It's become increasingly obvious that Marvel Studios has been planning some sort of Thunderbolts (or something similar) project for a while, and Deadline has now confirmed that a movie based on the supervillain/antihero team is officially in development.
Jake Schreier (Robot and Frank, Dave) is set to direct, with Black Widow scribe Eric Pearson penning the script. Plot details are few and far between, but the movie is said to revolve "around a group of supervillains (or at least characters who have played bad guys at one point in MCU) who go on missions for the government."
In the comics, the Thunderbolts were originally introduced as a new superhero team who stepped in when the Avengers were declared dead after the events of Onslaught, but it was soon revealed that they were actually the Masters of Evil in disguise. Ultimately, most members of the team reformed for real, and did their best to become a force for good.
We don't know which characters will make up the roster, but we assume this is the group Valentina Allegra de Fontaine began to put together in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. If so, John Walker/U.S. Agent is a safe bet, with Baron Zemo, Abomination, and Yelena Belova/Black Widow strong possibilities. Ghost, Taskmaster, and Winter Soldier are also mentioned as potential members.
Expect a mix of established characters and new faces, anyway. Marvel has reportedly been in touch with "certain individuals who are already part of the MCU to make sure to keep an opening in their schedules for next summer."
What do you guys make of this news? Which characters would you put on the team? Let us know in the usual place.