Did Marvel Just Ruin THUNDERBOLTS with AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY Spoilers?

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In 1967, let’s say you’re a film enthusiast eagerly awaiting “The Dirty Dozen” due to its intriguing plot. The movie tells the story of a group of disgraced soldiers on a suicide mission, where not everyone is guaranteed to make it out alive, adding to the suspense and excitement. The mystery of who will survive and who won’t is part of what makes the movie so appealing. Now, imagine if, just before its premiere, the studio announced “The Dirty Dozen 2” with seven actors from the original film that you hadn’t seen yet. Knowing some characters would definitely survive would have significantly diminished your enjoyment of the first movie, wouldn’t it? The reasons behind this are so straightforward and logical that they don’t require explanation. So, why did Marvel Studios feel compelled to spoil their upcoming film “Thunderbolts” by announcing the cast for “Avengers: Doomsday,” potentially ruining the suspense and surprise for viewers?

The Thunderbolts team seemed set to serve as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s equivalent of The Suicide Squad. This ensemble features a mix of superpowered individuals with various backgrounds – some disgraced, others infamous, some overlooked, some past their prime, all striving for redemption. They are brought together to tackle an insurmountable task. Through this endeavor, they will have the opportunity to truly embody heroism. The query was: which members of Thunderbolts would survive and which would perish in their attempts.

A month prior to its release, it’s already clear that most characters will live on to face Robert Downey Jr.’s Victor Von Doom in the upcoming Avengers film titled Thunderbolts. The stars of this movie include Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Hannah John-Kamen, who are all featured in a movie called Doomsday. Essentially, it seems like the entire hero team will be present, with Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster being the only one not yet announced for that film. Sadly, Taskmaster’s character appears to have met an early end. We barely had a chance to know him.

Not only does it seem unfavorable as it stands, but Marvel Studios has added another layer to the trouble with their announcement of the villain from Thunderbolts*, expected to appear in Avengers: Doomsday. Additionally, Lewis Pullman, cast as Sentry, was given a designated chair on set.

Perhaps you find this recent MCU casting news unremarkable. Yet, it’s not surprising that Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes and Florence Pugh as Yelena Bolova will continue their roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). However, even if you aren’t particularly affected by these announcements, one can appreciate why others might be. It’s a different matter when a single plot detail is revealed beforehand. But it’s another thing entirely to hint that many characters will survive in a film where it appears as though half the cast may perish. Moreover, the slight chance, no matter how unlikely, that Bucky and Yelena could have met their end in “Thunderbolts” would have added an element of suspense. Similarly, speculating whether characters like John Walker, Red Guardian, or Ghost’s stories might conclude with a selfless sacrifice would have been intriguing as well.

In any movie, the element of suspense as to what will unfold plays a significant role, but for the film “Thunderbolts,” this was intended to be an especially captivating component. Now that the movie has been released, we’re left wondering: What mysteries does it hold that we can still look forward to unraveling? For instance, could the asterisk in the title have a hidden meaning? Or perhaps there’s a surprising twist regarding Taskmaster, whose fate was speculated to be sealed but might still hold some unexpected developments… Exciting, isn’t it!

It’s hard to understand why Marvel chose to dilute the anticipation for Thunderbolts at Doomsday. They didn’t need to. The announcement of Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan joining the cast was already a massive draw. Their presence, alongside the highly anticipated return of Robert Downey Jr., would have been more than enough to generate excitement about this film. The casting announcement for Doomsday could have easily left out any mention of Thunderbolts stars, and fans would still have been just as thrilled. Instead, Thunderbolts could have followed the pattern of many other MCU movies by teasing a return in Avengers: Doomsday.

I’m quite confident (though less so than before!) that not all Thunderbolts characters will make it through the upcoming film, given its high mortality rate for characters. I’m eager to discover which ones don’t survive when I finally get to watch it. I prefer the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) not to reveal the cast list for “Avengers: Secret Wars” a month before the release of “Doomsday”. Here’s what everyone working on that movie should do instead:

1. Keep spoilers under wraps until the film is released. This way, fans can enjoy the suspense and surprises along with the movie.
2. Maintain a balance between character development and action sequences to create an engaging and memorable viewing experience.
3. Ensure that the storyline remains true to the original comics as much as possible while still making it fresh and exciting for modern audiences.
4. Collaborate closely with Marvel Studios to ensure continuity across various films, tying together plot points and character arcs in a cohesive manner.

Although it may seem irrational, I’m eagerly anticipating watching “Thunderbolts” because the adventure itself holds greater significance than the final outcome. However, my enthusiasm is somewhat dampened, as a significant aspect of that adventure was the suspense of who might not survive until “Doomsday“. The mystery of their survival kept things intriguing.

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2025-03-27 21:03