IRONHEART And THUNDERBOLTS Rumored To Be In Development At Marvel Studios

Marvel's Phase 5 slate is slowly taking shape and now a new report claims that projects starring Ironheart and the Thunderbolts are officially in early development at Marvel Studios. Read on for details...

By JoshWilding - Nov 07, 2019 01:11 PM EST

Filed Under: Marvel Studios

Earth's Mightiest Heroes may have emerged triumphant at the end of Avengers: Endgame, but with no Captain America or Iron Man, it's hard to say who will be next to assemble the heroic team.

As a result, a void has been left in the Marvel Cinematic Universe which could be filled by the Young Avengers or possibly even the Thunderbolts. According to MCU Cosmic, a project starring the characters who make up that team of villains masquerading as heroes (in their earliest incarnation, anyway) is currently in early development at Marvel Studios.

There are definitely a lot of characters already in the MCU who coukd make up that team, and, as of right now, there's no word on whether this would be a movie or another Disney+ TV series.

In related news, the site is claiming that Ironheart is also coming to the new streaming service. There have been rumours in the past about the character having a role to play on the big screen, but it appears as if Riri Williams could be a hero Kevin Feige chooses to feature on the small screen first. That's not a huge shocker, as the same is being done with Ms. Marvel.

These are just rumours for now, but what do you guys think? As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below.

To check out 10 teams of Avengers we think could show up
in Marvel's Phase 5, hit the "View List" button below!

The Ultimates

Marvel Studios appears to be setting the stage for The Ultimates to assemble on the big screen, as most of the team has been cast and the rest (aside from Blue Marvel) are either on the way or rumoured to have a role in a future MCU project.

This group didn't last for long, but their mission was to tackle cosmic foes who posed a threat to the Earth. With Thanos gone and Earth's Mightiest Heroes "disassembled," it would definitely be fitting for this powerful team to come together to try to protect the planet from alien threats.

Captain Marvel is way too overpowered to be part of a regular team of Avengers, so this might be the best possible place for her, especially if it ends up involving the Kree/Skrull War!

Young Avengers

The stage is clearly being set for the Young Avengers, and you have to believe we'll see them on screen at some point in the near future. Avengers: Endgame aged up Cassie Lang and laid the groundwork for her to become Stature, while Hawkeye is coming to Disney+ in the next few years.

Speed and Wiccan, meanwhile, are expected to factor into WandaVision, and while we've heard nothing about Patriot or Hulkling, there are a number of places they could show up (if Captain Marvel 2 deals with the continuing Kree/Skrull War, that's definitely a place we could meet the latter).

The question is, will we see this team on the big screen or the small one?

New Avengers

There have been a few different iterations of the New Avengers and it would be no bad thing for Marvel Studios to take inspiration from pretty much all of them. Made up of characters you wouldn't necessarily associate with Earth's Mightiest Heroes, seeing the likes of Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Doctor Strange assemble would be great fun, and a potential box office smash.

If the Dark Avengers are coming to the MCU (we'll get to them a little later), then the team of New Avengers who were fugitives on the run have the potential to be a unique new story for Marvel.

Either way, it's clear that something "new" has to be done with this team, so heading down this route and potentially giving some of those Netflix heroes another chance could be a really smart move.

Secret Avengers

The Secret Avengers were essentially a different version of X-Force but with members of The Avengers rather than the X-Men. Some fans loved the concept while others hated it. but it was definitely interesting seeing these characters tackle black-ops style missions rather than world-ending threats.

The issue with a group like this is that it somewhat robs the team of what makes them special, but a Disney+ series or movie featuring heroes like Blade, Moon Knight, and even the likes of War Machine and Shang-Chi would be a novel concept as they assemble to take on an enemy every bit as dangerous as Thanos, albeit in a different way (Dracula, for example).

This probably wouldn't be a priority, but it's something Marvel could consider exploring one day.

Dark Avengers

Now that Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures are playing nice again, you have to believe that there's a chance Norman Osborn could be introduced and that he'll end up leading the Dark Avengers.

