Anything can happen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s a saying we’ve been using for years because it’s true, but it’s been carrying even more weight since the franchise kicked off its Multiverse Saga. The walls of impossibility have been broken down as the Marvel Studios franchise can now cross over with classic Marvel properties from studios such as Fox and Sony, making the impossible extremely possible.
One of the Multiverse Saga’s biggest success stories in terms of critical response is Thunderbolts*, which also happens to be one of the more grounded MCU films of the current storyline – with praise directed towards its powerful storytelling, heartwarming team dynamics, and thoughtful performances. And yet, it turns out that the studio seemingly had the most outrageous plan for the film before it settled on the final version.
Marvel originally planned on killing all of the Thunderbolts
According to Wyatt Russell, Marvel Studios originally planned on killing off all of the Thunderbolts in their solo MCU movie. The actor, who plays John Walker, a.k.a. US Agent in Thunderbolts* revealed at MEGACON Orlando that all of the characters on that team were originally going to die. Needless to say, this has received quite the response from Marvel fans online.
Thunderbolts* starred an ensemble of characters from previous MCU movies, with most of them being staples of the Multiverse Saga. Florence Pugh led the pack, reprising her Black Widow and Hawkeye role of Yelena Belova while her Black Widow co-stars David Harbour and Olga Kurylenko joined her as Red Guardian and Taskmaster, respectively. Russell was a fixture of Disney Plus miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier while MCU newcomer Lewis Pullman brought Bob, a.k.a. Sentry to life. Hannah John-Kamen reprised her pre-Multiverse Saga role of Ant-Man and the Wasp’s Ava Starr, a.k.a. Ghost, while MCU veteran Sebastian Stan returned as Bucky Barnes, a.k.a. the Winter Soldier.
Yeah, I think it goes without saying it would have been a mistake to kill all of them off.
Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Bob (Lewis Pullman), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan)in Marvel Studios’ THUNDERBOLTS*. | Photo by Chuck Zlotnick. © 2025 MARVEL.
Aside from how great each individual character is, this would have made much of the Multiverse Saga seem redundant. After all, what would have been the point of introducing all of these new characters only to turn around and kill them off before the end of that same saga? It just wouldn’t have made sense and I, for one, and am glad that Marvel ultimately changed course. Especially when you consider how successfully Thunderbolts* turned out.
While we might not know the official reasoning behind Marvel’s crazy plan, we can guess. Thunderbolts*, in many ways, was considered the equivalent of DC’s Suicide Squad – supervillains and antiheroes pulled together by a government official’s erratic actions only to save the day and potentially perish in the process – so it’s likely that the studio had plans on highlighting how expendable they were to the mission.
This is part of the reason why Taskmaster ultimately died in the film’s opening act – to highlight the stakes of the mission that they were involved in. It was a divisive moment but it continued to generate discussion among fans about whether it was needed. And yet, the idea of killing all of the characters off seems incredibly outlandish – because there would just be us, the audience, reacting to the fact that all of the main characters we grew to love would simply cease to exist when the credits rolled. Despite a noble sacrifice, it would have been a needlessly dark ending to an entertaining, poignant and yet uplifting movie.
(L-R): John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour) in Marvel Studios’ THUNDERBOLTS*. | Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios
No, the characters’ collective fate in the movie was so much stronger (except for Taskmaster’s of course). Seeing these so-called losers in life, these antiheroes and villains not only step up to save New York City, but to be given an opportunity to do it on a full-time basis as the New Avengers made for such a rewarding finish to the film’s story. It also presented the MCU with a long-term group of heroes who will continue learning what it takes to be a hero as they make mistakes along the way. In the end, that’s a fulfilling, rewarding journey to see play out on the big screen.
Thunderbolts* ended up becoming one of the most important movies of the Multiverse Saga – perhaps the most important movie of the Multiverse Saga. The film has directly set the stage for Avengers: Doomsday, showcasing a bunch of beloved characters along the way as it did so. We know that the New Avengers will be front and center when Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom comes out to play, making them one of the multiverse’s only hopes against the villain. That wouldn’t have been the case if Marvel had stuck to its original plan.
It goes without saying that we’re so glad Marvel changed course and integrated the Thunderbolts, a.k.a. the New Avengers, into the MCU in a much bigger, better way. We’re all better off for that!