Marvel Cinematic Universe’s upcoming movie Thunderbolts has been going through many changes since it was announced. The movie was officially announced at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con, with an initial release date of July 26, 2024. Thunderbolts was set to be the last film in Phase 5 of the MCU, but soon things had to be shifted with every crisis the MCU as well as the industry as a whole faced.
The movie was initially an idea from Guardians of the Galaxy director, James Gunn, who wanted to make a movie on the team from the Marvel Comics. But by the time Marvel decided to move forward with the idea, Gunn had already directed The Suicide Squad and was no longer interested in making the movie. By 2022, Jake Schrier was named director of the movie, with Eric Pearson, Lee Sung Jin, and Joanna Calo writing the story. And now that the movie is finally in production, we are getting a couple of updates every now and then.
The Thunderbolts – Yelena Belova Connection
Yelena Belova, played by Florence Pugh, first came to the Marvel fold in 2021 with Black Widow. The character gained momentum in Hawkeye and will soon be seen in Thunderbolts. And though the news of her inclusion in the team is not new, we do have some new updates on that front. According to some new revelations, Thaddeus Ross and Tiamut Island were never considered for the upcoming movie. Which seems a little off, especially the part about Thaddeus Ross, given most people, until now, believed the Thunderbolts probably came from Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross.
On the other hand, the team will actually be named Thunderbolts after Yelena Belova’s soccer team when she was a kid. This just seems way too off the mark, giving Yelena Belova such a personal connection to the team. Naming it after something that was part of her childhood, presumably before she came to the Red Room, just does not bode well for the movie that has already faced a few too many set backs so far.
Fans React to The Latest Thunderbolts Revelations
Since the latest revelations about Thunderbolts was announced, fans have been taking to social media to share their opinion on the matter. Though the movie will undoubtedly feature the character of Yelena Belova prominently, giving her such a personal and in-depth connection with the whole team, and in turn, the movie seems a little too much.
Fans, no doubt, have been throwing in their own two cents on the matter, and this is what they have to say-
Her soccer team? That’s just lazy writing, zero creativity, awful 😞
— Super Talk Podcast (@SuperTalkPod) February 29, 2024
They better not make this movie black widow 2
— Trizzydri (@Trizzydri186) February 28, 2024
Gawd I hope this isn’t true.
— Alex from Earth 616 🤼♀️ 🤼♀️ 🤼♀️ (@LEXthePEX) February 28, 2024
Comics: Zemo names the team
MCU: no Zemo, team is named after kids soccerWhat in the actual fuck..?
— GregorySynder (@the3X0dus) February 28, 2024
That tidbit about the soccer team is all I need to know for me to consider this entire movie cooked
— Jam (@usedtissue_) February 28, 2024
Thunderbolts comics are amazing but this film is gonna be a disaster
— Felix Wood #FreePalestine 🇵🇸 (@felixw1) February 28, 2024
Marvel’s Thunderbolts is currently set to release on May 2, 2025.
