.
With Daredevil: Born Again taking over Disney Plus for several months, it will end up bridging the gap from Thunderbolts to Blade. Blade has had a rough start but seems headed in the right direction with a new creative team on board. The multiple reshufflings of this project should actually stand out as an indication of how the release date some projects (perhaps like Agatha: Coven of Chaos) don’t really influence the release of others while other projects (perhaps like Echo and Wonder Man) do.
Through no fault of its own, Agatha: Coven of Chaos may end up getting bumped down the road a bit and, as it turns out, that’s ok because it could end up kicking off right around Halloween. It’s reportedly a nine-episode series, so a late October start would run it right up until Christmas 2024. Of course, it could also start a little later and end up having some episodes stream in 2025, but this is all hypothetical and likely to change multiple times anyway, so we dropped it right here for now.
Originally slated for February 2024 (as per V3), this one has gotten a whole lot more interesting since then! Hugh Jackman’sreturn for what sounds like an adaptation of Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe sounds pretty wild and something that might make the film something that even those who weren’t fans of the first two Deadpool films might look forward to.
Amid speculation that Marvel Studios would look to cut back on its output, a new rumor has emerged that the studio is developing a spinoff for an upcoming project that hasn’t begun production yet. According to insider Daniel RPK, Marvel Studios a Sentry-centric solo project, following the character who is rumored to be the villain of 2024’s Thunderbolts.
The new rumor is interesting in that the Sentry has yet to be officially revealed as the villain of Marvel Studio’s Thunderbolts. The rumors of Sentry’s appearance in Thunderbolts stem from a report that Marvel Studios was looking to cast an actor to play an “evil Superman” in the film. That report generated a couple of rounds of speculation about which of Marvel’s Superman analogs might make the best “evil” version, first with Hyperion and then Sentry. With Thunderbolts being a Super Soldier-heavy project already, Sentry’s comic book ties to the Super Soldier serum form the foundation of a fairly strong argument that he’d be the better choice of the two.
The latest rumor doesn’t indicate if the Sentry project, should it make its way out of development, would be a prequel or a sequel, though if the Marvel Studios adaptation of the character is anything like his comic book counterpart, he’ll be pretty tough to kill, especially for the group of characters who currently make up the Thunderbolts, so a sequel would not be off the table. Perhaps the development of a solo project could be used to help attract a big-name actor to the role who would be interested in signing on as more than just a one-off villain.
With Phase 4 behind us and the start of Phase 5 right around the corner, fans are just starting to see the big picture of the Multiverse Saga. As of now, a dozen known films stand between fans and the end of the ongoing saga. Here’s the scoop on all 12.
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania February 17, 2023
Written by Jeff Loveness Directred by Peyton Reed
A big-budget, universe-altering Ant-Man movie is probably a thing a lot of fans thought they’d never see, but that’s exactly what the third film in the franchise will be, according to executive producer Stephen Broussard who says Quantumania will “be big and feel central to the future of the MCU.” After being transported to the Quantum Realm through a device built by Kathryn Newton‘s Cassie, the Ant-Family will find themselves navigating their way through the strange land which Broussard warns is “full of people and characters and worlds and politics and history.” The first trailer for the film introduces a few of those characters including Jonathan Majors‘ Kang the Conqueror, Bill Murray‘s Krylar and some other key inhabitants of the Quantum Realm but held back on revealing one of the film’s most over-the-top choices: the classic comic villain M.O.D.O.K.!
As Broussard says, Quantumania’s plot is central to the ongoing Multiverse Saga. Writer Jeff Loveness put together an incredible script and then moved on to write Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, so you can be sure there’s significant connectivity between the two films. For a film that was once thought to be in danger of not being made or of being turned into a streaming series, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania certainly has an awful lot going for it.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 May 5, 2023
Written and directed by James Gunn
James Gunn‘s last project for Marvel Studios will undoubtedly leave fans in tears next Summer. It’s the last go-round for this group of characters and the film will see the death of at least one of the team’s original crew and a significantly different-looking future for the rest. The film’s plot will revolve around the unspooling of Rocket’s origins which seems to dictate a trip to Counter-Earth where the team runs into the High Evolutionary. That trip is rumored to be the result of a run-in with Will Poulter‘s Adam Warlock, who was seen throwing a beating on Nebula in the film’s first trailer.
