"[It Was] A Hulk Thing...": THUNDERBOLTS* Writer Reveals U.S. Agent Was Originally The Movie's Main Villain

"[It Was] A Hulk Thing...": THUNDERBOLTS* Writer Reveals U.S. Agent Was Originally The Movie's Main Villain

Thunderbolts* writer Eric Pearson has revealed that an earlier draft of the movie featured U.S. Agent as the main villain in place of The Sentry. Be warned that some spoilers follow from this point on...

By JoshWilding - May 05, 2025 08:05 AM EST
Filed Under: Thunderbolts
Source: Screen Rant

Thunderbolts* pits the team against The Sentry and his darker half, The Void, in what proves to be a moving tale about mental health. The MCU now has its own Superman, with Bob's story set to continue in Avengers: Doomsday next year. 

However, The Sentry wasn't always the movie's big bad; in an earlier draft, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine was going to manipulate John Walker, after transforming him into her U.S. Agent in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, turning him into a "time bomb." 

Talking to Screen Rant, Thunderbolts* writer Eric Pearson shared details on what would have been a full-blown villain turn for Walker. 

"The original drafts of this had John Walker as the punching villain at the end. The idea was that part of Val's manipulation was that she had told him that his serum was wearing off, and she was doing these medications to keep him going. In reality, he was a time bomb; a Hulk kind of thing. There was going to be a bit of a 'Sun's getting real low' moment because from the beginning of this, it was like, 'I want to end our third act fight with a hug.'"

"That version was kind of fun, but ultimately didn't work and didn't feel right tone-wise. I had already kind of layered in the whole Breakfast Club thing, so I was like, 'I want someone that they can't beat in a punching fight and that they have to connect to in an emotional way.'"

"But back in the Marvel Writers program that I did in 2010 or 2011, I'd read the Sentry comics. In the comics, it's like the golden God of Good vs. Pure Evil. But I was like, 'What if it's heroic ambition and self-esteem versus self-loathing and depression and loneliness?' He's basically the entire journey for our heroes rolled into one entity. So, I put him in, and he fit so perfectly. Then it was all about finding and defining the Void space and stuff like that."

Pearson later explained that the comic book storyline revealing that The Sentry had existed since the Golden Age and erased everyone's memory of him was a "fun comic book idea that's not going to translate into this movie very well."

Despite that, "We took the memory loss, the duality of his character, and the fact that he was an experiment gone wrong. You want to just take as much to honor the comics, and then fit it into the movie world in the best way."

The comic book version of U.S. Agent has often swung between hero, anti-hero, and villain status, and seeing him transformed into a near-unstoppable being by Val certainly would have been interesting. However, it raises the question of what would have come next for John, particularly if he'd have lived to fight another day courtesy of a group hug. 

Ultimately, it sounds like this was a very early idea and one which didn't take into account The Void, for example. The Sentry feels like the better choice of villain, and Walker is now free to do his thing alongside the other New Avengers. 

Thunderbolts* is now playing in theaters.

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Nonameforme
Nonameforme - 5/5/2025, 8:46 AM
Do they even know what they're doing anymore?
Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 5/5/2025, 8:47 AM
@Nonameforme - yes , running Marvel into the absolute ground
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 5/5/2025, 8:54 AM
@Nonameforme -
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Jackraow21
Jackraow21 - 5/5/2025, 10:35 AM
@Nonameforme - Sounds like focusing on finding the heart of the film first, and then making the pieces fit. Not too controversial in my view. Probably what they should've done in the case of some of their flops, instead of the inverse, which seemed to be shoe-horning in the pieces that they wanted and not having a coherent narrative with any real core. But maybe that's just me...
Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 5/5/2025, 8:46 AM
The only villain here is the absance of Jonathan Majors in this movie
harryba11zack
harryba11zack - 5/5/2025, 8:49 AM
Villain my a55, Walker did nothing wrong.
bobevanz
bobevanz - 5/5/2025, 8:53 AM
@harryba11zack - says the cult sympathist
Rpendo
Rpendo - 5/5/2025, 8:54 AM
@harryba11zack - I mean, he did cut a dude’s head off with Cap’s shield while the guy was literally begging for his life…

He is still one of my faves, because his redemption arc is going to be a long, hopefully complex road because of his inability to control his emotions.
Fogs
Fogs - 5/5/2025, 8:58 AM
@Rpendo - this
MisterDoctor217
MisterDoctor217 - 5/5/2025, 9:00 AM
@Rpendo -

I mean yeah he went about it the wrong way but you can’t say he was in the wrong when that person killed his friend.

Plus OG Cap has also killed a lot of people , henchmen , and even tho they worked for the bad guys, who’s to say they weren’t manipulated or there against their will?

