The very excitingly anticipated Thunderbolts, directed by Jake Schreier, now comes to theaters on 5/2/25. The film is set to bring together a pretty unusual team of the Marvel Comics’ universe’s antiheroes. Fans can get ready for the eclectic mix of heroes and villains, and their stories, that await us! Geraldine Viswanathan is a revelation amongst the largely known cast members. Her turn as a character referred to by the name “Mel” has caused a lot of speculation and hype—the kind that would suggest she’s playing Melissa Gold, aka Songbird.
Thunderbolts is very much a product of this skilled and gifted writing triumvirate – Eric Pearson, Lee Sung Jin, and Joanna Calo. In addition to seeing incredible characters portrayed with a diverse cast, this film has an amazing score. Yelena Belova, played by Florence Pugh, Bucky Barnes, played by Sebastian Stan, Red Guardian, played by David Harbour and Ghost, played by Hannah John-Kamen. On top of that, Wyatt Russell plays U.S. Agent, and Olga Kurylenko is playing Taskmaster. Julia Louis-Dreyfus has a cameo as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, and Lewis Pullman joins the cast in an undisclosed role as “Bob.”
Viswanathan’s character, “Mel” has sparked discussion for her possible ties to the Thunderbolts’ criminal past. Fans have speculated that she may embody an early version of Songbird due to a recent TV spot that features a distinctive necklace resembling the character’s emblem. This has led to weeks of rampant speculation. Most fans are assuming that Viswanathan will play Marvel’s Melissa Gold, aka Songbird, a character first introduced in Marvel Two-in-One #54 way back in 1979. The character was the brainchild of Marvel luminaries Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Macchio, and John Byrne.
Songbird serves as a stunning display of her uncanny skill as a sonic manipulator. She’s got great ties to the Thunderbolts storyline in the comics as well. Her characters’ inclusion into the film continues Marvel Studios’ recent pattern of taking more obscure, lesser known characters and bringing them into their Cinematic Universe. This strategy serves to spotlight these often ignored or underdeveloped heroes and it opens the door for a lot more narrative creativity within the Marvel universe.
Notably, Marvel Studios appears uninterested with sticking to the original members of the Thunderbolts team from the comics for this film. Instead, they’re shining their spotlight on another set of characters. The movie focuses on putting together a new dream team of characters that haven’t likely been featured in a theatrical film. This new strategy opens the door for exciting new storylines and character arcs that will engage life-long Marvel enthusiasts and newcomers at the same time.
Needless to say, excitement for Thunderbolts is only getting started as fans look forward to more information about the film coming down the pipeline. The tale is told with a memorable cast of characters and thrilling takes on the classic origin story. Soaring above limiting expectations, it’s destined to be a gargantuan freak of nature.