While the film marks the end of the road for this group of heroes and for Gunn’s time with them, there’s certainly going to be room for Cosmic heroes beyond this movie. Who will be on the team and who will put it together? And what will the future hold for those who stay?
The Marvels July 28, 2023
Written by Megan McDonnell Directed by Nia DaCosta
While ostensibly a sequel to Captain Marvel, it could also be a sequel to Ms. Marvel and WandaVision as well. The Marvels looks to be as tonally different from Captain Marvel as Captain America: The Winter Soldier was from Captain America: The First Avenger. Director Nia DaCosta has said she had a great time working with stars Brie Larson, Iman Vellani and Teyonah Parris and the footage screened at D23 would certainly seem to support that claim.
The film will include some wild body-swapping as Carol, Kamala and Monica switch places with one another as seen in the post-credit scene to Ms. Marvel. That’s all tied to the Kree villain played by Zawe Ashton, who finds herself in possession of an artifact that looks strikingly similar to Kamala Khan’s bangle. A good portion of the film will also take place in space and see Carol revisit Hala as well as introduce a few new locations. There are also some pretty interesting theories out there about how these artifacts might be either Nega or Quantum bands and how they might just play into the Avengers’ battle against Kang, so this film won’t be without its Multiverse Saga tie-ins.
Captain America: New World Order May 3, 2024
Written by Dalan Musson and Malcolm Spellman Directed by Julius Onah
At this point, this sounds like the craziest film on Marvel Studios 2024 slate and maybe one of the crazier films they’ve ever put together. The return on Tim Blake Nelson‘s Samuel Sterns/The Leader is just the tip of the iceberg. Harrison Ford is joining the MCU as Thaddeus Ross and rumors point to the long-awaited Red Hulk transformation finally happening. There are also rumors that Adamantium will be central to the film’s plot, which may also include Super Soldier-research again which makes one wonder if Weapons Plus will reemerge from the shadows. The project is also set to introduce a “Marvel mainstay” to the MCU and is rumored to be another key project along the way to the rumored World War Hulk film making Sam Wilson’s first big screen adventure as Captain America an incredibly important Phase 5 film.
Thunderbolts July 26, 2024
Written by Eric Pearson Directed by Jake Schreier
The latest rumors about this film indicate that it’s getting a rewrite and that an “evil Superman” plays a key role. If the aforementioned reemergence of Weapons Plus happens in Captain America: New World Order, that “evil Superman” might just turn out to be Sentry and that would make for either one wild ride or one ultra-nerfed character. The team that was rolled out at D23 was very Super Soldier and spy-heavy and would be shredded by a comic book-accurate Sentry. Fan theories continue to swirl that Zemo and Abomination are “secret” members of the team or that that, like in The Suicide Squad, there’s a second team of Tbolts in the mix. It doesn’t seem like any of those things were true in the early drafts for the project, but who knows what a rewrite might fix?!
Blade September 6, 2024
Written by Michael Starrbury Directed by Yann Demange
Obviously this one has had some issues, but Marvel Studios feels good about the new direction in which it’s headed. Earlier versions of the project didn’t have quite enough action for a vampire-hunting film and the hope is that the new version of the project will feel a bit more like those great, old Tomb of Dracula comics than anything.
Untitled Deadpool and Wolverine Film November 8, 2024
Written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick Directed by Shawn Levy
This project went from one nobody could quite figure out to one that is starting to sound like it may be the most “Multiversal” project of the Multiverse Saga. Theories continue to center on the film being an adaptation of Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe and rumors about the inclusion of Owen Wilson‘s Mobius and the rest of the TVA playing a role make it sound like this will be the Incursion-heavy movie fans thought Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness would be. At this rate, it seems like the film will be trimming all kinds of branches ahead of Avengers: Secret Wars.
Fantastic Four February 14, 2025
Written by Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer Directed by Matt Shakman
Fantastic Four has been gestating way too long at Marvel Studios, but it looks like it’s back on track and it sounds as though it’s going to make a splash. Rumors of the Silver Surfer appearing and of a Multiversal Council of Reeds persist, making this one a pretty big mover and shaker for the future of the Multiverse Saga. It’s also just the beginning of what should shape up to be a decade of stories about Marvel’s First Family, so taking their time on this one is essential.
