The Walking Dead star Steven Yeun broke the silence on his role in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe project Thunderbolts, offering up a cryptic description for fans to work with. He also discussed a unique reason for joining the MCU project in his unconfirmed role.
Based on the antihero team of the same name, the Thunderbolts are a group of villains, rogues, and traditional heroes conscripted into the service of the government, seemingly under the leadership or guidance of General Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross, a role recently taken over by Harrison Ford for Captain America 4. While several stars have been confirmed to reprise prior MCU roles in the film, including Ghost, Taskmaster, the Winter Soldier, and Red Guardian, the entire cast has not yet been fully revealed, with one of those undisclosed spots belonging to Steven Yeun.
Fan speculation about the specifics has been working overtime since it was announced that Yeun will join the Thunderbolts cast as an important MCU character. While the details of the plot and characters who might make a Marvel Cinematic Universe Debut are still well under wraps, Yeun did offer a cryptic description of the role and explained what attracted him to it. Speaking to Empire about his upcoming projects, the new MCU hire said, “I don’t know if it [the mcu] was explicitly on my bucket list. It was more the story, getting to work with Jake Schreier again, who directed Beef, and what his intentions were. The intentions of the particular character that they wanted me to play were very clear, and that’s what drew me to the film.”
One of the prevailing theories concerning the casting is that Yeun will be playing the first live-action adaptation of the Sentry, a sparingly prominent but insanely powerful Marvel Comics character on par with DC's Superman. While Sentry has never been seen in the ranks of the comic book Thunderbolts, he did see action on the similarly themed Dark Avengers. The need for the Thunderbolts to pack a heavy hitter could be dire if another popular rumor is true and the film’s antagonist turns out to be the insanely powerful Hyperion, another obscure character who may have non-comic readers questioning who he is if he appears in the Thunderbolts.
The wording of Yeun's description leaves a lot to the imagination. However, the project is sure to draw eyes regardless, with comparisons being made between the Thunderbolts and The Suicide Squad on a conceptual basis. It’s fair to hope that the upcoming project is also as well received, seeing as the Suicide Squad rethread got James Gunn the callback for more projects at DC that eventually led to his current role as head of the DCU.
While speculation can be a good way to pass the time, everyone will have to wait to see what Yeun's MCU debut will be, similar to his co-star Ayo Edebiri, who was also cast to star in an as-of-now secret role in Thunderbolts. Whether or not the project comes out groundbreaking, Yeun is seemingly in it for the ride and not much else.
Thunderbolts is currently set for a theatrical release on July 26, 2024.
Source: Empire