Though nothing has been confirmed, the "Superman-level" threat the Thunderbolts will face in the upcoming Marvel Studios movie is believed to be the Sentry, and we may now have a better idea of how the mega-powerful character will factor into the story.
According to insider @CanWeGetToast, Sentry will indeed serve as the main "physical antagonist," but the real mastermind pulling his strings will be Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus).
Yes, Val is expected to put the titular team together, but based on what we can gather, she will ultimately be revealed as the real big bad - which probably shouldn't come as a major surprise after witnessing her duplicitous methods in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Val will reportedly play a hand in Sentry's "creation" (in the comics, it's a meth addict named Robert Reynolds who gains the power of a million exploding suns), and, if we had to hazard a guess, attempt to use him to secure Wakanda's Vibranium reserves.
Where the Thunderbolts themselves fit in remains to be seen, but there's a chance Val will either use them as scapegoats or as a way to maintain her cover.
As for potential casting, there's still some internet scuttlebutt surrounding Ryan Gosling (though we hear they're looking for someone a little younger), and Alexander Ludwig's (Vikings, Heels) name has also popped up.
As with any rumor, it's best not to put too much stock in this until we hear something official.
Though other characters might well be added, the Thunderbolts roster currently consists of Red Guardian (David Harbour), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko).
Harrison Ford will replace the late William Hurt as Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, who may wind up transforming into the Red Hulk.
Jake Schreier (Robot and Frank, Dave) is set to direct, with Black Widow scribe Eric Pearson penning the script.
Thunderbolts is slated to open on July 26, 2024.