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty May 2, 2025
Written by Jeff Loveness Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton
Is the rumored title of Shang-Chi and The Wreckage of Time legit? If so, it would seem to indicate that Jonathan Majors might play a role in this sequel as well as another Variant of Nathaniel Richards? Introducing Immortus into the mix would make Avengers: Secret Wars even more interesting…
But truly, nothing is known about this movie at the moment, not even if that title is correct or if it’ll land before or after Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
Armor Wars TBD
Written by Yassir Lester
Originally intended to be a streaming series, Armor Wars will now turn out to be Don Cheadle’s debut as a leading man in the MCU after having been around forever! This one has ties to Secret Invasion but could it also have ties to the events of Captain America: New World Order? Given that it’s coming pretty late in the Multiverse Saga, it may have lasting implications beyond it and if those Adamantium rumors are true, that precious metal might play into this film. Remember that the MCU doesn’t do one-for-one adaptations of comics, so while this is called Armor Wars, don’t expect it to follow the template from the 1980s arc.
Avengers: Secret Wars May 1, 2026
Written by Michael Waldron
The capstone of the Multiverse Saga and what will undoubtedly be the most epic event of Marvel Studios long history, Avengers: Secret Wars is sure to work, in part, as a reunion of sorts for some of great icons of Marvel’s cinematic history. Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr. Scarlett Johansson, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield have all been rumored to appear already and more names will be added to the list in the next 3+ years. It’s also very likely that this film will set the table for whatever the next great Saga will be in the MCU and that one will come bearing mutants.
Marvel Studios Thunderbolts won’t hit theaters until 2024, but it’s already becoming incredibly interesting. Word that the villain of the film is set to be an “evil Superman” has sparked an incredible amount of debate and speculation as to who it is that the Super Soldier-heavy team will take on in the film. Over the years there have been plenty of “Superman” analogs on the pages of Marvel Comics, but not too many of them really fit the bill as “evil.” One, however, does have a bit more of a bad streak in him than the rest and an origin that’s tied to the Super Solider Serum making him a more likely option than the rest.
The MCU loves its Super Soldier Serum. First mentioned in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk as General Thunderbolt Ross’s pet project, the backstory of the original serum, and its creator, Dr. Abraham Erskine, was filled in in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger. More was learned about the Serum in Captain America: Civil War and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and at current, there are about a half dozen known Super Soldiers in the MCU including Bucky Barnes, Alexei Shostakov and John Walker, all of whom are set for roles in Thunderbolts. While The Falcon and The Winter Soldier seemed like the end of the line for new Super Soldiers in the MCU, it’s possible that the “evil Superman” set to antagonize the Thunderbolts could be one of the comics’ most powerful Super Soldiers ever: Robert Reynolds, aka The Sentry.
While Doctor Erskine created the Super Soldier Serum for the United States, several countries developed their own serums and it might be the right time to find out about one more country’s work on it: Canada. In the comics, Canda’s Department K, a shady little part of the Canadian government, scraped together what they could from Project Rebirth, the Weapon Plus experiment that created Captain America, and tried to recreate the effects as part of Project: Sentry. The result of their work was a serum, The Golden Sentry Serum, that was thousands of times stronger than the U.S. version. That serum was ultimately consumed by a drug addict named Robert Reynolds, who turned into a superhero known as The Sentry.
For years, The Sentry was one of Earth’s greatest protectors; a hero amongst heroes. The Sentry found himself up against a great evil, The Void, who became his archenemy. However, when the equally powerful and destructive Void was revealed to be a part of himself, The Sentry worked with Doctor Strange and Mister Fantastic to make the entire world, including himself, forget he ever existed. This worked so incredibly well that The Void disappeared and Reynolds went on to become a balding, overweight, middle-aged man that had no idea of the power within him.
A direct adaptation of The Sentry wouldn’t truly result in an “evil Superman”, but Marvel Studios rarely directly adapts anything and just based on the little information provided above, it doesn’t take much imagination to see how the character could end up in opposition to the Thunderbolts. Just exactly what to expect from the MCU’s Sentry is a little tricky to predict. If he were truly the fully powered-up version of the character from the comics, the Thunderbolts wouldn’t stand a chance against him, meaning whatever version of the Serum he takes, it probably won’t result in him gaining “the power of a million exploding suns.” But it doesn’t mean that a version of the character can’t or won’t exist, even if he’s not Candian.
