THUNDERBOLTS* Director Says He "Really Wanted" Man-Thing To Be Part Of The Team

THUNDERBOLTS* Director Says He "Really Wanted" Man-Thing To Be Part Of The Team

Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier has revealed that he originally wanted Man-Thing, who made his MCU debut in Werewolf By Night, to be part of his team of misfit heroes...

By MarkCassidy - Apr 22, 2025 08:04 AM EST
Filed Under: Thunderbolts

There was some disappointment when the characters that would make up the team in Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts* were announced (many felt that there simply wasn't enough variety), but if director Jake Schreier had got his way early on, the roster would have looked a lot different thanks to the addition of a certain Marvel Comics monster.

While speaking to SFX Magazine (via Games Radar), Schreier revealed that he "really wanted" Man-Thing - who made his MCU debut in the 2022 Werewolf By Night Special Presentation - to be a part of the team.

"I think there was a point during pitching when I really wanted Man-Thing to be on the team," but "it all worked out for the best."

The filmmaker went on to explain how the antiheroes that make up the final team were chosen.

"It was about looking through the MCU and not just finding bad guys who could be good but characters that exist more on that morally grey plane or who were potentially destined for something else but then something went awry. Or maybe they're just misunderstood, someone like John Walker, where he was literally Captain America."

"Maybe there is something that is worth caring about," he added. "I think all of them have kind of lost touch with that idea. At first through sheer necessity, because of the situation that they're thrown into together, but then later more out of inspiration, as a group could they become something bigger than each of themselves could be on their own?" 

We haven't seen Man-Thing or Gael García Bernal's Jack Russell since the events of Werewolf By Night, but they are both expected to return at some point. There have been rumors that they could be a part of the Midnight Sons team, but nothing has been officially announced relating to that project.

We recently got confirmation that the next MCU movie has a fairly standard runtime of 2 hours, 6 minutes, and updated box office estimates predict that Thunderbolts* will take in between $63 million - $77 million domestically over the course of its opening weekend.

This wouldn't be a bad result for a movie with a (relatively) modest budget of $180M (minus additional costs), especially when you take into account that Thunderbolts* is a fairly obscure property without any major A-list stars (Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan are by far the biggest names).

The main cast of the movie (minus Olga Kurylenko) were confirmed to return for Avengers: Doomsday during Marvel's recent live-stream.

Marvel Studios recently announced the exciting news that Son Lux will be scoring Thunderbolts*. The three-member, American experimental band was Oscar and BAFTA- nominated for their score for 2022’s best picture, Everything Everywhere All at Once. 

In Thunderbolts*, Marvel Studios assembles an unconventional team of antiheroes — Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster and John Walker. After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, these disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts. Will this dysfunctional group tear themselves apart, or find redemption and unite as something much more before it’s too late?

Returning to their Marvel Cinematic Universe roles are Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Hannah John-Kamen and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The cast also includes newcomers to the MCU—Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer and Wendell Edward Pierce.

Jake Schreier directs Thunderbolts* with Kevin Feige producing. Louis D’Esposito, Brian Chapek and Jason Tamez serve as executive producers.

Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* opens in U.S. theaters on May 2, 2025.

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Wahhvacado
Wahhvacado - 4/22/2025, 8:36 AM
Man Thing being introduced to the world through Thunderbolts would be interesting but not sure it would fit.

Bring Man Thing back with the darker side of the Universe
SteelGunZ
SteelGunZ - 4/22/2025, 8:42 AM
Bringing the Man Thing in with Thunderbolts would've definitely filled theater seats.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 4/22/2025, 8:44 AM
That could have been interesting though I’m assuming it ultimately didn’t happen because he was already set to be in Werewolf by Night so oh well…

It could have been fun since he was part of the team during one such iteration when Luke Cage was the leader.

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Anyway in the context of the film , I’m fine with the lineup we have gotten since it really pushes the idea of them being underdogs against a threat like the Void aswell as ties into the theme of redemption the movie is tackling etc.
comicfan100
comicfan100 - 4/22/2025, 8:45 AM
Having Man-Thing on the team would've made the GotG/Suicide Squad comparisons even more apparent. He'd probably fill a similar role to Groot and King Shark.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 4/22/2025, 9:08 AM
@comicfan100 - good point

I’m still holding out hope for Zemo in the future as either a member or the villain

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comicfan100
comicfan100 - 4/22/2025, 9:10 AM
@TheVisionary25 - I hope he's in the movie somewhere.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 4/22/2025, 9:11 AM
@comicfan100 - me too

I’ll take a post credits scene even haha!!
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 4/22/2025, 11:05 AM
@comicfan100 - I agree. Just opens up the movie to being more ridiculed as a Guardians of the Galaxy copycat.
Iports
Iports - 4/22/2025, 8:53 AM
I love ted ! Looking at the film from all
The trailers tho I don’t think he would have fit well in the team ! He needs to be with midnight sons

Maybe they should skip a stand alone blade film as they are struggling and bring him in more as a side character and work him up to his own film because I feel like they havnt got a clue on what tone to go with.

Establish blades tone with putting him on different films then progress to a feature film
Comicmoviejunki
Comicmoviejunki - 4/22/2025, 8:59 AM
Wtf?
GodHercules20
GodHercules20 - 4/22/2025, 9:09 AM
Man Thing vs Sentry would've been great to see in the big screen
SuperCat
SuperCat - 4/22/2025, 9:24 AM
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Huskers
Huskers - 4/22/2025, 9:27 AM
Love Ted! I'm shocked they haven't explored that side of the MCU more. The Werewolf by Night special was the best thing they've put out on Disney+. The rest have been trash. Yet l'm not aware of even any plans to develop that side of the MCU and capitalize on that success from 3 years ago! Personally I would rather see a Midnight Sons team film led by Elsa Blood and comprised of Man Thing, Werewolf by Night, Ghost Rider and Blade than this iteration of the Thunderbolts. I would’ve also been more interested in seeing that film had Ted been part of it.
Order66
Order66 - 4/22/2025, 9:28 AM
Midnight Sons

Man Thing
Werewolf
Ghost Rider
Moon Knight
Elsa
Blade
PC04
PC04 - 4/22/2025, 9:44 AM
@Order66 - Needs to happen.
Corruptor
Corruptor - 4/22/2025, 9:45 AM
Man-Thing does not work in teams. Don't care if it's Thunderbolts, Legion of Monsters, Midnight Sons or whatever. He's a barely sentient glob of slime.

At best a background character in other people's dramas... go read the Gerber/Ploog run, before thinking of making him a super-hero.

Honestly there is way too much of getting ALL the action figures out of the box and mashing them together, in both comics and film (it used to be a little too much the other way actually, I used to wonder in the '70s and early '80s why a character couldn't face an appropriate nemesis eg. Iron Man vs. Green Goblin).
MakeAmericaGrea
MakeAmericaGrea - 4/22/2025, 10:01 AM
Mam-Thing is too good for this slop.

So are most of the other characters.

Shame on the Disney executives.
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 4/22/2025, 10:34 AM
Not sure I would approve of that move but it would be interesting to see Ted vs the Sentry
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 4/22/2025, 10:34 PM
Man-Thing in [frick]ing Thunderbolts?
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