>The original pitch tied to Captain America: Brave New World and featured the Thunderbolts sent to steal Adamantium from Celestial Island, but this was scrapped in favor of a standalone film.
>The first draft of the script was inspired by Die Hard and set entirely in the vault, with the Thunderbolts attempting to escape from death traps and mercenaries sent by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.
>John Walker was originally the villain, manipulated by Val into believing his supersoldier serum was wearing off and taking an unstable version that caused him to turn into a Hulk-like creature until the Thunderbolts manage to stop him. Writer Eric Pearson decided this wasn’t working and suggested using the Sentry. He initially wanted to use Red Hulk, but he was unavailable due to Captain America: Brave New World.
>Bucky was originally a lobbyist before Kevin Feige suggested making him a Congressman.
>There were talks about having Baron Zemo orchestrate the team’s formation. Val would have a male assistant who reveals himself as Zemo in a holomask, having switched places with one of his servants who was in prison in his place. Pearson couldn’t make the twist work and scrapped it.
>There were talks about the Thunderbolts recruiting Ghost’s surrogate father Bill Foster for help. He would have terminal cancer, suit up as the Goliath one last time, and sacrifice himself to help the team. Pearson felt he took focus away from the Thunderbolts and cut him out.
>The original opening featured Yelena Belova confronting Val about manipulating her to attempt to kill Hawkeye, but Pearson decided that too much time had passed for them to reference Disney+’s Hawkeye series.
>After escaping from the vault, the Thunderbolts originally hid out with a hungover teenager who had just trashed his parents’ house partying with his friends the night before. Bucky would confront them there, further trashing the house while fighting the Thunderbolts. The sequence was cut for pacing.
>Taskmaster originally survived and had a bigger role: Due to short-term memory loss, she often forgets they are teaming up and attacks Walker, whom she had been sent to kill. Ghost has her record a message to herself explaining the situation, and they develop a bond. When Bucky attacks the group, Taskmaster almost defeats him. She later helps them stop the Void and becomes a New Avenger. Director Jake Schreier wanted someone to die to raise the stakes and chose Taskmaster as she was the least popular, and had her killed early so they wouldn’t have to slow down the pacing so the others could mourn her.
>Schreier wanted to include Man-Thing, not knowing he had already been introduced in Disney+’s Werewolf By Night, but Feige ultimately convinced him he didn’t fit the movie’s tone and plot.
>There were plans to feature the others’ Void rooms: Red Guardian locked up in a Soviet gulag, Ghost as a child ostracized by the other children in an orphanage. To subvert expectations, Bucky’s trauma would be an embarrassing thing that happened when he was in the Boy Scouts.
>Val would originally introduce the team as the Thunderbolts before Kevin Feige suggested making them the New Avengers. The two versions were filmed and tested before they decided to go with the New Avengers.
>The original mid-credits scene was home movie footage of Yelena with the Thunderbolts soccer team during the game when her teammate Mindy shits herself and Red Guardian argues with the ref. This was cut as Marvel feared people wouldn’t remember the Black Widow movie and not understand why Red Guardian had an American accent.
>The original post-credits scene was the New Avengers watching as Kang’s spaceship arrives on Earth, which was scrapped when Jonathan Majors was fired and replaced with the Fantastic Four’s spaceship arriving on Earth.
>An extended version of the post-credits scene featured Bucky asking, “What’s that for?” in regards to the spaceship, with Walker answering, “Yeah, it’s a four.” Wyatt Russell said he was glad it was cut.
>Sebastian Stan hated the gag where Bucky spills food on his metal arm and puts it in the dishwasher.
>Wyatt Russell hated the gag where Walker says “On your left” before smashing a control panel at the vault.
>The actors improvised the conversations about Walker’s helmet and which type of supersoldier serum each were given.
>Steven Yeun was originally cast as the Sentry, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Austin Abrams and Dev Patel were also considered before Lewis Pullman was cast.
>Ayo Edebiri was originally cast as Val’s assistant Mel, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts and Geraldine Viswanathan was cast.
>>211512618 (OP)Why the fuck did they make this poster look like a Wheaties box?
>>211514257There's a joke about Red Guardian wanting the team to appear in the Wheaties box. The mid-credits scene has him overjoyed upon that actually happening.
>>211514151No, you are too powerful.
>>211514432Maybe the true power is the friends we make along the way. Don't you agree... Friend?
I "enjoyed" a marvel property for the first time in years and of course I pick the shit that tanks.
>There were talks about the Thunderbolts recruiting Ghost’s surrogate father Bill Foster for help. He would have terminal cancer, suit up as the Goliath one last time, and sacrifice himself to help the team. Pearson felt he took focus away from the Thunderbolts and cut him out
So instead they made the movie about some kind of Millennial teenager-wannabe loser, who we dont give a fuck about, but the entire last part of the movie is some kind of carebear group therapy session, wnich can only work if the audience cares about him?
Why not do something where the Thunderbolts are on a secret missio trying to save America in secret, while another stronger law-abiding Superhero is trying to stop then, because they are technically breaking the law? That would have been mote nteresting.
this is how to fix the film after removing taskmaster and character assassinating John Walker
Wyatt Russell says he will have played three John Walker's by Doomsday instead of one character across three entries
>>211512618 (OP)>Pearson decided that too much time had passed for them to reference Disney+’s Hawkeye series.well this is what happens when you have no plan whatsoever
I feel like while Feige is still in charge on paper he must have stepped back into a George Lucas type leadership role where he just stands back letting it all happen and occasionally makes bizarre non-sequitur suggestions like "hey make Bucky a congressman"
>>211517008>character assassinating John WalkerDid Walkerfags flip the script already?
>>211517074They did have a plan, but a series of factors including Covid, the strikes, Jonathan Majors being a retard and needing to prop up Disney+ threw the whole thing into disarray.
>>211512618 (OP)>>211512705>>211512875Sounds like this movie dodged a hundred bullets.
Love and Thunder is my post Endgame low bar and it wasn't until thunderbolts that I actually gave half a shit about the MCU. Maybe after years of slop, a mid movie can look good, maybe I compromised, but I won't overthink it. I left the theater feeling pleasant, so I'll leave it at that.
>>211517347Yeah I'm pretty happy they went the way they did on all of this. Crazy how determined they were to not have a white Sentry
>>211514369All of these in jokes MCU writers keep inserting in ti their shit might be funny to them, but it isn't to anyone else.
>>211512618 (OP)Basically every single change made is for the better
The broader problem is audiences were never convinced this was a movie they had to go see. It always looked like a Disney+ movie
>>211513687Everyone, given that Thunderbolts is a classic movie now.
>>211512618 (OP)WHO GIVES A FUCK ABOUT CAPESHIT SLOP #372 YOU FUCKING FORESKINLESS AMERIMUTT FAGGOTS, YOU SHOULD ALL FUCKING DIE OF AIDS
I'm glad they scrapped most of that.
More Void Rooms could have been interesting but the movie was already running over 2 hours.
![crowdednoteworthystarfish-reddit-walker_[sound=https%3A%2F%2Ffiles.catbox.moe%2Ftb5h4h.mp3]_thumb.jpg](/images/tv/1750036392208584s.jpg)