It's hard to say which characters could fill out that team (the studio does have a habit of killing off its villains), but moving the MCU into a different era of storytelling where an opportunist like Osborn is able to make himself the world's greatest hero is very relevant to today, and something that would present a lot of new challenges to the real heroes.

Rumour has it that Marvel has been sitting on a Dark Avengers script for years, and a villain-led movie would be a refreshing change of pace from what we're used to seeing happen in this shared world.

All-New, All-Different Avengers

Another short-lived iteration of the team, the All-New, All-Different Avengers was made up of new versions of classic heroes like Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor along with younger heroes like the Miles Morales Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel, and Sam Alexander's Nova.

With Sam Wilson about to suit up as the new Captain America and Jane Foster's transformation into Thor on the horizon (along with those Young Avengers members we mentioned), the former Falcon trying to bring together a brand new team of Avengers would make a lot of sense.

This could lead to a myriad of spinoffs and would kick off a bold new era for Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

A-Force

This week alone, Brie Larson, Scarlett Johansson, and Elizabeth Olsen have all talked openly about their desire for a female-led Avengers movie (it's also something they've discussed with Feige).

After that Avengers: Endgame moment, there's a clear desire among fans to see this happen, and with so many great female superheroes already in or coming to the MCU, this has the potential to be amazing. Captain Marvel 2 could be a solid place to introduce them, but a spinoff of their own would surely be a guaranteed box office hit.

There are some "fans" who wouldn't like this, of course, but it would be cool to see it happen.

The Illuminati

Iron Man may be dead and gone but there's no reason the Illuminati can't still come together in the MCU. While it's hard to imagine an entire movie revolving around their exploits, introducing them as a controlling force from the shadows in Phase 5 could be really cool, and might just set the stage for a whole new wave of stories (while providing different perspectives on old ones).

Honestly, this could be a game-changer for the MCU, and their big screen debut is long overdue.

Professor X, Doctor Strange, Black Bolt, Mister Fantastic, and Namor the Sub-Mariner could all factor into Phase 5 in some way, shape or form, and fans of Jonathan Hickman's Avengers work will know that this lot can be used to great effect. Black Panther could easily replace Iron Man.

Thunderbolts

When the Thunderbolts were first introduced, they were a group of villain masquerading as heroes who had a change of heart and ultimately decided to do the right thing. Now, it's entirely feasible that they'll basically become the Dark Avengers in the MCU, and we've obviously seeing Suicide Squad-style versions of the team since then.

Phase 5 would be a great place to introduce them, though, and there's already speculation that "Thunderbolt" Ross will recruit Yelena Belova in the upcoming Black Widow movie.

Ultimately, it's hard to predict what direction a film like this could head in, but there are a lot of phenomenal ideas on the table from this team's many adventures and they could serve as a new rost of Avengers in many ways, even if they are ultimately outed as being the bad guys.

West Coast Avengers

This feels like the most logical next step for Earth's Mightiest Heroes. While it's unlikely that the roster will be exactly like the comics, seeing the likes of Wonder Man and Tigra on the big screen is a must, while a West Coast setting for the team would definitely help hit the refresh button on the franchise.

Black Panther set up a base in California, and that's also where Ant-Man and The Wasp are based.

Avengers Tower is no more and we've never been introduced to Avengers Mansion, so moving the team outside of New York City is a logical move. Whether the movie would actually be called "West Coast Avengers" is another matter, as that title is a little cheesy. Still, there's an awful lot of great adventures this team had which could end up inspiring a fantastic big screen outing.

Which of these teams would you guys like to see in Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? As always, share your thoughts on that in the comments section below!

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72 Comments

1 2

Spidey91 - 11/7/2019, 1:37 PM

we should assume everything is in development at Marvel Studios in any way, shape or form at any given point in time.

