Reportedly Marvel's team of supervillains, The Thunderbolts, will make their Marvel Cinematic Universe debut on the big screen, with production starting in 2023. The news has come amidst several other reports on future unannounced and little-known productions, such as the Fantastic Four and Nova.

The Thunderbolts first emerged in the wake of the 1996 Onslaught Saga crossover, where the X-Men villain seemingly killed the Avengers and Fantastic Four. The team was initially seen as heroes, but it was soon revealed that they were the Masters of Evil, led by Baron Zemo. The villains took on the guises of heroes to gain the public's trust and steal SHIELD secrets to sell across the criminal underworld. Though the original heroes returned due to Franklin Richard's incredible power, the Thunderbolts have remained in various forms, with a new team just having been formed by Kingpin. Despite their many incarnations, the team had yet to debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though that appears to be set to change.

Related: Where The Wakandans Took Zemo & How It Sets Up Thunderbolts

As reported by The GWW, a movie focused on the team of villains and complex heroes will enter production in 2023. Production is slated to begin in 2023, alongside a film centered on Nova, a Shang Chi sequel, an Okoye-centric project, and the previously teased Fantastic Four films, as well as a yet unknown project. Other details, such as a shortlist of directors, a possible cast, and a release date, are unknown.

Though many details of the film are currently unknown, there are several ongoing threads within the MCU that fans can use to theorize how the MCU incarnation of the team. One aspect includes Julia Louise-Dreyfus's Valentina Allegra de Fontaine; with the star stating she is excited about Val's future, it is clear that the character is set to have a recurring appearance in the franchise after debuting in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and returning in Black Widow. Val recruited disgraced Captain America-turned-US Agent John Walker (Wyatt Russell) and former Widow assassin Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) for a yet unknown initiative.

Much like the Onslaught Saga's aftermath, Earth is left without an assembled team of remarkable people after Avengers: Endgame, with each character having their personal struggles to handle. This vacuum could see Val's initiative step out of the shadows to form the MCU's incarnation of the Thunderbolts. Alternatively, fans have already seen key team members from the comics in the MCU, such as Zemo (Daniel Brühl), Thadeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (William Hurt), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and even Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), with Kamen being open to returning to the MCU, it is possible that the Marvel Cinematic Universe's incarnation may be more of an anti-hero-centric team led by either Barnes or Ross. Regardless of what form the group takes, it is sure to make audiences question their goal.

Next: Ant-Man's Ghost Is Perfect To Set Up Thunderbolts In MCU Phase 4

Source: The GWW

Key Release Dates