Thunderbolts Originally Had a Version Where the Team Died, Wyatt Russell Says at MegaCon

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Wyatt Russell says there really was a version of Thunderbolts where the whole team died.

During MegaCon Orlando, someone who was there posted on X that Russell revealed the original plan for the Thunderbolts was for all of them to die. The comment gained a lot of attention online over the weekend.

This aligns with previous reports from February 2024, when The Hollywood Reporter stated that early versions of the film involved a mission intended to result in the characters’ deaths.

This is not coming out of nowhere

In 2024, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Marvel hired Joanna Calo to revise the script for the film. According to someone who had seen earlier versions, the story initially focused on a team of villains and antiheroes embarking on a dangerous mission expected to result in their deaths.

Russell’s recent statement about MegaCon suggests the idea he mentioned was seriously considered by Marvel and even reached a fairly advanced stage of development before they decided to go in a different direction.

This also clarifies why the old rumor persisted for so long. While it seemed unbelievable at the time, Russell has now essentially confirmed that Marvel initially considered a much grimmer ending for Thunderbolts than the one audiences ultimately saw.

Why Marvel likely changed it: Feige plays it safe

Marvel obviously did not go through with wiping out the team.

Marvel has confirmed that actors from the Thunderbolts movie will also appear in Avengers: DoomSDAY. This includes Wyatt Russell, Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Lewis Pullman, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and several other cast members announced by Marvel.

If the first version of the story had a very dark ending where all the characters died, that ending was always likely to be changed. Marvel planned to use the Thunderbolts story to set up the next Avengers film, and a completely fatal outcome wouldn’t have worked with that plan.

Russell’s statement suggests this isn’t just fan speculation, but a significant last-minute change Marvel made to the story before it was released.

Keeping the Thunderbolts team alive aligns with Kevin Feige’s recent trend of cautious storytelling in the MCU, seen in films like Captain America: Brave New World and Fantastic Four.

The big question is, will Feige play it safe with Avengers: Doomsday, out in December?

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2026-03-24 22:01