There was a time when Thunderbolts was a dream project for director James Gunn as he looked beyond his time working on the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, but that's no longer the case. Why not? Well, you can blame the DC Extended Universe or, more specifically, The Suicide Squad.
Answering fan questions on Instagram, Gunn was asked whether he would be interested in directing Thunderbolts for Marvel Studios.
"The Suicide Squad scratched that itch for me," he responded, confirming that DC Comics adaptation has filled his need for a comic book movie revolving around a team of villains. It's easy enough to see why, especially when Gunn would probably feel like he's retreading old ground with Thunderbolts.
While the original iteration of the team was a group of bad guys posing as heroes when the Avengers disappeared, later versions were portrayed in almost the exact same way as Task Force X (with Luke Cage leading a team of "reformed" baddies who had been imprisoned in The Raft).
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier dropped some hints about such a team eventually forming, with Baron Zemo and U.S. Agent two possible members of the group. Whether that happens remains to be seen, especially when Marvel Studios has yet to confirm any sort of Thunderbolts project for the big or small screen.
Which version of the Thunderbolts would you like to see in the MCU?