All the plot really needs is someone willing to be working on Weapons Plus behind the backs of others and Thunderbolts has no shortage of people like that among its cast of characters. Harrison Ford’s Thaddeus Ross, who is rumored to be the U.S. President by the time the film rolls around, has always had an interest in the serum. Julia Louis-Dreyfus‘ CIA Director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who has been assembling the Thunderbolts for some time now, seems to have a great affinity for Super Soldiers, having collected 3 of them for her team. Other options could exist as well as the entire cast of the film isn’t known at this time. What does seem clear though, is that the true villain of the film won’t be the “evil Superman”, but whoever made him in the first place.
Given that the future of the MCU will include the X-Men, Thunderbolts is as good a time as any to learn that someone has restarted the Weapon Plus Program that, in the comics, created Weapon 1, Steve Rogers, and Weapon X, Wolverine, among its many Super Soldiers. Even Ted Sallis, aka Man-Thing, has a history with Weapon Plus in the comics. Weapon Plus had a broad reach in the comics and Phase 5 would be an ideal time to continue to add to its MCU backstory while potentially preparing for the arrival of the mutants on the scene.
Val made her Vibranium lust known in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and while it’s really hard to imagine her team of Thunderbolts being able to take on the combined might of both Wakanda and Talokan in order for her to get her hands on some (though it should be pointed out that a fully powered Sentry could do whatever he chose), the possibility that she might be connected to an ongoing, covert Weapon Plus program does bring another precious metal to mind. It’s obviously just wild speculation, but they need to do something drastic quickly to make Val’s character interesting and having her be the link from Cap to Wolverine might just do it. Should Val somehow be behind whatever they choose to call the MCU’s Project: Sentry (Project: Sentry has a nice ring to it), a lot of things start to make sense, both in the present and the future.
At the end of the day, a Super Soldier experiment gone wrong really does make for the best choice for the “evil Superman” of Thunderbolts and it isn’t much of a stretch to see how easily Robert Reynolds’ comic book origins as Sentry could be tweaked to fit the ongoing narrative of the MCU. Will he be strong enough to rip the God of War in half? Probably not. But he’ll almost certainly be strong enough to take on John Walker.
Rumors have been abounding as of late, as we’re about to enter the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. No matter where one feels on Phase 4, we’re about to enter a new and exciting era that’ll offer some unique projects. among them is the first non-Avengers team-up film in the form of Thunderbolts. An unlikely group of anti-heroes is stuck together to take on a mission for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, and it seems that they might be in for more than they bargained for.
A new rumor is making the circles that they are currently trying to cast the main antagonist for the upcoming Thunderbolts film, who hints at it being an “Evil Superman.” What makes this interesting is that there are two characters that could potentially take on that very role with Squadron Supreme’s Hyperion, a more direct parallel to the Justice League and Superman, or the other powered individual known as Sentry.
What adds to it is that they are already eyeing the casting of Ryan Gosling or Alexander Skarsgard, who would make two very interesting additions to the MCU. Gosling has highlighted his interest in joining the franchise but was more hopeful of taking on the role of Ghost Rider; a very popular choice at the moment. So, we’ll see if he’d even be interested in this role though it may also depend on what direction they are going.
If they are indeed going for a villain storyline, Sentry does seem like the most interesting direction given his connection to the Void. Though, Squadron Supreme as part of the Multiverse Saga would also make sense with elements leaking into the mainline MCU timeline that ends up setting up the future Avengers films. There are many potential directions they could take this storyline but we’ll have to wait a bit longer until we find out.
Marvel Studios has just left Phase 4 behind and is getting ready for the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After going through its grief phase, it’s time to see what a new kind of super team may bring to the table. While the Avengers‘ next two entries aren’t set for 2025 and 2026, we’ll get a very different kind of team-up to wrap up Phase 5, the Thunderbolts.
