Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts (or rather, The New Avengers, as the film’s asterisk-laden title reveals) hit theaters with a gritty, character-driven story that’s winning over fans for its grounded take on a team of misfit antiheroes. Led by Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), the movie trades cosmic stakes for personal struggles, delivering a fresh vibe to the MCU. But according to screenwriter Eric Pearson, the journey to this final cut was paved with wild ideas that never made it to the screen. In a candid chat with TheWrap, Pearson dished on alternate versions of the film that could’ve given us a very different Thunderbolts. Let’s dive into the scrapped concepts, from Goliath’s big moment to a Red Hulk twist, and why they didn’t make the cut.
The Road Not Taken: What Could’ve Been in Thunderbolts
Pearson, a Marvel veteran with credits on Thor: Ragnarok, Black Widow, and the upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps, initially envisioned a Thunderbolts that leaned into some bold and surprising directions. Here’s a breakdown of the most intriguing ideas that were left on the cutting room floor:
- John Walker as Red Hulk:
In early drafts, Wyatt Russell’s John Walker, the abrasive U.S. Agent, was set to transform into a Red Hulk-like monster. Pearson revealed that Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) would’ve manipulated Walker by convincing him his Super Soldier Serum needed regular “upkeep” shots. In reality, these were a “Hulk bomb” designed to turn him into a raging beast if Valentina needed to eliminate him. The team would’ve faced the impossible task of fighting this Hulk-ified Walker, ultimately choosing to save rather than destroy him. Why was it scrapped? Pearson admitted the idea “didn’t feel right,” especially since Captain America: Brave New World already featured Harrison Ford’s Thaddeus Ross as Red Hulk. Plus, Pearson wanted the film’s climax to end with an emotional “hug, not a punch.” - Bill Foster’s Goliath Comeback:
Laurence Fishburne’s Bill Foster, Ava Starr’s mentor and father figure from Ant-Man and the Wasp, almost returned as the size-shifting Goliath. Pearson pictured Foster joining the team late in the game, sharing a “Goliath moment” where he’d grow to giant size and fight alongside the Thunderbolts. There was even a subplot pairing Foster with David Harbour’s Red Guardian, Alexei, as two “not-quite-fathers” bonding over their surrogate parental roles. However, this idea was dropped because Foster lacked the “background trauma” that unified the rest of the team’s arc. Pearson noted it “didn’t fit,” leaving Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) more isolated and sympathetic in the final version. - Taskmaster’s Bigger Role and Survival:
Olga Kurylenko’s Antonia Dreykov, aka Taskmaster, meets a shocking fate early in Thunderbolts when Ghost takes her out in the vault. But in Pearson’s original script, Taskmaster survived and had a meaty subplot. She and Ghost, both products of lab-based childhoods, shared a bond where Ava acted as a “big sister” helping Antonia adapt to freedom. Another running gag involved Taskmaster’s memory loss causing her to repeatedly forget her surroundings and attack her teammates. Pearson admitted this felt like “a hat on a hat,” and the streamlined story favored a more shocking moment to establish the stakes. - A More Ethereal Void Sequence:
The film’s climax unfolds in the Void, a psychological space tied to Sentry’s dark alter ego (played by Lewis Pullman). Pearson’s first draft imagined this as a “more ethereal” realm, but director Jake Schreier grounded it with realistic, claustrophobic rooms inspired by Being John Malkovich. Pearson also wrote a longer version where each character faced their own personalized room, exploring their deepest fears and traumas. Questions like “What would Ava see? What would Bucky see?” drove these drafts, but the final cut trimmed the sequence to keep the pacing tight, focusing on Yelena and Bob’s emotional breakthroughs. - Sentry’s Late Arrival:
The Sentry, introduced as the amnesiac Bob, wasn’t always the film’s big bad. Pearson discovered the character during his time in the Marvel Writers Program (2010-2011), drawn to the idea of a Superman-like figure with a dark, self-loathing side. When the Red Hulk plot was axed, Sentry became the perfect fit, embodying the film’s theme of “heroic ambition versus self-loathing.” His inclusion shifted the story’s focus, replacing Walker’s physical threat with a more complex, emotional one that the team defeats through connection rather than brute force.
Why These Changes Happened
| Scrapped Idea | Reason for Change | Impact on Final Film |
|---|---|---|
| John Walker as Red Hulk | Overlapped with Captain America: Brave New World’s Red Hulk; didn’t align with Pearson’s “hug, not punch” vision. | Allowed Sentry to shine as a unique villain, emphasizing emotional resolution over physical combat. |
| Bill Foster as Goliath | Lacked the team’s shared trauma theme; didn’t fit the story’s focus. | Kept Ghost’s arc solitary and poignant, streamlining the team dynamic. |
| Taskmaster’s Subplot | Felt redundant and overly comedic; early death raised stakes. | Shocked audiences and highlighted the team’s initial distrust, setting up their growth. |
| Ethereal Void | Too abstract; risked losing audience engagement. | Grounded, visceral rooms made the climax relatable and intense. |
| Sentry’s Absence | Red Hulk plot was less compelling; Sentry better fit the thematic core. | Elevated the film’s psychological depth and tied into the “New Avengers” reveal. |
The Final Verdict: A Leaner, Meaner Thunderbolts
Pearson’s scrapped ideas paint a picture of a Thunderbolts that could’ve been bigger, flashier, and packed with more MCU cameos. But the decision to scale back—focusing on a tight ensemble and a story about broken people finding purpose—gave the film its heart. The absence of Goliath and Red Hulk kept the spotlight on Yelena, Bucky, and their ragtag crew, while Sentry’s inclusion added a fresh dynamic to the MCU’s roster. As Pearson put it, the goal was to avoid a Suicide Squad retread, and the final cut delivers something distinct: a Marvel movie that’s less about saving the world and more about saving each other.
