Marvel Studios hyped up Thunderbolts* at this weekend's San Diego Comic-Con, but the decision not to release the trailer online has seen the movie largely overshadowed by the other upcoming MCU releases showcased in Hall H.
The cast came out on stage alongside David Harbour suited up as Red Guardian, though the name of Geraldine Viswanathan's mysterious character was never revealed. However, thanks to an official video shared by Marvel Studios, we now know she's called "Mel."
It should go without saying that, after putting the pieces together, the only logical explanation is that the actress is playing Melissa Gold, a.k.a. Songbird.
Whether she'll have the same supersonic sound abilities as her comic book counterpart remains to be seen.
Songbird, originally known as Screaming Mimi, debuted in the pages of Marvel Two-in-One #54 in 1979. She was created by Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Macchio, and John Byrne, later becoming the superhero known as Songbird after joining the Thunderbolts.
Talking to Entertainment Weekly at Comic-Con, Viswanathan said her character is "in the world of Valentina [Allegra de Fontaine]" and added, "I'm kind of her little righthand man. And kind of going, 'Wait a minute? Who is this, and what's she doing? So we're really paired up, which is a dream — it's Julia Louis Dreyfus!"
Many fans have expressed disappointment over the decision to fill the Thunderbolts* roster with characters from the Captain America and Black Widow franchises, so the presence of Sonbird will surely be appreciated by those missing the likes of Baron Zemo and Mach IV.
Marvel Studios has also released a new version of the movie's logo which you can see below.
Marvel Studios, and a crew of indie veterans, who definitely sold out, present Thunderbolts*, an irreverent team-up featuring depressed assassin Yelena Belova alongside the MCU’s least anticipated band of misfits.
Confirmed cast members for Thunderbolts* include Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Florence Pugh as Yelena Boleva, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, and Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster.
Recently, Geraldine Viswanathan replaced Ayo Edebiri in an undisclosed role now believed to be Songbird, while Lewis Pullman has taken over as The Sentry following Steve Yeun's shock departure from the movie. Both he and Edebiri are said to have left due to scheduling issues.
Written by Eric Pearson, Lee Sung Jin, and Joanna Calo, and directed by Jake Schreier, Thunderbolts* is currently set to be released in theaters on May 5, 2025.