The age of superheroes and righteous vigilantes is coming to a close. Thunderbolts brings a new era defined by anti-heroes, redeemed villains, and morally ambiguous crime fighters. The Phase Five film, named after General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, bands together with characters that have mostly been introduced in the MCU over the years. With Harrison Ford already cast as the General in the wake of the original actor William Hurt’s passing, it is now only a matter of time before the rest of the crew fills their roster before stepping onto the battlefield with guns blazing.
The Thunderbolts Begin Assembling Its Dubious Heroes
MCU has been home to characters that have inspired as many generations of younger superheroes as it did villains. Like an antithetical response to the righteousness portrayed in the good guys, the villains and sworn archenemies of these characters rise to the occasion to put forth the challenge that defines the limits that a hero is prepared to go to save the world and the people in it. However, some situations call for a factor that advocates self-preservation in addition to the “saving the world” trope. This is where the Thunderbolts step in.
Guided by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, the group will be comprised of US Agent aka John Walker, the Winter Soldier aka Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Taskmaster, the Red Guardian, and Ghost. Set to be the 35th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thunderbolts will pack up the team of cherry-picked supervillains to send them off on missions that seem requisite of people willing to color outside the lines.
As witnessed in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Hawkeye, and most recently in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine has already climbed to the top rung of the ladder and her puppeteering behind the scenes has brought her into direct contact with US Agent and Yelena Belova. She will serve as the MCU version of Amanda Waller to the rest of the Thunderbolts’ Suicide Squad.
Also read: “Don’t rehash it”: Wyatt Russell Wants MCU To Have a Different Version of US Agent in Thunderbolts
MCU’s Hyperion Cast: Ryan Gosling or Alexander Skarsgård?
Created in the image of DC’s Superman, Hyperion aka Mark Milton has powers that defy gods and supersoldiers. The MCU character has rivaled Captain Marvel in his quest to protect and preserve the universe and has appeared in multiple iterations over the decades that portray him as either sinister or heroic. Originally created by writer Roy Thomas, the first Hyperion appeared in The Avengers #69 (1969) as a member of Squadron Sinister who went up against the Avengers. Later, the character in alternate realities showed promise as heroic versions of the original and eventually joined the mainstream universe’s Squadron Supreme.
So far, no cast has been confirmed for the role of Hyperion. Considering the impact the character might have moving forward in the MCU narrative, the casting has to be one that can be secured and held by the actor for the long term. Before his re-emergence as Superman, Henry Cavill was widely rumored to be making an appearance as the famed Hyperion, but with all the new development in the DCU sphere, talks have been redirected toward veteran actors Ryan Gosling and Alexander Skarsgård to emulate the character who can hold planets apart and survive the destruction of the universe.
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