So this whole “Walker killed a guy” thing doesn’t really work when the OG had already killed a bunch of people too lol
For the right reasons and self defense , but still …

Walker’s anti-heroism comes from not being the clean cut Boy Scout that Rogers was, different methods and tempers.
But not because he killed that one guy, it was just one among many things.
harryba11zack
harryba11zack - 5/5/2025, 9:02 AM
@Rpendo - that head belonged to a terrorist that just a moment ago was trying to kill him.
his revenge arc was completed when he chosed to help the people in the van over going after that ginger kid.
Matador
Matador - 5/5/2025, 9:16 AM
@Rpendo - Captain America killed a bunch of Nazi's & Hydra Soldiers shooting them, blowing them up, or bashed heads with shields. While Walker kills off one dude and everyone freaks out.

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HashTagSwagg
HashTagSwagg - 5/5/2025, 9:30 AM
@Rpendo - Cap broke open the door of a tank, instead of apprehending the men which he was quite capable of, he threw a bag of explosives down on them and slammed the door before getting the f**k out of dodge.
Also not to mention Cap took down that helicarrier in Winter Soldier on the assumption that everyone unboard that Hellicarrier was Hydra. Maintenance cleaners be damned.
Not to mention Thor took the head of a crippled Thanos who was already defeated and on his knee's, Cap didn't even question it.
90% of the MCU's Avengers are killers, hell even Spiderman.
SuperCat
SuperCat - 5/5/2025, 8:50 AM
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Matador
Matador - 5/5/2025, 9:18 AM
@SuperCat - my monies on the shark guy
SuperCat
SuperCat - 5/5/2025, 9:21 AM
@Matador - LOL. Mine too!
DraculaX
DraculaX - 5/5/2025, 12:31 PM
@SuperCat - if Deadshot was there, it would even the odds
bobevanz
bobevanz - 5/5/2025, 8:55 AM
Good choice, that would have been a terrible twist. I'm glad this wasn't a generic superhero movie that they normally shove down our throats. Easily in my top 10 for the MCU
HashTagSwagg
HashTagSwagg - 5/5/2025, 8:56 AM
They already did that before
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Gabimaru
Gabimaru - 5/5/2025, 8:58 AM
Ugh another dumpster fire if john walker was just like an abomination from incredible hulk. been there done that. Glad they put some sense into it.
MisterDoctor217
MisterDoctor217 - 5/5/2025, 9:03 AM
Glad they didn’t go this route.


The movie turned out perfect as it is imo.

It does feel like a Phase 1 or Phase 2 movie.

Likable characters introduced (or in this case developed more) and a third act that wasn’t as big as later movies or spectacle driven but more emotional.
(Like Thor (2011) or Cap 1)
TheBlueMorpho
TheBlueMorpho - 5/5/2025, 9:18 AM
Glad he wasn't. Walker was good
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 5/5/2025, 9:23 AM
Interesting…

The medication angle also sounds similar to Ross & Sterns in BNW so I wonder if that’s why it was nixed aswell?

I’m assuming they pushed the whole “his wife and kid leaving him” even moreso in the initial drafts hence him being desperate enough to hold onto the only thing he has left here which would be understandable imo since you could have still gotten to the group hug scene but with John instead of Bob.

Anyway I’m glad that they went the route that they did since as Pearson said , their take on the Sentry/The Void fit the character arcs & themes better

Plus , I really enjoyed Walker in Thunderbolts (even moreso then FaTWS I think) so I’m glad he just became a part of the team rather then the villain.
TheShellyMan
TheShellyMan - 5/5/2025, 9:59 AM
I liked Walker, who is one of the highlights of this movie.
thedrudo
thedrudo - 5/5/2025, 10:06 AM
This would have been bad. Walker grew on me over the course of the movie but him and Ghost are the weak links.

Some of that is his performance. Some is just him being a dime store Cap which I actually liked that they leaned into
McMurdo
McMurdo - 5/5/2025, 11:59 AM
@thedrudo - couldn't disagree more. Walker was right up there with Bob for me. Felt more natural too. The shift from Bob to Golden Sentry felt a bit off.
Shivermetimbers
Shivermetimbers - 5/5/2025, 12:23 PM
@McMurdo - Thats my main criticism, I wish the transition into "full sentry" was a little more gradual.
BigDriggs
BigDriggs - 5/5/2025, 10:06 AM
Glad they took the sentry route. Movie was really good!
MakeAmericaGrea
MakeAmericaGrea - 5/5/2025, 10:34 AM
John Walker did nothing wrong in The Falcon and Winter Soldier.

But liberals gotta demonize the White man.
Shivermetimbers
Shivermetimbers - 5/5/2025, 12:24 PM
Really liked how it turned out as it is. Sentry was great.

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