Thunderbolts* Director Wanted Man-Thing on the Team

Summary

Thunderbolts* director wanted Man-Thing on the team, but the pitch was rejected by Marvel.
Thunderbolts* features a group of misfits for redemption, including anti-heroes and villains.
Thunderbolts* promises a fun and hilarious adventure, even without Man-Thing in the mix.

Thunderbolts* is due next week and fans are already excited about it. Its director shared a new detail, which could have changed the movie had it materialized.

Thunderbolts* is the second movie from Marvel Studios this year. In February, fans witnessed Anthony Mackie's Captain America: Brave New World. Next week, fans will see a group of misfits working together for redemption. The members include anti-heroes and villains Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour), John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and Robert Reynolds/Sentry (Lewis Pullman) to name a few. However, an unlikely member would have joined the group had the director's pitch been approved.

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By Catherine Armecin Martin

Jake Schreier, who helmed the movie, admitted that there was one character he wanted to include in the group if it were up to him. "I think there was a point during pitching when I really wanted Man-Thing to be on the team," Schrier told SFX Magazine (via GamesRadar). Apparently, he didn't have it his way, but it wasn't a problem because the filmmaker felt that "it all worked for the best." Dr. Theodore "Ted" Sallis, aka Man-Thing, was a scientist who experimented with Super-Soldier Serum, similar to what created Captain America. He injected himself with the serum and crashed into a swamp after escaping an attack. However, he transforms into Man-Thing due to the mixture of serum and the swamp's mystical forces. The Marvel heads probably turned down Schreier's pitch because Man-Thing just made his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe through Marvel Studios' special Werewolf by Night in 2022.

Reflecting on how they formed the members of the Thunderbolts, Schreier said it was more than just looking for "bad guys would be good." Instead, they were focused on finding "characters that exist more on that morally grey plane or who were potentially destined for something else but then something went awry." He added that they were looking for "misunderstood" characters like John Walker. Walker is a former Captain of the United States Army's 75th Ranger Regiment. He was supposed to succeed Steve Rogers as Captain America, but his character failed him in representing the symbol. Instead, he turned out to be the cautionary tale of what could happen when the mantle was given to the wrong person. The filmmaker continued:

Maybe there is something that is worth caring about. I think all of them have kind of lost touch with that idea.

Thunderbolts* is one of the promising MCU films this year. The idea of forming a group of misfits is exciting, and it promises a fun and hilarious adventure because there will surely be moments of bickering and bantering, considering their different personalities. The addition of Man-Thing to the group may sound unlikely and odd. However, nothing is impossible in the modern MCU. Man-Thing can sense human emotions and his ability to burn people when he senses fear makes him a formidable weapon against enemies.

Also, Man-Thing is a mystical beast tied to the Nexus of All Realities, making him even more valuable for accessing the multiverse. He could be introduced as a contained monster, much like the Hulk in the early Avengers mission. Also, it's easy for him to connect with other members like Yelena and Bucky, who are also going through something and need an emotional connection. Man-Thing's addition will make Thunderbolts* supernatural and he will be helpful if the group has to deal with mystical threats. Despite Man-Thing's absence, the screening results for Thunderbolts* were promising. The movie is reportedly great for those who are "feeling jaded by the capes*** genre."