The upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars movies are expected to feature a lot of characters, with established heroes, new faces, and variants from all corners of the Multiverse joining forces to combat a major new threat.
The actors who played Earth's Mightiest Heroes in the first Avengers movie are rumored to return, but so far, only Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans have been confirmed - and neither of them will reprise their original roles. RDJ will play Doctor Doom, and Evans will likely play a younger variant of Steve Rogers (rumored to have taken on the Nomad mantle).
Sebastian Stan - who won a Best Actor award for his performance in A Different Man during last night's Golden Globes - is also expected to return along with his Thunderbolts* teammates, and was asked how he feels about his former co-stars taking on new roles in the MCU during a red carpet interview with ET.
“I think what I appreciate is that there’s always an open way of thinking. [Marvel Studios] don’t shut themselves down or put themselves in any pocket. They just want to keep exploring, and that’s what I think leads to great, better movies.”
Clearly not willing to comment on any specific casting reports, Stan was also asked about his role in Thunderbolts*, and it sounds like he has every confidence that the team will be a force to be reckoned with in the Marvel Cinematic Universe going forward.
“I think this movie is very singular and it will stand on its own. I know these are bold words, but there’s no other Marvel group that you can compare us to. It is its own thing.”
The Thunderbolts are said to have significant parts to play in the next Avengers films, and are rumored to become the "New Avengers" at some point (hence the asterisk).
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.