Outside of a look at the roster, there’s still a lot we don’t know about the project. Perhaps Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is setting up some story points, we don’t know what will force the hands of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine to form such a ragtag team. David Harbour agrees and gets a chance to sit down with ComicBook.com’s Phase Zero podcast while promoting Violent Night, where he got an opportunity to tease the newly formed group of “losers” of the MCU.
We’re… like, losers, which I like. We’re like, you know, the losers. And I think it’s fun to watch us just mess everything up. I think that’s the spectrum. I think it’s very funny, but there’s also a lot of pathos in that. There’s a lot of drama in a bunch of people that just keep getting their lives wrong and, because of character flaws, keep messing things up. And nobody gives them the respect that they do to Captain America and Iron Man, very capable people. So there’s a lot to draw on there. There’s a lot of movie there that’ll be fun.
David Harbour
It’s definitely a fun way to introduce the team, but it’s not the first time that Marvel took this approach. James Gunn introduced the world to the Guardians of the Galaxy as a bunch of “a-holes” that don’t usually belong together. Now that we have a group of anti-heroes working together, it does seem like their personalities are going to clash quite a bit throughout the film’s runtime.
With the revelation that Wakanda is no longer the only nation with access to Vibranium, the landscape of the Marvel Cinematic Universe changed dramatically. For all the reasons clearly outlined by Queen Ramonda in her speech to the UN and seconded by Everett Ross in his conversation with his ex-wife and current CIA Director, Valentia Allegra de Fontaine, it seems best if Vibranium is kept out of the hands of other nations. Fortunately, the two known locations of Vibranium on Earth now seem safer than ever with Wakanda and Talokan forging an alliance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. However, if Vibranium could be found buried in the ocean floor, who is to say that’s the only place outside of Wakanda where deposits of it might exist?
An increasingly popular fan theory posits that it won’t be long before Vibranium’s history in the MCU is revised once more and that another deposit of the alien metal will be discovered in another place, like Wakanda and Talokan, thought to only exist in legend: the Savage Land. Hidden away in Antarctica, the Savage Land is a tropical game preserve created by an alien race over 200 million years ago that first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1941. Over the years, several individuals stumbled upon the Savage Land, filled with prehistoric flora and fauna such as dinosaurs, saber-toothed tigers and early hominids, allowing legend of it to spread among mankind and into “fictional” accounts. In addition to the wild array of creatures that inhabit it, the Savage Land from the pages of the Marvel Comics is also the only known location of an alternate form of Vibranium known as Anti-Metal. While Savage Land Vibranium shares some properties with Vibranium, its unique properties could make it, in many ways, a more dangerous alternative.
By embracing the more fantastical elements of Namor and Talokan, Marvel Studios kept the door open to introducing the Savage Land in the MCU. And if the Savage Land does exist in the MCU, it could provide a fascinating opportunity to make good on Namor’s promise that one day the world would come for the resources of Wakana and Talokan. As eager as Val is shown to be to get her hands on Vibranium in Wakanda Forever, she’s not foolish enough to think her team of Thunderbolts could possibly be well enough equipped to take on either Wakanda or Talokan, much less their combined strength. However, the uncertain fate of Riri Williams’ Vibranium detector in the film could be just the type of unresolved plot point that could set the course of the Thunderbolts’ mission in the 2024 film: a trip to the Savage Land.
Sending a few Super Soldiers, a cyborg, a spy and a sneaky quantum-phase shifter into the Savage Land to bring back some Anti-Metal might sound like a relative day at the park; however, as fans of the comics know, it isn’t just the dinosaurs and Man-Apes of the Savage Land that the Thunderbolts would have to deal with. The Savage Land has its own protector, Ka-Zar, and it’s unlikely he and his Smilodon companion Zabu would take kindly to a group of outsiders coming to raid his land.
Since the Disney-Fox merger was completed, I’ve consistently heard whispers that Marvel Studios One-Above-All Kevin Feige was eager to bring the Savage Land to the MCU. Fox never explored the potential of it and its inhabitants, making it ripe for Marvel Studios. Feige found a way to include a “Savage World” in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which served as a Savage Land Easter egg. Is it possible it also served as a way to prime audiences for the eventual inclusion of the location within another project?