GhostDog - 11/7/2019, 1:42 PM

@Spidey91 - Feige:

Vigor - 11/7/2019, 2:47 PM

@Spidey91 - pretty much

HeavyMetal4Life - 11/7/2019, 1:43 PM

The Thunderbolts news isn't really news, that's been rumored for a while so this is just a reaffirmation of that. I'm guessing that Falcon & Winter Soldier and Black Widow will lay some foundation for this.

I'm not overly familiar with Ironheart, but it should be a Disney+ property first. But a lot of time I think needs to pass before she is seriously considered.

WakandaTech - 11/7/2019, 1:44 PM

ThuderBolts EPIC

Iron Heart?

Really, before Nova, Silver Surfer,Namor?

MCUKnight11 - 11/7/2019, 1:52 PM

@WakandaTech -Probably because those guys are getting full-feature films.

GhostDog - 11/7/2019, 1:44 PM

L0RDbuckethead - 11/7/2019, 1:48 PM

ANGELINA JOLIE in costume in Eternals set photos! @JoshWilding @RorMachine @KingPatel

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-7661931/Angelina-Jolie-EXCLUSIVE-Actress-dons-tight-gold-suit-blonde-wig-LOOK-Eternals.html

L0RDbuckethead - 11/7/2019, 1:49 PM

... and [frick] Ironheart.

She is terribly written.

Darkknight2149 - 11/7/2019, 1:52 PM

Oh please no!! To be blunt, Iron Heart is an all around shitty character created when Marvel was all about constant relaunches, events, and replacing all of their characters as publicity stunts. Don't let her anywhere near the MCU.

Spidey91 - 11/7/2019, 2:01 PM

@Darkknight2149 - you think she wasn't created with the purpose of turning her into a movie icon at some point?

Darkknight2149 - 11/7/2019, 2:07 PM

@Spidey91 -
She was created when Marvel was obsessed with relaunching their line of comics back at #1 every two seconds.

Marvel NOW!

All New Marvel NOW!

All New All Different Marvel NOW!

Marvel NOW! (again)

Marvel Legacy

ETC.

Her only purpose was to exist as a cheap publicity stunt to sell copies. Just like all of the other trillion replacement characters introduced during all of this. This was also the period where Captain America became a Hydra agent for one issue.

So no.

Spidey91 - 11/7/2019, 2:18 PM

@Darkknight2149 - well, I'm not the one to come up with this "theory", but it seems that that experimental period of the comics was used as a testing ground for future multi media establishment of certain characters, that's why the younger heroes, radical movie-esque redesigns, streamlined backstory/ origin retooling/retconing.

I mean, you think it's a coincidence Marvel started pushing the mutants again when they were about to get the movie rights back thanks to the Fox purchase? or that there is a Kamala Khan playable spot in the Avengers game before the series comes out?

DoubleD - 11/7/2019, 1:55 PM

No need for new Avengers. Iron-Man and Captain America are gone but we still have a team already. Hulk, Captain Marvel, Scarlett Witch, Winter Soldier, Thor, Black Panter, Ant-Man with Spiderman, She-Hulk, Fantastic Four, Deadpool and more to be announced.

hazapez - 11/7/2019, 2:00 PM

@DoubleD - but no leadership or, dare i say it... initiative ? lol

DoubleD - 11/7/2019, 2:08 PM

@hazapez - In the Avengers their all qualified to lead. OOPS forgot Dr. Strange.

DoubleD - 11/7/2019, 2:19 PM

@hazapez - Marvel Studios already laid out their next two phases and movies their making. There is your next Avengers 5 Team.

tugboy - 11/7/2019, 2:12 PM

Did someone say...IronFART?!?!

DoubleD - 11/7/2019, 2:16 PM

Marvel Studios already laid out their plans for the next two phases and NONE of them are even mentioned. The next Avengers 5 movie will consist of the Superheroes out of those two phases.

1 2

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IRONHEART And THUNDERBOLTS Rumored To Be In Development At Marvel Studios

Marvel's Phase 5 slate is slowly taking shape and now a new report claims that projects starring Ironheart and the Thunderbolts are officially in early development at Marvel Studios. Read on for details...

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