Around this time last year, we got word that Emmy award-winning The Bear star Ayo Edebiri had been forced to part ways with Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts* movie, with Blockers breakout Geraldine Viswanathan brought in to replace her.
Edebiri's character wasn't officially named at the time, but we'd later learn that she was set to be introduced as Allegra de Fontaine's assistant, who is said to be "exceptional at her job, even surprising Val with how good she is at getting things done."
Later in the year, shortly after SDCC, it was revealed that Viswanathan's character was named "Mel," leading to speculation that she might turn out to be Melissa Gold, a.k.a. Songbird.
While this might be the case, all the actress was willing to confirm during an interview with Empire is that she's playing "the assistant of Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ power-hungry CIA director."
Viswanathan did go on to hint that her character might be seeing some action.
“The scale of that was ridiculous and terrifying in a new way. It was like, ‘Oh, there are 500 extras and a helicopter in this scene, so I’d better not [frick] up my line.’”
“She is the actual queen," she added when asked about working with the Seinfeld alum. "I call her the most perfect person in America. It was insane to work with her and then be watching puppy videos together.”
Viswanathan's other credits include Apple feature The Beanie Bubble and Ethan Coen’s Focus Features title Drive-Away Dolls. She will also star alongside Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell in this month's Amazon comedy, You’re Cordially Invited.
We're still not sure what the addition of that asterisk to the title signifies, but a recent rumor claimed to shed a little more light on the mystery. It could be considered a spoiler, so click here if you want to know more.
Marvel Studios and a crew of indie veterans who sold out present Thunderbolts*, an irreverent team-up featuring depressed assassin Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) alongside the MCU’s least anticipated band of misfits. The film also returns to the screen Marvel Cinematic Universe characters Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), in addition to some exciting new faces.
Jake Schreier directs Thunderbolts*with Kevin Feige producing. Louis D’Esposito, Brian Chapek, Jason Tamez and Scarlett Johansson serve as executive producers. Marvel Studios’
Thunderbolts* opens in U.S. theaters on May 2, 2025.