While on the surface, the group Val has assembled to be her Thunderbolts doesn’t really inspire much awe; however, putting them in the Savage Land and pitting them against Ka-Zar and/or the elements does seem to spice things up a touch. In the comics, Anti-Metal’s unique properties allow it to liquefy other metals. So much for John Walker’s shield. Could Anti-Metal do the same to Wakandan Vibranium? Bucky’s arm would make for an interesting experiment. Savage Land Vibranium also has unique vibrational properties. Could those be used to disrupt Ghost’s phasing abilities?
Of course, Ka-Zar is no villain and if Thunderbolts was going to follow along this “hunt for Vibranium” path, the team wouldn’t spend the entire film locked in battle with him, but the idea of that team on a mission to the Savage Land is much more palatable than them taking on Wakanda, Talokan or really any group of powered people. The current makeup of the team is pretty weak and couldn’t handle any sort of Avengers-level threat. So who else could be in the Savage Land that would make a formidable and realistic threat to the team? Skrulls have been known to be interested in Anti-Metal in the comics and would provide just the kind of threat the Thunderbolts could handle while teaming up with Ka-Zar. It could also provide a great opportunity for Marvel Studios to adapt the big Savage Land battle from the Secret Invasion comic event into a smaller-scale third-act brawl that would make Thunderbolts a whole lot of fun.
Another, less exciting option for a big bad in Thunderbolts could be the MCU’s Power Broker, Sharon Carther. It’s worth noting that the D+ series Secret Invasion is said to lead right into Armor Wars, which is now being developed as a feature film. Having competing parties searching for Vibranium in the Savage Land is a lot less exciting than having Skrulls there, but it could also be said that they don’t have to be mutually exclusive. I’ve not heard exciting things about the big bad of the Thunderbolts’ film, however, so this is just one boring place my mind goes while pursuing the possibilities.
Again, it’s all just speculation generated from what’s become a fairly well-shared fan theory about what Val’s team will get up to in Thunderbolts, but there are certainly enough dots to connect to make up the bare bones of a boring story. However, given its slot as a July film, Marvel Studios will certainly want Thunderbolts to look and feel like a blockbuster and a trip to the Savage Land would go a long way in that regard.
There’s always some excitement about a new project, especially when it comes to crossovers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While we’ll have to wait a while until we get to see the next Avengers team-up, we’ll have a different kind of project with the introduction of the Thunderbolts into the MCU. The film’s roster was revealed during D23 with a very super-soldier centric offering, especially with the major returning cast from Black Widow.
One of its stars, David Harbour has been quite excited to share what he can from the project without giving anything away. In a new interview with Gizmodo, the Stranger Things star got to boast about his excitement about working with some of the cast, highlighting Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Wyatt Russell, and SebastianStan. Yet, he also puts in a good word on what they have planned for Florence Pugh‘s Yelena Belova
I’ve loved Wyatt [Russell], and Sebastian [Stan] and Julia [Louis-Dreyfus]’s characters throughout the universe. What [director Jake Schreier] wants to do with Florence’s character is very interesting and how I factor into how we develop our relationship is very interesting. And then when you see what Jake and Eric Pearson is trying to fashion, it’s really clever…So you have this movie that’s, you know, kind of ragtag.
David Harbour
Harbour‘s excitement has always been infectious, and it’s great to see that he’s all-in for this new project. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Red Guardian as a recurring character moving forward. Yet, it’s quite interesting that he highlights the development offered by Pugh‘s character. It also seems we’ll see a lot more interaction between them moving forward. Perhaps the family will finally find each other again.
Marvel Studios really wanted Yaha Abdul-Mateen II to bring Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man, to life in the MCU. After hearing that initial conversations between the actor and the studio hit a stumbling block, a recent trade report revealed that negotiations had resumed and it is now expected that Mateen will ultimately land the role. As of now, that means Mateen will headline the Disney Plus series Wonder Man, which is being overseen by Shang-Chi and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty director Destin Daniel Cretton. However, given how keen Marvel Studios was to land Mateen, it seems possible that they have a much bigger plan in place for Simon Williams and part of that plan might lie in the character’s comic book history.
