After making a bold claim about Thunderbolts* at the SDCC, David Harbour further ups the hype for the film with another update. Harbour has shared that none of the anti-heroes of the film are in a good place at the start of the film. From Harbour and the rest of the cast’s comments, it appears that the film will avoid one major mistake committed by DC’s Suicide Squad.
The group of Marvel anti-heroes in the film are hired by the government to go on secret missions. The group includes Sebastian Stan as the Winter Soldier, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, David Harbour as the Red Guardian, and Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster.
David Harbour’s Thunderbolts* Looks To Avoid Becoming Marvel’s Suicide Squad
Marvel’s Thunderbolts* will probably remind comic book fans of another team of anti-heroes/villains who fight for the government. While the Marvel team’s resemblance to DC’s Suicide Squad is uncanny, fans don’t want the film version to end up like David Ayer’s 2016 film.
The Margot Robbie and Will Smith starrer had great potential, but it was a huge letdown in terms of story and characters. The website consensus on Rotten Tomatoes rightly points out the film’s biggest weaknesses as “a muddled plot, thinly written characters, and choppy directing.” The audience felt that the talented ensemble was wasted in the film.
Marvel fans don’t want the same to happen to their own anti-hero team in Thunderbolts*. David Harbour‘s recent comment is a positive update for fans in this aspect. According to The Official Marvel Podcast, the cast of the film, especially the trio of Harbour, Wyatt Russell, and Sebastian Stan, are already exhibiting great chemistry. The podcast host even jokingly calls them the “Thunderbros”.
The three actors confirmed that their characters are not at a great place when the film begins. Harbour shared that fans would see his character eating disgusting food and gaining weight. The Stranger Things actor shared:
None of us are in a good place. I am eating something disgusting out of a bowl, gaining weight as you watch the film in real-time. It’s really right up our alley.
Russell, who reprises his role as John Walker from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, shared that he had been “shot at a lot” in the film. Stan believed that he had it worst out of them all, sharing, “I’m just in Congress!”. It could be assumed that the group is bound to have some great bonding since all of them struggle with their lives at the same point.
As opposed to Suicide Squad, Marvel’s anti-hero team will probably have some amazing character development. This could help fans to build a connection with these characters, some of whom are already favorites from previous appearances.
David Harbour’s Comments At SDCC Had Already Excited Fans
David Harbour provided a great update at the SDCC, hinting at the villain and how the film will fit in Marvel’s timeline. Harbour shared with ComicBook that the anti-heroes in the film would interact with something that they really don’t understand. He could be talking about Lewis Pullman‘s all-powerful villain Sentry, who is one of the most powerful beings in Marvel Comics.
Harbour also claimed that the film would change the course of the MCU. However, he refrained from expanding on it, sharing that he might get calls from Marvel for revealing too much. Harbour shared with ComicBook:
Our characters are going to interact with something that we don’t really understand, and it fundamentally changes the course of the way things expand. That’s all I’m saying. Oh my God, I’m getting calls tomorrow.
Jake Schreier, who directed six episodes of the Emmy-winning Beef, will helm the film, while Beef creator Lee Sung Jin rewrote the script by Eric Pearson. Joanna Calo was hired earlier this year to rewrite the script once again, changing a few things from the previous drafts.
Thunderbolts* is scheduled to be released in the United States on May 2, 2025. Suicide Squad is available to watch on Max.
