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MCU's Thunderbolts Movie Confirmed, Will End Marvel's Phase 5
Marvel Studios returned to Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con and revealed a slew of new information including exciting news about their upcoming Thunderbolts project. Thunderbolts is just one of the many new teams that are beginning to form in Marvel's Phase 4, but this group seems to have made the most progress so far. Julia Louis Dreyfus' Contessa has been slowly gathering a roster of villains and antiheroes, as teased in shows like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier with U.S. Agent and the post-credits stinger 0f Black Widow with Yelena Belova.
Confirming that the seeds of the Thunderbolts have already been germinating, reports emerged earlier this summer that Marvel was officially in development on a Thunderbolts project. Nothing else was revealed about the film, including who would be on the titular team or when it would be released. That's all changed now.
Marvel Studios offered a Thunderbolts update at SDCC, revealing that the movie will end Marvel's Phase 5. The studio also announced that Thunderbolts will hit theaters on July 26, 2024, just before Fantastic Four kicks off Phase 6's theatrical side that November.
Despite announcing a release date and the fact that the film will conclude Phase 5, Marvel revealed nothing else about the film. Fortunately, certain things can be gleaned from the direction in which Phase 4 has been heading. It seems that Marvel may use Thunderbolts to connect its burgeoning streaming branch with its longstanding theatrical side. Most of the potential Thunderbolts characters have been introduced or fleshed out in Disney+ shows. Baron Zemo returned in Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the same show that introduced Russell's U.S. Agent, while Yelena moved to streaming with an appearance in Hawkeye. Similarly, Tim Roth is set to return to the MCU as Abomination in Disney+'s She-Hulk.
It's a clever way of connecting the two branches that have seemed separate for the most part. One curious aspect of the Thunderbolts announcement, though, is the fact that it will conclude Phase 5. This could be a symbolic gesture, but it certainly lends an added weight to a movie that has largely flown under the radar in comparison to some of Marvel Studios' other major projects. With a mid-2024 release, Thunderbolts will likely start filming within the year and with many of the roles already potentially cast, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to get more information about the film at D23.
