Thunderbolts* was released in May to some of the Multiverse Saga's best reviews. Despite that, it only managed to earn a disappointing $382.4 million at the worldwide box office.
The movie had little in common with the Thunderbolts comic books. Baron Zemo didn't enlist a team of villains to pose as heroes to fill the void left by The Avengers, and Marvel Studios also avoided heading down the Suicide Squad route (a premise used frequently on the page in recent years).
The "Thunderbolts" moniker was only temporary for a team made up of Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, U.S. Agent, and The Sentry. Now, they're the MCU's New Avengers, and given Thunderbolts*'s box office performance, that branding is unlikely to be revisited.
Over the past 24 hours, a resurfaced Discussing Film Tweet from 2019 has gone viral on X. "Marvel Studios is rumored to be planning a movie trilogy for 'THUNDERBOLTS,'" the post reads. "The film is rumored to include characters such as Zemo, Ghost, Justin Hammer, General Ross, Abomination and The Leader."
Ultimately, Ghost was the only one of those characters to appear in Thunderbolts*. We know that Baron Zemo was considered, but how true the rest of what's written above isn't clear. Either way, many fans have been chiming in with their thoughts, sharing their disappointment that the version of the movie they got in theaters this year had little in common with one that, for some, sounds much better.
Following this post, Zemo returned in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier with his iconic mask and "Baron" title. Abomination became a largely comedic character in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and General Ross and The Leader were inserted into Captain America: Brave New World to mixed reviews. Poor Justin Hammer remains on the shelf after Armor Wars was shelved.
As for the New Avengers, they'll return in Avengers: Doomsday. The fate of the characters above isn't clear, though we've likely seen the last of them for now, at least.
Do you think this rumoured version of Thunderbolts would have been better than Thunderbolts* *The New Avengers?