Even though Avengers’ director Joss Whedon wasn’t a big fan of the character, Wonder Man has been an Avenger for the majority of his Marvel Comics’ adventures. But like Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, he didn’t start off as one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, but rather one of their adversaries. After taking over his father’s company and subsequently running it into the ground, Williams found himself involved with the Maggia. That connection soon found him making his way to prison until he was bailed out by the Masters of Evil and became part of one of Baron Zemo’s schemes. Williams underwent a radical procedure that provided him with incredible powers and worked his way into favor with the Avengers before leading them into a trap set by Zemo. Williams ultimately came to his senses and sided with the Avengers, but the side effects of the experiment took a toll, sending him into a coma. A lot of weird scenarios later, Williams woke up, came to terms with his grief and trauma and joined the Avengers and, later, the West Coast Avengers. While all that sounds great, it’s that opening arc as a villain that has us theorizing!
As of now, Wonder Man has not been put on Marvel Studios’ upcoming slate. Going only off the information available, it doesn’t seem that fans should expect to see it until Fall of 2024 at the earliest. That makes casting Mateen in the role now a little suspect because there’s no information available about when Wonder Man is expected to start production. As of now, it’s known that Agatha: Coven of Chaos, Daredevil: Born Again, Captain America: New World Order and Thunderbolts are all slated to get underway in the first half 2023, but so far Wonder Man hasn’t been given a definitive start date.
It’s not completely out of the ordinary for Marvel Studios to cast a lead when they don’t have a start date set in stone and just because the public doesn’t know a start date doesn’t mean one doesn’t exist. However, Marvel’s eagerness to get the deal with Mateen done might indicate that they have plans for the actor in another project before he begins work on Wonder Man. Sifting through those projects listed above, none of them seem to be quite as good of a fit for a potential appearance of Simon Williams as a villain as Thunderbolts.
From what’s known about the plans for Wonder Man in the MCU, it’s expected that his series will serve as a Hollywood satire and follow his career as a struggling actor and stuntman. How he gets from superpowered experiment to struggling actor is an interesting conundrum to consider. One possibility to consider could be that the MCU’s Wonder Man might share a connection with a few members of the Thunderbolts, specifically the super soldiers. The legacy of the Super Soldier Serum in the MCU was front and center in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and with Thunderbolt Ross set to appear in both Thunderbolts and Captain America: New World Order, it’s possible it remains a prevalent plot point, especially with Samuel Sterns coming back into play.
While the plot of Thunderbolts, and thus the villain, are still tightly held secrets at Marvel Studios, having three super soldiers on the team (Bucky, John Walker and Red Guardian) could be taken as an indicator that despite Zemo’s efforts to eliminate the further development of super soldiers within the MCU, someone else has different ideas. Could Thunderbolt Ross, whose fascination with the serum led to the creation of Abomination, be back in the game? Could Samuel Sterns, who was announced to be the villain of Captain America: New World Order, be making an appearance in Thunderbolts? And how would Simon Williams end up part of an experiment in the first place?
Without details, wild speculation is the best direction. In the comics, Simon’s fall from grace started when he ran his father’s company, Williams Innovations, into the ground and hooked up with the Maggia. However, it was his brother, Eric, who went on to become the villain known as the Grim Reaper, that put him in tough with the Maggia. Given the group of characters assembled for the roster of the Thunderbolts and Val’s coming obsession with metals, it wouldn’t be beyond her to get involved with a little corporate espionage. Having Ghost and Yelena on the team would certainly allow for Val’s team to get involved in some shady business like that. It wouldn’t be completely out of the question to see the first two acts of the film (or less) show the fall of Simon Williams at the hands of the Thunderbolts and his subsequent journey to becoming Wonder Man (classic costume hopefully included). The third act could see the team, and Simon, take on the project’s true villain(s), which could include Eric and/or an MCU-based Masters of Evil. Maybe the aftermath sees Simon less interested in the world of superheroes, but with nothing but his good looks and charm on his side, he decides to try his hand in Hollywood, leading into his Wonder Man solo series.
It’s paper-thin speculation at best, but the reality of the current Thunderbolts’ lineup is that they could never last against an overly-powered and truly evil villain. They don’t have the stopping power of a Hulk or a Thor and despite Walker and Bucky being on the team, they don’t have the leadership of a Captain America. They might be able to take a beating for a short time, but their true villain is going to ultimately be someone…less than thrilling. Of course Marvel Studios’ writer Eric Pearson certainly has something much more exciting in mind for Thunderbolts, which is headed to theaters on July 2th, 2024.
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